tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post7800470672372366109..comments2024-03-28T00:58:29.445-04:00Comments on Ponderings on a Faith Journey: New Kinds of ChristiansRobert Cornwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581876323110725024noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post-34718587185773460232006-12-04T17:39:00.000-05:002006-12-04T17:39:00.000-05:00Bob, it is interesting that you mention these 2 to...Bob, it is interesting that you mention these 2 together. They are 2 of my favorite authors. As a life long Evangelical and son of a southern baptist pastor, I had nearly lost all my faith until Marcus Borg helped me fall in love with the Bible "again" (for the first time). Borg showed me how to drop my 5th grade Evangelical reading of scripture and opened my eyes to the wealth of spritual depth that is in those pages. Mclaren on the other hand helped keep me from being angry at my Evangelical friends and family while I was pursuing my new found passion for Jesus and his message of personal transformation and political activism.<br /><br />I hope you will enjoy those books and read them with an open mind. My journey started because I decided that I had enough of partisanship among Christianity and I wanted to get both sides of the story. I was unfamiliar with Christian liberalism and I felt these people were too smart to ignore so I read them. It was the best thing I've ever done!Mike L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/15978997781556741350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post-27349027036143948932006-11-30T01:14:00.000-05:002006-11-30T01:14:00.000-05:00Richard,
Thank you for your comments. I almost w...Richard,<br /><br />Thank you for your comments. I almost went up for the event in Portland. Now I'm sorry I didn't. There seems to be a strong convergence between Borg and McLaren. Diana seems to have here finger on the pulse of both, which is quite helpful. Missional is definitely next on the agenda -- I still need to figure out what all this means!Robert Cornwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04581876323110725024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post-24281038877429902192006-11-30T00:48:00.000-05:002006-11-30T00:48:00.000-05:00Bob,
It's interesting to see this post about both...Bob,<br /><br />It's interesting to see this post about both McLaren and Borg. I was in Portland over the summer where they and Diana Butler Bass did a week together on "The Church in the 21st Century."<br /><br />It was very interesting to see how these three, all starting from very different places, were heading in the same direction. It was like one of those freeway merges I remember from Southern California: Marcus merging in from the left (unabashedly liberal Christianity), Brian from the right (out of if not still in evangelicalism), and Diana heading straight up the middle with her interest in the transformation of the established church.<br /><br />What they all had in common, though, was an interest in Christianity as transformational: for the individual, for the continual renewal of the faith, and for the sake of the world. And a sense that we are in a particular moment when there is an openness to this kind of change.<br /><br />Brian, like most of us, has been on a journey since 2001. You were probably right to start with NKOC, but I expect you'll find Generous Orthodoxy or the newer Secret Message of Jesus more engaging. Better yet, hear him speak sometime; he is a warm, generous, and engaging speaker.<br /><br />As for Danny's comment about the "typical church's relevance," I expect it has very little. What we need to do is change what the "typical church" is and does.<br /><br />I have been meaning to read Roxburgh's book myself. When you've finished studying the "Emerging Church" you can turn your attention to the "Missional Church."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post-48150573481488607922006-11-24T14:30:00.000-05:002006-11-24T14:30:00.000-05:00Danny,
Thanks for the post. No I've not read Rox...Danny,<br /><br />Thanks for the post. No I've not read Roxburgh's book. I know that Don Dewey of Ventura is high on him. I'll have to get a hold of it! I think we've all thought about doing something else. Of course, I must confess that I always thought I'd be a college teacher and not a pastor, but here I am a pastor. When things get rough, my head starts dreaming of how nice it would be to be back in academia!Robert Cornwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04581876323110725024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post-6309377781258706932006-11-24T14:10:00.000-05:002006-11-24T14:10:00.000-05:00Bob, your thoughts touch on a topic that I have ju...Bob, your thoughts touch on a topic that I have just begun to take an interest in. Here in northern California, a conversation has started regarding these issues, initiated by our region's emphasis on transformation. Several of us have read <i>The Sky is Falling</i>, an excellent book by Alan Roxburgh. If you've read it, I've love to hear your thoughts.<br /><br />Like many, I have wondered about the typical church's relevance to the 21st century. Like the character in the book you mention, I've considered leaving church and going into teaching full-time. (I'll have to find that book and read it.)Danny Bradfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01171261421967060917noreply@blogger.com