Slow start, great finish.

There's a reason why I almost put down 'Jesus Manifesto' by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola, the first 1/3 was kind of dull. Not because the information was boring, but it was kind of redundant, and 'obvious'. Mind you, I think that's the point, to me a conversation for three chapters on the centrality of Jesus to the Christian faith isn't necessary.

I can understand why it was crucial to include because their target market need to hear the obvious message because the foundation of Jesus has been lost in American churches.

With that being said, the final 1/3 of the book got me thinking about some important questions. For me personally, it forced me to explore some ideas in a way only an NT Wright publication could.... That's a tall order indeed and part of the reason I would recommend this book to the right person. More »

I don't routinely review books but this one is part of Pomotheo's theOoze commitment so I though I'd give it a go. "The Naked Gospel. The truth you may never hear in church." Sounds edgy but it wasn't.

Maybe I'm not the target audience. Actually, I know I'm not. This is for a reader squarely planted in the middle of Christendom who takes in a conservative brand of Christianity weekly. To that person this book is certainly to geared to offend, (as most conservatives are quite easily offended it doesn't take much to receive such a response).

Farley began the book with great promise, the questions he posed caught my attention in his mini introductory exam. More »

**RETRO POST** Originally posted last January 2009 with updates.**

There's endless debate going on in the blogosphere about the missional church vs. the 'attractional' or conventional church. 'Missional' supporters bash modern attractional churches for their seeker sensitive 'sit, be served, and consume' approach to church. Conversely, attractional churches offer their rebuttal questioning the effectiveness of missional churches to extend the gospel.

Here's the question: in today's North America who's right and who's wrong? Is one (missional) just a fad? Is the other (conventional) on the decline with the advent of post-Christendom thus forcing us to change our models?

Whether we like it or not, there IS one thing we can agree: the world outside the church is carrying on pleasantly without us and are in no need to wait for us to catch up. More »

Part of our commitment to theOoze is to review books they send us. This time I jumped at the opportunity to review NT Wright's latest installment in his series of 3 called 'After You Believe'. But before I could read this one I made a point to finish the first two (to try to get a perspective of Wright's progression of ideas).

After You Believe is preceded by Surprised by Hope, an exceptional work that challenges the conservative Christian perspective of heaven (that we say a prayer and go to heaven by eternity.) It's not only a challenge but quite simply a return to orthodoxy. I found Surprised by Hope to be an exceptional contemporary work that should hit everyone's must read list. More »

I've been contemplating this post for a while and figure I'll jot down some brief thoughts. Lately the blogosphere is starting to notice the mini-exodus of name-brand pastors leaving the pulpit (a la Piper) and going into full time writing. (Andy Rowell - CT)

Others have questioned whether, within the missional paradigm, this move is the right one. (Dave Fitch: Do you trust an author of the church who leaves the their church?.

I understand the dialogue, but I think there's a bigger question pertaining to the demand of missional (and related) books coming out from juggernaut US publishers. We know Americans purchase an incredible amount of Christian materials like books, CDs, etc. So when something new enters the playground every publisher clamours to release a multitude of titles (in this case around Emergent, Missional, or related topics).

What I'm worried about is the extent by which the leading missional writers are flooding the market with books and spending their time hawking their books and study manuals at all the biggest conferences and gatherings. I fear we're missing an opportunity here.... More »

Micheal Spencer, writer/blogger extraordinaire, passed away today after a fight with cancer. His articles will be missed, but his contributions will live on. Credit Micheal with being one of the major voices that put a dent in the seemingly impervious modern Christian armor that's leading to a renewal of sorts for North American Christianity.

Follow more details at his blog that still remains active.

If I was a bit more cynical I'd opt to go viral with some clever method of ridiculing Christian Zionists for their exceptionally damaging take on the gospel message. Wouldn't YOU think twice before giving a standing ovation if you knew you'd be blasted in your social networks for ignorantly proclaiming that Israel State = Jesus coming back?

The Christian Zionist movement is cleverly shrouded behind the guise of evangelical fundamentalism, yet it looks more like a well-oiled Republican warmongering machine bent on destroying all hell-bound Arabs in the name of their American Jesus.

Make no mistake, there is not one ounce of truth behind their reasoning.

Don't forget, YOUR brothers and sisters in the region aren't Jews, they are the indigenous CHRISTIAN ARAB PALESTINIANS. (And no, this isn't a call to anti-Semitism.)

Pastor Hagee in Jerusalem 3/8/10 (Part II) from Max J Blumenthal on Vimeo.

Christendom Measurements for a Post-Christendom World

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted something new. I wanted to write something down quickly while it was still fresh in my mind. Here is the context for this post.

As the church I'm leading grows, albeit at a snails pace, I decided to check out some potential partnerships with church planting networks. I don't need to mention which one it was because most are the same, but I decided to do their quick 'survey' (100 questions) to see if I was up for the task of 'church planting.

For those who don't know my context I've launched a new missional network in Calgary. It's brand spanking new and mostly immersed in a post-Christendom environment. I took the test to see where I stood in line with other church planters (I guess there's an average of data out there.) Basically, most church planting assessments I've done conclude that I'm not really qualified.

Despite being an entrepreneur, theologically trained, and of course being acutely aware that I know very little about most things, I still fall short. In fact, most organizations would force me to jump through ADDITIONAL training beyond my years of church and masters studies to be adequately 'ready' according to their criteria.

Am I really inept, or is there an issue with the 'criteria'? Here's why I think the whole testing process is running amok. More »

Does a Post-Christendom World Care for 40 Minute Opinions Expositions?

Updated February 20th, 2010.

(**NOTE: For this post the terms preaching or sermon are distinctly referring to the act of one person talking at length about their perspective of a particular topic which is treated as the apex of the particular worship expression of a given church service.**)

If you're a serious churchgoer then perhaps you operate under an assumption that when it comes to preaching/sermon more is better.

Some evangelicals even think that the sign of a good church is the quality of the preaching. I'm not sure how this is measured between preacher to preacher, but I surmise it has a lot to do with individual relevance, captivation, and good feelings after the service. More »

From Dave Fitch:

5. PREPARE FOR A SUSTAINABLE WAY OF LIFE OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. (as opposed to projected growth and financial sustainability after three years). EXPECT GROWTH TO BE SLOW, BUT OF MIRACULOUS VARIETY. YOU MAY START WITH 10-20 PEOPLE, EXPECT NO SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS FOR THE FIRST FIVE YEARS. IT TAKES FIVE YEARS TO BUILD A MISSIOANL PRESENCE. BY THE FIFTH TO EIGHT YEAR, GROWTH WILL HAPPEN.

Full article here, and the missional church related articles at Pomotheo.