sustain:if:able kiwi

update: canadian perspectives on out of bounds church

Update: I mentioned a few days ago that Pernell Goodyear, in Canada, is spending a whole week blogging on my Out of Bounds Church? book. There is now Pernell’s revew of my book, an interview with me, including some really interesting discussion in the comments and a Kiwi/Canadian quiz with book giveways.

Over the next few days there is a podcast discussion about the Out of Bounds Church? book between Jordon and Pernell. Plus there will be Canadian perspectives from the likes of Jamie Arpin-Ricci, Mike Todd, David Fitch , Len Hjalmarson and others. It is great to be amongst a group of Canadians talking mission. I just wish it was real and over a cafe table, rather than virtual.

a Canadian eye for a Kiwi book buy

Pernell Goodyear, planter and pastor of The Freeway in Hamilton, Canada, is spending a whole week blogging on my Out of Bounds Church? book. The week will include

: A full review of The Out Of Bounds Church?… what I think is one of the best books written on the emerging church to date.
: An interview with the book’s author, Steve Taylor.
: Additional musings and exploration [“two cents worth”] of what it means to be Out Of Bounds, by myself and other Canadian voices.
: Amazing insights and questions… that’s where you and the comments section come in.

So for a Canadian eye on a Kiwi book buy, head on over.

German translation of Out of Bounds Church?

There is a German translation (2 MB) of postcard 5: Spiritual Tourism that has just been placed on the web. (It is available from here).
I was just so pleased when Daniel emailed to say he had made the translation and could he have permission to publish it. And now Zondervan have kindly said yes.

So, for those who speak German, you might like to follow Daniel’s recommendation: “I recommend the chapter to you most warmly!”

with permission

I am stoked. And humbled. And blown away.

Just had an email request in relation to my Out of Bounds Church? book. A US seminary, with a track record of innovation and intentionality around missional church, is currently going through a consultancy process. And could they have permission (Zondervan said yes!) to use the first 2 chapters of my book as preparatory reading in the ongoing process of re-imagining.

(In the first chapter I use a “newspaper sociology” (an approach coined by Alvin Gouldner) to explore contemporary culture. In the second chapter (applying the work of Michel de Certeau) I argue that our starting point, both theological and missional, is to read the everyday practices of people and church communities. This reading is an affirmation of the belief in the Spirit of God active in the lives of people and allows us to partner with missio dei, God’s activity in the world God loves.)

I struggle to get my head around the fact that my little book could be part of change processes among seminary leaderships.

(This post is a repeat of a post on my out of bounds church? book blog).

a compelling read through a missiological lens

I keep a separate blog for my Out of Bounds Church? book, but at a personal level the emergentkiwi is celebrating the book review’s (by Mark Hopkins, School of Intercultural Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary) in the Evangelical Missions Quarterly July 2006.

“I was encouraged to find Taylor’s work deeply anchored in biblical/theological thinking. He has done a fine job of exegeting global popular culture … Another strength is Taylor’s “insistence on ‘extreme discipleship’ rather than ‘Christianity lite'” … This book is a compelling read that I recommend for anyone wanting a good introduction to both the emerging church and practical missiological issues related to faithfully engaging global popular culture.”

At heart I have always seen the emerging church as a missionary movement. So it is very pleasing to have such a positive review from a global missions journal.

Buy Out of Bounds Church? here

jesus creed review

My out of bounds church? book has just been reviewed by Scot McKnight. It is always a privilege to hear somewhere else describe your words and I was intrigued by Scot’s comment: “I’ll tell you why I think this is a good book: it is theology emerging from praxis and praxis emerging from theological reflection, and both emerging in and out of local contexts, and each of these three items emerging out of serious engagement with culture and philosophy.” I appreciate Scot’s recognition of the variety of narratives that I tried to weave together in the book; stories of churches on the ground; theology; postmodern culture both popular and academic.

Scott titled the blog review Least Known, Best Emerging Book and commented “I’ve found a book that no one seems to talk much about but which is a very fine book.” Which left me pondering what makes a book “least known”: is this simply a reflection of marketing, of Scot’s world, of the US emergent conversation, of the sheer volume of books around, of ….?

a tall skinny book shelf

Link

This is the 50 books on Andrew Jones emerging church bookshelf. He rates the Out of Bounds Church no 3 in his “Top Ten Books considered essential reading on the emerging church.”

Andrew then wonders aloud about whether books are the best place to capture the emerging church story. “Very few of these books are from the “other” half – the emerging church of the margins, the poor, and the churches that no longer look like church. Emerging church leaders in the latter are less likely to publish a book as a means of communication.”

Random thoughts
-I both blog and write books. They are both different media that serve different purposes. Blogging is fast and instant. Books are thoughtful. You have more rope to hang yourself. The more words, the easier it is to fall into potholes and inconsistencies. They have had the tires kicked by editors. Both are valid medium. Both have different purposes.
– We need mechanisms to “capture” all types of stories. We need podcasters and researchers who can audio capture existing stories and form internet repositories of “storied” wisdom.
– Books give no more “validation” to a movement than “non-books.” 1 Corinthians reminds us of diverse gifts and one Spirit. Can the variety of current publishing forms be an opportunity for celebration of diversity?

