URBANarmy

I promised someone I would post some more 'False Dichotomy' quotes. My equally 'good, learned, and passionate brother', Captain Andrew Clark :o) ( Army Renewal ) is adding some interesting thoughts ( here ). But onto Newbigin... "Here we must face frankly the distortion of the gospel that is perpetrated in a great deal that passes for missionary encounter. A preaching of the gospel that calls men and women to accept Jesus as Saviour but does not make it clear that discipleship means commitment to a vision of society radically different from that which controls our public life today must be condemned as false." pp 132 Newbigin, L (1986) Foolishness to the Greeks : The gospel and western culture. spck Ow! and a bit more Newbigin to chew over... "So words without deeds are empty, but deeds without words are dumb. It is stupid to set them against each other. It is, for example, stupid to say “The one thing that matters is to go everywhere and preach the gosp...

I seem fast becoming a Prodigal Kiwi(s) groupie! Alan Jamieson uses two pictures to illustrate what church should and shouldn't be ( here ). His insights are well worth a read. "The Church at Auver" painted by Van Gogh and the classic "Blitzed St Paul's" convey distinct and contrasting images of church. Alan Jamieson has them on his wall - I want them on mine now too as a reminder of what church should and shouldn't be. One standing for hope amoungst fragmentation and destruction - the other standing as an irrelevant out of shape obstacle to be walked around.

The dedication ceremony for the baby had gone well. New families were in church and I was conscious that for some it was a 'different' experience. "...thanks for a lovely service..." the aunt was shaking my hand. "...thank you" I reply "...do you go to church often or was that all really odd for you?" Through a bite on a biscuit she says "Oh no we were brought up in the evangelical church - so I do guilt really well" She laughs some crumbs. "The layers of guilt piled on my young shoulders were too much - the only way for me to find peace was to walk away from the church and its guilt inspiring Jesus" She smiles through the crumbs "Oh dear I think I've said too much...!" undaunted she smiles again looks me in the eye. "Do you know I felt free - a freedom - once I walked away...once I was old enough to know that I could walk away... I turned to Buddha... I'd rather listen to Buddha...Buddism has everything...

"so you'’re meeting up with someone you met on the internet…....hmmm .... never met him before…...uh huh.... don'’t know him.. hmmmmm?” Kate probed! That was sometime ago and Rob aka The Shiny Headed Prophet and I have met several times since. Driving to Bluewater for a coffee with Rob I'’m listening to some teaching CD'’s that someone at church lent me years ago. Gordon MacDonald is talking about resilience in leadership and ministry and points to the importance of having people around you that challenge and inspire you. Coffee drunk, good conversation completed I drive back to Poplar thinking. I'm glad that I started blogging because I have made friends that challenge, inspire and invigorate me. Some I have met, most I don'’t even know what they look like! I'm glad that I have a good network of friends beyond the internet that challenge, inspire and invigorate me in different ways -– some because they make me think, some because they make me laugh. ...

Over the last few months I have collected several quotes that help identify or explain what I perceive as mission's false dichotomy . This blind spot that presents a dualistic approach to mission needs attention if we are truly to understand and engage in holistic mission. Ok bear with me or rather with Bosch... he might help explain how justice got dropped from the agenda. The South African missiologist David Bosch has pointed out how much damage has been done by the usual English translation of dikaiosune as "righteousness" and the consequent insulation of an idea of inward and spiritual righteousness from an outward and manifest justice in social relationships.... It is easy to see how the use of the two different English words righteous and just for the single biblical word dikaios, and the consistent translation of dikaiosune in the New Testament as "righteousness" while the Hebrew equivalent tsedeq is translated both as 'Justice" and as "rig...

Kathryn sparked a trail of thought and some memories. There was a time we were RURALarmy! Having expressed a sense of vocation to the inner city, The Salvation Army decided to send us for trainiing to Chatteris in the Cambridgeshire Fens. When we looked out of our bedroom window we could see Ely Cathedral 12 miles away??? One night there was a call. "Are you The Salvation Army?... well .... there is a homeless man sleeping in the town centre" Town centre is a very loose definition of Chatteris town centre - a couple shops and a bank is probably closer. I jump in the car armed with a flask some sandwiches and the charity shop keys. Sure enough there was our "man of the road" outside the bank. He gratefully guzzled the tea, ate the sandwiches and was keen to take up my offer of a change of clothes. So to the Charity Shop. I find him jumper in his size "here you go..." he caught it and smiled through years of grime and a bushy beard. Then he looked bashful...

Sometimes we're pretty full on Sunday's. Sometimes we're pretty empty. Mostly we're somewhere in between. Well today we were pretty empty. I know it isn't about numbers. I know there is the danger of a pride thing going on. Everything that could go wrong went wrong - yeah I know it isn't important, but tonight I feel vulnerable - I laugh outwardly but in reality I'm suffering a Sunday sulk! I haven't been responsible for Sunday morning for a couple of weeks so I've had time, space to be a little more creative. U2's "Peace on Earth" with a loop of war, war graves and poppies made for a good space of reflection. Kids and balloons. Video clips from "To End All Wars" . Verbally I tried to paint a picture of reconciliation using imagery from the story of Jacob and Esau. You know today I really tried but it felt that no-one turned up to the party! It was really hard work. But... As Kate and I talk - I remember the guys from our det...