I'll be mostly out of contact till Monday. Keith Drury, Norm Wilson, Russ Gunsalus, David Smith, and I are going off to draft the curriculum guidelines for the coming MDiv 6 hour course: Global Christian Mission. The guidelines will be extensive, including week by week outcomes, in ministry research to do, and potential learning objects to create.
Like the overall curriculum, Bible and theology will likely be integrated throughout the course, which in 15 weeks will cover the praxis of
1. service/volunteerism (the missional nature of ministry toward the whole person)
2. evangelism (our responsibility for bringing the good news of salvation)
3. church growth and muliplication (the corporate responsibility of churches)
4. traditional missions (toward those at a distance)
Keep your fingers crossed next week for an interview with Dr. Chris Bounds, in my estimation the greatest theologian of the Wesleyan Church at present (even though he's not Wesleyan :-). The topic is differing views of total depravity in Christian tradition.
If we have Wesley's view on this subject, then we are simply a form of Calvinism. If this is the right position, I will have to change my sense of who I am. My question is, can we reform Wesley to where we are in fact a mainstream theological option rather than a "remonstrant" within Calvinism? Should we?
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6 comments:
Some of us are more "totally depraved" than others :)!
Seriously, tell Dr. Bounds that I'd love to have a conversation about "total depravity"...didn't the early church (Catholic) understand depravity more as deprivity?
In speaking about "law" being a social construct, then, people are socially constructed accordingly and "sin" is defined within the contexts of that social construction...according to the "laws" that regulate "sin".
I don't see where evangelism has anything to do with social construction...as social construction would have to do with "training" or "education"...Evangelism would have to do with proselytzing...from other traditions...religion itself is a social construct...so how do we understand "God"?...within our social communities...
Ken - any input from Dr. Johnson? Boyd has some amazing insights!
didn't read the whole post - I'm talking about the Global Missions class.
I really don't see the need to try to distance ourselves from Calvin on this issue - or too many others for that matter. The brother got some things right, you know? There's n o shame in admitting it - you can do it!
First night of retreat is done and the most important part of the course is in rough draft form--the basic "train of thought" of the course:
1. Action-Research jump start
2. Critical mass foundations (Bible, theology)
3. Making Community Connections
4. Assimilation
5. Conversion
6. Mobilizing for Mission
7. Service
8. Multiplying
9. Cross-Cultural
10. Tying it all together
Jeff, I'm sure it will go past many eyes before it's done. I don't think anyone had thought of Boyd, but the Whitesel has been mentioned several times.
Certainly we wouldn't want to jettison our depravity if it is true. But I know that there are some Eastern Orthodox ways of putting the human condition that are slightly different yet within orthodoxy. And since I don't believe Paul functioned with an Augustinian view of depravity, the Bible is open for business too on this score.
I will admit to being a Calvinist variation if that is the way it must be :-)
If you are interested on understanding how a Wesleyan view of depravity might be different than a Calvinist view, read Randy Maddox's book, "Responsible Grace."
Pastors will love this course as it has turned out. Each week involves action research in your local congregation/ministry context and a product that becomes a part of a final portfolio. Here are just a few samples of them:
Trace the process of a visitor to your church from point of contact, to the sign they see in front of your church, to where they park and if someone is there to help, to greeters, to signs telling them where to go inside the church, to how you gather follow-up information, to follow up letters and visits, etc.
Interview five people in your church: how does a person become "converted" in your church? Do they get baptized? Do they pray a prayer? Do they come to an altar? Do they walk through the door?
Video the testimony of someone in your church who was not initially a believer but who decided to become a Christian. Put it on UTube.
Develop a multi-year plan to partner with a church nearby and a church far away to engage in global missions.
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