Based on the recommendation of a former pastor of mine, I have started reading "The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible's Grand Narrative" by Christopher J.H. Wright. It is still early (I haven't reached page 100 yet) but I have found much value in what I have read so far. The book seeks to look …
Continue reading Book Reflection: “The Mission of God” Part 1
I am actually using "trainwreck" in a positive way. Surprise surprise. I am using the idea of Richard Beck in a blog he wrote on "Musings on the Integration of Psychology and Theology." In that, Beck described his method for integrating psychology and theology. It's a three step process: 1. Get really good at psychology. …
"Theology is always done with a 'backpack.' In this backpack we find all the things that our family and friends, our culture and tradition, our training and experience have packed for us. We have packed only a few things ourselves. We hardly know about all the things we carry. No question: it is a mess. …
This last section looks at Missions from the standpoint of Missions practice. As such, it is not, strictly speaking, drawn from the theme "Walking With." Rather it is dialogue between practice and principle. I believe that the basic principles flow from the Biblical understanding of "walking with." Reviewing: God (as drawn from the OT) relates …
Continue reading On the Theme “Walking With” : A Missions Theology. Part 6
The next step is to look at the relationship between the church and the world. As we look at the relationship between the world and the church we are drawn into the idea of missions... or joining in God's mission to the world. I believe there is a lot of value in the metaphor “walking …
Continue reading On the Theme “Walking With”: A Missions Theology. Part 5
The idea of “walking with” continues into the early church age. But there is less emphasis on it as a metaphor. The metaphor of walking referring to a way of life is strong. Particularly, the emphasis of the choice to walk according to God's will or against God's will is clear. St. John used the …
Continue reading On the Theme “Walking With”: a Missions Theology. Part 4
This section looks at the metaphor of “Walking With” in the context of Christ and our role as a disciple. In the Old Testament, Walking with God was understood (with the possible exception of Genesis 3) as metaphorical. However, in the New Testament, we have the story of Jesus. Jesus is described in terms of …
Continue reading On the Theme “Walking With”: a Missions Theology. Part 3
In the previous post, I mentioned doing some reflection of a Missions Theology built around the them of "Walking With." I might not be the first to do this... I should read more. Anyway, in building towards Missions, I would like to start from looking at God's relationship with us built around that theme. Genesis …
Continue reading On the Theme “Walking With”: a Missions Theology. Part 2
This is not fully thought out. I am thinking this through as I write. I feel that "Walking With" is a phrase that may serve as a unifying theme for a Missions Theology. The expression "Walking With" has a number of implications: 1. Relationship. "Walking With" implies some form of mutual relationship. A stalker may …
Continue reading On the Theme “Walking With”: a Missions Theology. Part 1
I was reading some of “Models of God: Theology for an Ecological, Nuclear Age” (strange title) by Sallie McFague. It has a chapter on Metaphorical Theology, and it seemed to me that it has much to say about Missions Theology. While I am aware that there have been some honest attempts to develop a real …