Post repeated from my book blog.

more on DJing gospel and culture

Last week I blogged some images, built around the image of DJ, that I think provide a more helpful way to understand how the emerging church responds to culture. The usual stereotype offered by critics of the emerging church is the assumption that because we pay attention to a postmodern culture, we are therefore assimilating into this culture. Instead I think that when you examine emerging practices, you see complex pattern; moments of juxtaposition, subversion and amplification;

Anyhow, my post has attracted some good blog engagement. It’s inspired some worship in Germany;

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a must read

I don’t normally blog reviews of my out of bounds church book here, because I didn’t want this blog/my personal blog to become some sort of pimp. Hence I maintain a separate out of bounds church book blog where I record reviews, discussion, further resources, stuff that got edited out of the original.

But this recent review was a real encouragement;

The Out of Bounds Church has revolutionized my thinking about the Church as it relates to college-aged people… If you are interested in making the church work for teens and twenty-somethings, I think this is a must read.

For the full review go here here;

For all reviews of the out of bounds church? go here;

To buy the book go here.

DJing gospel and culture video interview

In postcard 8 of my out of bounds church? book I explore the relationship between gospel and culture. Rather than present either/or opposites of wholesale withdrawal or wholesale assimilation, I use the image of DJ to explore how, in a fragmented and postmodern world, we engage in multiple responses to culture; of protest and subversion and affirmation. I think it’s some of the most creative thinking in the book.

Anyhow, late in 2004 (when the book manuscript was with the printer) I spoke at a ecumenical conference (national youth ministries of the Anglican, Catholic, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches in Aotearoa New Zealand); the big E. The theme was gospel and culture and they asked me to exploration the interaction between global and local. It was a chance to earth the DJ image in terms of ministry and young people and globalisation. It is a more “well-cooked” version of Postcard 8, including a social justice reflection. It’s now a chapter in a book; titled “Culture – Yeah Right.”

(Buy the book, by contacting Jacky Sewell, 3/89 Michael’s Ave, Ellerslie, Auckland. Cost – Book $20, DVD $45 or both for $60. P&P $5 in NZ, $10 Aust and Sth Pacific, $20 rest of the world.)

They also interviewed me, and this is now an online QT video (11 MB). So if you want to see my “summary” or get the 10 minute summary, download here.

This post is repeated in my out of bounds church? book blog.

Old Testament emerging mission

In December I was e-interviewed about my out of bounds church? book. I was asked to comment on an absence of interest in the Hebrew Scriptures in the conversations around missional churches and to what extent can the Hebrew Scriptures offer new models to the Church that is emerging.

In the interview I noted that a dominant mission model in the emerging church is the going to forming new communities of faith. This is often based on contrasting attractional forms of church with incarnational forms of church. I mentioned a article by Walter Brueggemann as a great example of careful Bible reading that goes beyond 2 binary opposites of mission as attraction vs mission as incarnation. A number of people have since emailed asking for the full reference: Walter A. Brueggemann, “The Bible and Mission.” Missiology 10, 1989, 397-412.

Steve, before you dash off-line, could you summarise the article? Can perhaps could you apply it to emerging church? Well, part of the article includes 4 different ways in which mission is at work in the Old Testament.

I Kings 4 is a subtle critique of the use of God to legitimate actions. This would mean that Americans who blogged against the Iraqi War are performing mission in the style of 1 Kings 4.

Dueteronomy 19 is the working for legislative reform to enact God’s justice. This would legitimate something like protest4 as Biblical mission even if it never “incarnates” a new faith community.

1 Samuel 2 offers the power of imagination to offer a new vision of society. This would legitimate the art of alternative worship as Biblical mission in it’s potential to offer a radical re-dreaming of Christianity enculturated.

Hosea 2 offers the belief that in a fragmented world, God can intervene in love. A Blue Christmas service offering hope of God’s love would thus be an expression of mission in the style of Hosea.

And for those who want more detail on the Biblical texts, here are my Church and Society (University of Auckland) 2003 Course lecture notes..

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out of bounds author interview and book stuff

Having read my out of bounds church? book, Darren Wright recently asked me some quite inciteful/insightful followup questions:)! Questions included…
my favourite cheese;
can the Hebrew Scriptures offer new models to the Church that is emerging;
gender balance in the emerging church;
seeing people as consumer or as tourist;
theological and missiological differences I see between the church that is emerging in Au, NZ, US and UK;
It was a fun interview, yet also really got me thinking. Thanks Darren. If you want to read the full interview go here. (For Darren’s extensive review of the out of bounds church? book go here.)

And while I’m book blogging, The out of bounds church? was rated the best book read in 2005 over at the Freeway and rated in Jordon Cooper’s top 5 for 05 .

superb book review

This review of my out of bounds church? book by Greg Hughson, Chaplain at Otago University, made my day. (All out of bounds church? book reviews are logged here.)

This is a great book about what is happening on the edges of the Church. It is also an introduction to post-modern missiology. It is essential reading for anyone interested in discovering how as Christians today we can build healthy communities of faith and engage in effective mission amidst a culture of change .. Steve’s theological position is neither conservative (isolationist) or overly liberal (accomodating to culture), hence this book will appeal to a wide range of readers … Steve’s knowledge of theology, church life, academia and travel make this book an excellent read … This is an engaging and easy to read book. It is one I will return to often for a dose of inspiration when the creative juices are running low. I highly recommend it.

Link.

go little book

Go
into the world, little book
and wherever you go,
may you stimulate wise and sensitive discussion.

God be with your author, your readers, and all those who are touched by your message. In the name of Christ, your inspiration, Amen.

Prayer by Brenda Rockell at the Auckland out of bounds book launch.