The Contemporary Relevance of the Anabaptist Faith 4
The following commentary addresses the fourth point as advanced by Myron S. Augsburger in “The Contemporary Relevance of the Anabaptist Faith” (Brethren in Christ History and Life, August 2000), which is: “Engaging the Holy Spirit as Sovereign Presence Beyond Subjective Experiences.”
I consider myself blessed to have studied for five years at a Pentecostal undergraduate college (VFCC). Valley Forge offers a Theological Studies track that is as good as any in the country. The track’s academic requirements and practical expectations are very, very serious. Students are required to have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher at the end of their Sophomore, Junior and Senior year to remain in the major. My requirements for the major included 18 credits of Biblical language, a senior research project, and time logged as a TA (Teaching Assistant). These requirements have evolved and broadened a bit since I majored (1999-2004), but they are still very, very demanding, spiritually and intellectually. Read More »
The Contemporary Relevance of the Anabaptist Faith 3
The following commentary addresses the third point advanced by Myron S. Augsburger in “The Contemporary Relevance of the Anabaptist Faith” (Brethren in Christ History and Life, August 2000), which is: “Celebrating Grace as a Dynamic Relationship with the Resultant Transformation of Life.”
Augsburger writes, “For the Anabaptists a central theme was Paul’s words, “If anyone is in Christ he/she is a new creation; old things have passed away and all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). The old was the life of self-centeredness transformed into a new life of Christ-centeredness. Anabaptist theology was not focused so much on freedom from guilt as on freedom in the new life in Christ (emphasis mine). Read More »
The Contemporary Relevance of the Anabaptist Faith 2
The following commentary addresses the second point advanced by Myron S. Augsburger in “The Contemporary Relevance of the Anabaptist Faith” (Brethren in Christ History and Life, August 2000), which is: “Understanding of the Interpretive Significance of Progressive Revelation in God’s Word Written.”
I recently began a conversation within the core group of our young church plant about the Bible and the way we approach it. It was/is a fruitful and lively conversation, to say the least! I also think it is an invaluable conversation to have, especially as a church plant in the identity forming stages. The Bible is beyond important, obviously. Our approaches to the Bible, however, vary widely in the North American context of ours. Some of these approaches are more edifying than others. The approach advanced by Augsburger is the classic Anabaptist approach; it’s the one into which I invest much of my personal time, energy, and devotion. Read More »
The Contemporary Relevance of the Anabaptist Faith 1
I’ve been reading “The Contemporary Relevance of the Anabaptist Faith,” a fantastic article from Brethren in Christ History and Life (August 2000). The author of the article is Myron S. Augsburger, an evangelical Anabaptist and Mennonite scholar. Augsburger begins the article by asking a question so many of us are still asking today, some eight years after the article was published in BIC History and Life. He writes, “In a time described as post-modern and post-denominational, we ask the question: what is the particular value in any given heritage?” Read More »
Emerging and Classic Brethren in Christ Ecclesiology
I am a devoted member of the Brethren in Christ Church. Many of you know that I was converted and baptized under the grace-laden spiritual guidance of an old, pious, and wise BIC pastor. I am now a pastor and church planter within the Brethren in Christ. The BIC is my spiritual home. I’m also conversant with the Emerging Church. The fusion of the emerging conversation and classic BIC expression works well because it’s a combination that offers plenty of opportunities for practical and relevant congruence. The Emerging Conversation resonates with very, very important aspects of classic BIC theology, expression, and praxis. Some say the Emerging Church reflects the principles and theology inherent to Anabaptist expressions of Christianity, of which the BIC is a part. I tend to agree. Read More »
Four models of Emerging Churches
Four models of Emerging Churches. I’m in #3, with a slight hint of #4.
Living in the Tension of Spirit-laden Journey
Living in the tension of a developing faith is not easy. If a faith is not developing than it is already cut off. A handful of simple convictions launches us into journey. The rest we have to discover, break, stitch, patch, heal, and make our own. Jesus is in all of it, somehow. The God searched for and sought after is glorified in the searching and seeking. Read More »
On Being and Living Like Generic Christians
Our first five months of church planting in Lancaster City have been incredible. The Spirit has brought together a group of people who are like-minded but staunchly individual. No, individualism is not a bad thing! In fact, I think it is often reduced to a sad position somewhere close to the receiving end of a desperate reaction resulting from a failure in authentic inter-personal community. Yes, community still works in settings wherein different ideas, concepts, and beliefs exist. In other words, community and diversity play well together, if leaders choose to celebrate the larger aspects of life that unite. We are doing this in the city. Why? Because the Kingdom Jesus pointed towards is a community of individuals. The individual aspect of this radical way of being community should never be sacrificed for the sake of “being community.” In fact, when this happens, the community becomes something other than the one pointed to by Jesus.
We also have boundaries. The aforementioned community characteristic (individual diversity + dedicated like-mindedness = community) is only as viable as the ethos of the community itself. This communal ethos is a direct byproduct of a diverse group of individuals working together to find that place that represents something much larger than themselves around which they can authentically unite. This ethos requires conversation and development. It also requires care once it is located and agreed upon by individuals. All of this requires real boundaries. An ethos lacking boundaries is not an ethos at all! Identity is immutably rooted in ethos and vice-versa. Things like this require conversation, development, nurture, care, and time. Read More »
Emerging Anabaptists form Submergent
Intro: Submergent. Finally, an Anabaptist wing for the Emerging Conversation.
A De-centralized and Emerging Ecclesiology
There is an extremely important theological conversation emerging in the socially networked phenomenon aka the blogosphere. A word or two should be spent, however, on the phenomenon of the discussion itself, before taking a headlong dive into the specific subject matter being addressed. Why? The nature of the discussion is absolutely remarkable! It would be a most unfortunate loss if the participants in this discussion and their readers failed to recognize how theology is being engaged in this postmodern time in which we are living. The nature of this particular discussion, or how it is being directly engaged, is, therefore, as important as the specific subject matter itself. These are truly remarkable and de-centralized times.
Drew Ditzel, a student at Columbia Theological Seminary, is enrolled in a class called “Emerging Church Models.” Specifically, the question Drew is contemplating has to do with the role of professional leadership in Emerging Church Models. He picked several Christian bloggers and requested a post dedicated to this question and any peripheral issues. The result: several well written posts - deeply cognitive and emotive - concerning emerging ecclesiology, missional practice, philosophy of ministry, leadership, friendship, orthopraxy, etc. The most remarkable aspect of this event is, however, the way theology itself is being engaged. As important as our local communities are to us, we are, whether we realize it or not, simultaneously engaging and developing the theology expressed within these local communities globally. Think about that for a minute or two. Read More »
