Thoughts on Our Theological Task #10
God gave us brains, and I am convinced that God intends for us to use them. From one perspective, humanity was blessed with reason to be able to carry God’s task of creation forward. Just as God calls us to be God’s hands and feet in service to others, God calls us to use our reason to co-create solutions and blessings for all those around us. We are more than simply caretakers—we are agents of God’s creative mercy and grace.
Read MoreThoughts on Our Theological Task #9
Our life experience is entwined with our Christian experience. The fact that the Holy Spirit lives inside us shifts our entire perspective—Paul says it beautifully in Galatians 2:20 when he says that it is no longer he who lives, but Christ who lives within him. Lived Christian experience changes the way we see scripture and the world around us. Our inner voice works with us to discern right from wrong.
Read MoreThoughts on Our Theological Task #8
My favorite part of the paragraph on Tradition is the explicit recognition that sometimes we get it wrong. We work with the struggles and conclusions of those who have gone before us, fully acknowledging that, on occasion, they were wrong. That stance is grace-filled and reminds us that imperfections do not render a treasure valueless.
Read MoreThoughts on Our Theological Task #7
Scripture is the primary source of our doctrine. We believe that scripture authentically reflects the ongoing nature of God’s interaction with creation and humanity in the past, the present, and the future. Scripture reveals the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in a way that presents all that is necessary and sufficient for salvation. The Scripture reveals the ongoing action of the Holy Spirit in the world.
Read MoreThoughts on Our Theological Task #6
The Wesleyan Quadrilateral, which is the technical name of the four-part method at the core of Methodist sources and criteria for evaluation of sources, lies at the heart of this section of the Discipline. Based on the work of Methodist theologian Albert Outler, the quadrilateral succinctly describes the approach that John Wesley took in defining, describing, and refining the theology of the Methodist people.
Read MoreThoughts on Our Theological Task #5
Our engagement with scripture, doctrine and theology has a practical purpose. Our theological reflection is to drive our daily activity and to inform the behavior of the Church. If we conclude through our reflection that God is love, we are called to test the truth of that statement by examining how that conclusion shapes our behavior in daily life. If the words and the music do not go together, we are not living into this interpretive stance. If we say we believe in love, but do not act in the world through love, then we are missing the practical purpose of our theology.
Read MoreThoughts on Our Theological Task #4
God’s greatest gift to humanity is the fact that God chooses to interact with us directly. One of the most incredible and obvious manifestations of that choice is the flesh and blood incarnation of Jesus Christ. God chose to enter the world as one of us to teach us and guide us. Jesus lived a life immersed in God’s grace, pouring himself out for those around him and for all of us who followed them. Jesus modeled life, death, and resurrection for us all.
Read MoreThoughts on Our Theological Task #3
As Methodist people, we are all charged to apply ourselves to working hard to come to grips with the truths surrounding our doctrine and belief. We are not allowed to simply push the responsibility for serious consideration off onto our clergy, bishops, conference delegates, and lay leaders.
Read MoreThoughts on Our Theological Task #2
As Methodist people, this paragraph calls us to question expressions of faith. We are not to assume that the way that expressions of faith were held by the generations before us is the way that we should hold them in the present. We are charged to challenge the validity of our denomination’s expressions of faith in light of our own lived human experience and current understanding of the world. We are to struggle with our doctrines to be certain that they reflect love and that they are both understandable and credible to the people of this day and age.
Read MoreThoughts on Our Theological Task #1
I am unhappy with the outcome of the 2019 Called General Conference (#GC2019) for many reasons. One of the aspects of the conference that I find quite upsetting is my impression that, although much of the debate centered around the retention or rejection of very specific passages within the Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church (the “Discipline”), the debate itself, both in form and in content, strayed far from the wisdom contained in the Discipline itself.
Read MoreI wish I could have gotten all 30 of us into the picture, but such is the nature of the selfie. We had guitars, autoharp, bass, ukuleles, mandolin, drums... People from barely big enough to hold the uke (and maybe not even holding it right side up) to retirees.
Read MoreA woman stood at the mouth of a cave. Any beauty her face would hold tomorrow had turned to gray, stern grief overnight. Her hair lay raggedly on her shoulders; her feet were dusty. She felt dry and limp—too exhausted to scrape together enough spirit to form tears, but, unbelievably, she could feel them soaking into the neck of her cloak.
Read MoreThe Missional Wisdom Foundation affirms that we care for and love all people.
Hello Neighbors!
We are proud to introduce our new podcast, “The Neighbor Next Door.” This is a podcast where we interview awesome neighbors to learn from them and be inspired by them. We also share neighboring tips along with the stories behind those tips. And sometimes we play folk music!
As a contemplative myself, I am always interested when people talk about silence. For most, a time of silence is about withdrawal from the everyday world for a time of introspection. It is quite common for people to describe a time of silence wistfully, as if it were some unachievable goal. When I suggest getting up a little earlier, or going to bed a few minutes later, or setting an alarm during the day, people often smile and set the idea aside, unwilling to devote any time in their schedule for something as self-indulgent as a quiet time for themselves.
Read MoreThese days, everyone seems to say...
“Take care of yourself, your body, mind, and spirit.”
Everywhere I go, I seem to hear...
“It is necessary to know yourself and who you are.”
Gurus, counselors, and life coaches all seem to proclaim...
“Do what you need to do to take care of you”
From the Reports from the Spiritual Frontier website:
Join us for a conversation with Neighborhood Animator and Iconographer Ryan Klinck, of the Missional Wisdom Foundation and SOCE Life, as he shares what it means to encounter unlikely saints in the people around us. Hear him share about how a dream sent him to Mexico when he was a young adult, the hard practice of living in intentional community, how our neighbors and enemies can serve as mirrors, and about his collaborative art projects with his friends who are homeless, called “The Saints of Bonhoeffer House.”
I understand grace as an invitation toward something wonderful and a revelation of God’s loving action in our world. With this understanding, I see grace at work in my neighborhood. I have neighbors with gifts to share, and my neighborhood has resources and assets. Those treasures catch my attention and draw me toward an abundant life. Those treasures also reveal God’s action, as God has planted gifts in every single person.
Read MorePoint-Counterpoint
With Dr. Larry Duggins, Dr. John McKellar, and Dr. Todd Renner
Kryptonite is an alien mineral that has the property of depriving Superman of his power. It is a fluorescent green stone that is usually used against superman in a solid form, and the radiation from the crystalline rock causes sickness and ultimate weakness. One of the most difficult things about Kryptonite is its potency; however, because it is such a distinct mineral it is obvious when you encounter the substance.
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