Posts Tagged ‘Discipleship’

What is Incarnational Ecclesiology?

I’ve been collecting definitions for “Incarnational Ecclesiology,” mostly from Emerging and/or Emergent Church writers and bloggers. Why? Well, because I believe in it. I think we should live it. I believe that the Good News of Jesus Christ and the supernatural movement proceeding should organically bloom in a given context. In other words, it should grow from the inside. So, individuals called to missional activity should plant where they live and interact everyday with authentic friends and neighbors. Moving into a differentiated cultural context for the singular purpose of making converts or church-goers is not incarnational ministry, at least according to the following definitions: Read More »

September 8, 2007 | Tags: Church, Discipleship, Emerging Church, Missional

Mature Christian Evangelism is about Friendships

There is a healthy way to introduce friends and neighbors to the faith. For far too long, Christians would happen upon a person who really needs to hear our Good News, and instead of hearing the Good News, they felt attacked and threatened. Attacked because they were presented not with the Good News, but with some sort of presentation of what a “good” Christian is or believes; threatened because they were made to feel … inferior. This is not a healthy presentation of the faith. It’s a fine approach, if you want to be interpreted as an antagonistic, or worse yet, a slick marketer or salesperson. Start with authentic friendship first; talk faith as it comes up naturally in the course of the friendship. Read More »

September 3, 2007 | Tags: Church, Discipleship, Emerging Church, Missional

Our Christian Discipleship as Political Responsibility

I’m fascinated and thrilled by John Howard Yoder’s position re: the relationship between Christian discipleship and the state as articulated in Discipleship as Political Responsibility. Discipleship is, of course, a major conviction - if not [T]he distinguishing characteristic - of the Anabaptist expression of faith.

Christianity (and Anabaptism) is an invitation to authentic personal liberation and spiritual discipline. In other words, we are simultaneously transformed by Christ’s work (Atonement) and we are called and equipped to follow him daily. The historic influence upon this discipleship wielded by Emperor Constantine and Augustine of Hippo is contemporarily obvious, but many are beginning to question (once again) the historicity of these influences and pre-Constantinian and Augustinian connections - if any - to the New Testament and/or early expressions of followership by the Christian Church. It is good to question these things. The Constantinian shift did not occur without great affect. It changed much. It’s also good to hold up the New Testament as the authority (especially if one is Christian!). Christians should be asking, “What does the Bible teach?” But we should not stop there! We should go one important step further and ask, “How do we apply the teachings of Scripture in our day?” Read More »

May 25, 2007 | Tags: Anabaptism, Christianity, Discipleship, Yoder