At the Franke Installation, Brian McLaren gave the final reflection.  

As you may, epistemology is the study of knowledge.  It basically asks, “How do we know what we know?” (and as a result, what is it that we actually know?  and don’t know?  It gets pretty fun if you’re into learning and all).  

If you have seen Brian speak in person, you know how calm yet passionate, humble yet confident type of thing.  What else would you expect from a postmodern?  If he pounds the pulpit too hard, I’d be suspicious and if he was too relaxed and boring, I’d accuse him of being … nevermind (we don’t want to offend here).

Anyway, it’s hard to explain and keep the post relatively short but he began humorously asking,

“How do we know?” 

“How do we know that we know”

“What beliefs are warranted?  How do we decide?”

“What does it mean to “know?”

“We all know that we are right …

He stressed I John 4 “…those who think they know do not yet know as they ought to know.”  Unfortunately at this point my recording failed (stupid Microsoft Word Notebook program- what was I thinking??) and lost the remained of my notes.  Fortunately, I ordered the DVD and I remember a little more.

Brian had an interesting theme as he used chimpanzees to illustrate love.  He also used them to illustrate violence and hatred.  He quoted the work of Jane Goodall who spent years studying these chimps and how it affected her.  Now was Brian equating chimps to be humans?  Probably not any more so than Jesus equating people to sheep and goats or seeds or anatomy parts of trees.  But don’t get stuck on that my friend, there’s more to gain.

Say what you want about emergents, but I’d rather limp into heaven by acts of charity then to walk proudly under doctrinal flags and anthems if it meant that the world found me to be more obsessed with my theology then my humanity.  If our theology does not lead us into a deeper love with our God and our neighbor, then we have only found a hobby.  Or to write with more drama, we have only found a tune to whistle to while our hands dig graves for our neighbors.  

But here I am presenting a straw-man argument.  I can hear it now, “No one is saying that we only pursue solid doctrine and not love the stranger.  Why not do both?  Why not pursue a beautiful and better understanding of our God and love people?”  – Good idea, welcome to the conversation of an epistemology of love.

Please forgive me for name-dropping but Thomas Turner, Evan Curry, Jermiah Stephens, KJ Marks and myself, sat in on the seminar (at Franke’s installation at Biblical) by Todd Hiestand and Gary Alloway.

Although there were about 30-40 people there, the room felt a little cold.  

Maybe it was because they were two young presenters while the median age of the room was older.  Maybe because they use words like “like” and quote Morpheus from the Matrix or maybe they forgot what a traditional audience looks like because they are over at the Well (where the oldest member is Todd.  I joke).

But I want to tell you that not only was their presentation well done but perhaps more importantly, needed.  

Todd posted about it on his site – check it out here.

It is rumored that Gary will blog about it (I know this because I started the rumor).  You can find it here (if not, bother him until he does)

“Missional Church in Suburbia – Are You Kidding?”

Suburb is like a cornucopia of experiences and it can drive people in ministry crazy bc you experience anything and everything

Suburbia is in deep need of Christ

Consumerism and individualism is killing our culture (and, in a way, developing suburban culture”)

·      We want what we want for us, screw everyone else

·      Personal thought, in essence, Christianity is COMPLETELY counter to American culture

Africa

·      Our culture could help them in some ways, but would kill them in others

o      Ex. Our medicine and money would make their lives better, but hey would most likely lose their sense of giving and joy. 

 

Todd shared that him and his wife

Gary Alloway

Quick Bio

Feasterville was the example of suburbia in this seminar.

·      Couple polite jokes of Feasterville.  No downtown street, etc.

if you want to be active in mission we have to know the right questions:

what values do people have, what do people perceive he gospel to be, etc.?

it is claimed that there is no culture in suburbia, not true, rather there is little cultural awareness in the burbs.

In suburbia, your identity is based on somewhere else. 

Missional living in some place begins in knowing where you are.

The pride, the ownership of being where you are. 

Missioanlity is not what happens “out there”, it’s everywhere

Step one then is to know where you are

·      you need to talk to people, be neighborly,

·      people in suburbia know where they are but they don’t know what they are

·      in suburbia you become where you are (the mob mentality)

·      riding your bike in the burbs is different then in the city

o      you notice different things at 6mph then at 65 mph

·      instead of going on a mission trip to Africa or even philly they took a trip to their own area, bucks county.

They also went and found the poor in their area.

Also went and discovered their was a chapel in the philly racetrack and casino.