When it comes to contextualising Christianity and everything that entails I find it is important to recognise that there are diverse sources of diversity within contemporary society. Too often Christian missional literature focuses on culture purely in terms of nationality or ethnicity. But I find it is often just important to recognise the ways gender, … Continue reading Why it is important to recognise there are diverse sources of diversity.
An ancient commentary on Christian unity and cultural diversity
Have you ever read The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus? If you haven’t you should, as it includes ancient commentary on Christian unity and cultural diversity that is just as relevant for today as it was when it was written in the second century. Mathetes (which means disciple in ancient Greek) has this to say: … Continue reading An ancient commentary on Christian unity and cultural diversity
Western Buddha, Eastern Jesus
More and more I find language of "eastern religion" and "western religion" superficial and outmoded, if not down right ignorant and misleading. For starters, both Christianity and Buddhism are "world religions" that transcended their ancestral homes millennia ago. But more, their demographic centres of gravity are shifting, to the point where western Buddhism and eastern Christianity … Continue reading Western Buddha, Eastern Jesus
Many Cultures, One Messiah
Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or … Continue reading Many Cultures, One Messiah
Thoughts on culture
In the past cultural diversity was a consequence of information scarcity. We could not assimilate what we had so little access to. We had no choice, cultural differentiation was inevitable. In the future cultural diversity will be a consequence of information glut. We can’t assimilate everything we have access to. We each make choices, cultural … Continue reading Thoughts on culture
Australian multiculturalism
Yesterday we heard that "the AMP-NATSEM Income and Wealth Report shows Australia is one of the most multicultural nations in the world, second only to Luxembourg and tying with Switzerland. One-quarter of our population was born overseas, almost twice the proportion of the United States and more than twice that of Britain."
The Theology of Multi-Ethnic Church
If you're interested in glocal Christianity, that is, exploring emerging expressions of Christianity in globalized locales, then I'd recommend reading the latest Out of Ur interview with Mark DeYmaz. It's entitled, The Theology of Multi-Ethnic Church, and explores the fact that diversity isn't just a social issues, it's a biblical one. If you're unfamiliar with Mark, … Continue reading The Theology of Multi-Ethnic Church
Megachurches going multiracial quickest?
Sojourners have drawn attention to some recent articles and studies on multiracial church growth in America, suggesting that megachurches are transforming quickest. Welcome news but it leaves me with many questions, including... How credible is the data? Is this trend being mirrored in other countries? What can we learn from this?
Diversity in the New Testament
If the church was supposed to be monolithic why is their so much diversity in the New Testament? Why are there four gospels? Why are there different genres? Letters? Stories? Poetic visions? Why multiple authors?
Affirming Christian Diversity
From Rowland Croucher: "What binds us together is not the 'purity' of our doctrinal viewpoint, nor the way we worship and serve the Lord ('orthodoxy' and 'orthopraxis'), but our common allegiance to Jesus as Lord, and our being children of the same Father, united by the same Spirit. The church ought never to be a … Continue reading Affirming Christian Diversity
Emerging Mini Movements
I was just reading Mark Sayers latest reflection on the emerging missional church: The Emerging Missional Church Fractures into Mini Movements. Mark classifies the emerging mini movements as follows: Neo-Anabaptists: "Some have called this movement the new monastics ... This movement tends to be pacifist, favours incarnational living amongst the urban poor, and has a strong distrust … Continue reading Emerging Mini Movements
Subcultural Church: Reverse Discrimination?
Do you think subcultural church planting could be viewed as an ecclesiological form of reverse discrimination? In the civil rights movement, reverse discrimination is a common term used to describe policies or acts that discriminate a dominant or majority group in favour of a group historically discriminated against, with the aim of redressing imbalances. However, reverse discrimination has … Continue reading Subcultural Church: Reverse Discrimination?
