emerging mosaic

Welcome to another episode of adventures in missing the truth.
Priest Mocks Clinton in Sermon - AOL News

WARNING RANT AHEAD

Maybe I reading the wrong papers or viewing the wrong political pundits. But I heard them all say the same thing about Hillary Clinton thinking that she was the inevitable democratic nominee.

So once again Obama must be responsible for what everyone who is in anyway connected to him says. First it was a black man now he has to be responsible for whites as well. OK where is Clinton’s responsibility for here husband’s remarks. I must be so stupid because I don’t get it. How is it that anything no matter how true that ruffles the gender sensibilities of the Hillary Clinton folks be so rapidly overblown when patently offensive stuff others say about Obama gets downplayed.

This white priest is once again falling subject to the demonization of a particular group of people for speaking the truth. Does anyone say, This is one sermon from the guy. Look at who he is and what he has done to help people in the church the past?  Does anyone say yes maybe he didn’t way it is the nicest way but its true?

Instead it becomes another Barack Obama problem. For which he must apologize. Geraldine Ferarro has yet to apologize for saying that Obama was here he was because he was black. (read political affirmative action)

If the cost of having the first black president is having to miss, ignore or deny the truth about race, and gender issues; if we must deny the truth of white previlege rather than expose it, I wonder if it is worth it.

THIS RANT IS NOW COMPLETE

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Technorati Tags: church, Clinton, obama, pastor, truth

I came across this post a mustard seed church over at some strange ideas It has some interesting thoughts about the mustard seed being an appropriate metaphor for church growth and multiplication. Since our church Mosaic Life has been exploring possibilities of growing beyond addition I was engaged by the idea.

One of the recent challenges of around church planting and growth has been the growing sense that bigger isn’t always better. But how to stay committed to growing the church for the kingdom? I have never felt comfortable the either being a large church or a house church which are the two options that are most commonly presented. So this mustard seed church which grows to a certain size and then propagates itself through multiplication is intriguing. As much as I hate the idea of another adjective based church, this is definitely worthy of further exploration.

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Technorati Tags: church, church growth, church multiplication, mustard seed church

So here’s another set of reasons why we can’t ignore the issue of race if the church is to emerge into something other than refuge a disgruntled white intellectuals. There is a credibility gap in our society and it strains belief. Were it not for the history of race and class in this country it would be unbelievable.

• Last week a judge acquitted NYC police officers black and white people of power in the case of the shooting of a young man fifty times because they thought they were in danger. The witnesses (all black and some of whom were also shot) the judge said were not credible.
• Jeremiah Wright former pastor of Barack Obama’s church has been reviled and called everything from unpatriotic to a loon and even worse. This because he expressed a perspective of the black community on a national tragedy. Remember black folks died that day along with people of other races. While white pastors who support current presidential candidates express their extreme opinions without impunity.
• Hillary Clinton wins a primary based on the notion that she (who was raised with privilege and has been in the highest seat of power in this country) has more credibility with working class folks than a black man raised by a single parent who worked his way through college and passed up a big time law office for working with the very class of people he now has no credibility with.

The thing is that Jesus brought credibility to the incredible. He brought God’s credibility to a poor and oppressed. He brought God’s credibility to disenfranchised. He brought God’s credibility to those who were outside of the status quo. He brought God’s credibility to people on the margins. He brought God’s credibility to an pregnant young girl, a motley crew of twelve followers, an adulterous woman asking spiritual questions. He brought God’s credibility to all human beings by breaking down the barrier between us and calling us to reconcile to God and each other. His first followers though they stumbled initially followed his pattern (after being prompted more than once by the Holy Spirit.)

So how will the church today, the church emerging deal with the credibility gap? I am fast losing hope that the church emerging or has the guts to take on this critical issue. We will tackle gays rights, worship wars, poverty in other countries and gender equality but race and by virtue of our cultural reality class right here in the USA, not so much.

Check out this post on the EV blog

The church not speaking out strains its credibility but then this is the church which increasing has less and less credibility anyway.

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Technorati Tags: Barack Obama, church, class, Clinton, credibility, diversity, Jeremiah Wright, race, Sean Bell, why race matters

I got this today from someone is concerned as I am about how we continue to live Dr King’s dream

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OK everywhere you look it seems there are nooses being hung. First Jena then a long Island police station, then the door of a Columbia university professor. Note that two of these are in the north where it is suggested racism is long gone.  SO why aren’t more Christians talking it about. I don’t know but I know the church can’t be the church until we deal with this uniquely American sin.

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Technorati Tags: church, conversations, diversity, inclusion, race, racial_reconciliation, racism

I just came back from Jamaica where I discovered this incredible biting critque and satire about the church by reggae artist shaggy.

Church Heathen Lyrics

If yuh tek this too serious, then yuh really need som chuch    

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Technorati Tags: church, faith & culture, Jamaica, jamaican_culture, my life, shaggy

For truly biting satire about the church modern and otherwise check out this site

TheChurchYouKnow.com Homepage

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I found this interesting definition of a green house church at WatersEdge: David Rudd’s Blog

a greenhouse church is one which strikes a balance between the "organizational" model of the garage and the "organic" model of the meadow. the following marks are the foundation of a plan for spiritual formation within a greenhouse church:

1. organic beginnings for each formation group/community (LIFEGroup)
2. united sense of the desired outcome (spiritual formation/christlikeness)
3. guiding principles which promote healthy growth (formative, caring, missional)
4. regular communication and evaluation (life-support/coaches and self-evaluation) 
5. flexibility (recognizing that every group is different) 6) reproduction (launching groups from groups)

Now we don’t need anymore labels for church but I feel some real connection to what he is describing especially the part about the balance between organic and organizational. Maybe that is what Mosaic Life is becoming.

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Technorati Tags: church, church planting, emerging church, group_community, house_church, mosaic, spiritual_formation

It finally had to happen I guess. I’ve just felt to often that the values I embraced for living the faith and I thought I saw in the emergent conversation have not materialized in reality. So I finally have to admit (not that anyone cares) I’m post emergent. Why? Here are five reasons.

1. The conversation still looks to much like the old conversation, white, male and academic. The dominant culture still dominates.
2. The values behind the conversation aren’t readily expressed in actions. No generous orthopraxis to go with the generous orthodoxy. (see my previous post)
3. The lexicon of the white European theological framework which still dominates. There is very little inclusion of black theologians and the theological framework of people of color. People of color seem to be included in the conversation only if they are willing to use this language and framework. It seems we all need to read NT Wright in order to have any credibility.
4. Talk, talk and more talk. My experience is we love to talk about this stuff but other than retro worship stuff we don’t get around to acting on it. Even so talk about diversity has never come to the fore. I want to be the church and act like the church not just talk like the church.
5. Ultimately its about relationships and I have made some good ones which go beyond the whole emergent (non movement) thing. So I’ll go about the spiritual practice of reconciliation through relationships with my brothers and sisters and leave emergent tag to others.

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North United church, the church  I grew up in on the island of Jamaica burned to the ground on Tues. It seems the fire was started by a bad electrical transformer owned by the utility company.

  It makes our planned mission trip to Jamaica this summer even more important.

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