Reflections on Class, Sept. 30, 2009

It’s interesting to hear the professor speak about the Third Wave, and the way that churches borrowed from the Pentecostal Movement. I remember when my church hosted a charismatic conference in the 90’s, and that it almost split the church. Today, my church, which is liturgical (Episcopalian), has many characteristics of Vineyard worship. It is an example of successful borrowing and integration from other traditions. As I begin research for the final paper, I’ll be interested to see what other practices might also be a blessing. 

Class Reflection 1

Church in Mission

Reflections on Class, Sept. 28, 2009

I especially appreciated the professor’s comments about the importance of Church meeting people in the context of their home culture. However, my observations have been that churches have responded to the call for cultural relevance in the extreme – either by rejecting the call, and becoming even more stalwart in their ways (typical of many fundamentalist evangelical churches), or by trying to be so relevant that they lose the prophetic nature of the Gospel – in some extreme cases, they lose the inability to articulate the Gospel altogether. Lesslie Newbigin in The Gospel in a Pluralist Society discusses what it takes for a Church to remain faithful to the Gospel of the Bible, and therefore be both pastor and prophet to culture. I am interested to see how class will unfold with regard to this topic.