A recent conference at Notre Dame explored the character of God in the OT. The line up of speakers was first class and the whole conference is available to watch on video. I will be starting off with Nicholas Wolsterstorff’s look at Joshua given that this was the topic of this weeks postgraduate seminar at Trinity College.

Click here for video

 

I downloaded the following applications for my Mac yesterday.

Tweetie: for people who use twitter

Drop Box: Store and share files online.

In previous posts I have called attention to some of the more extreme/laughable parts of Christianity. I came across this recent video exposing the more extreme side of UK Islamic scene.

Last night I watched the Panorama report about racism in the UK.  It focused on the Southmead and St Anne’s estated in Bristol.  Here is the blurb.

In a shocking insight into race hate and anti-social behaviour in our neighbourhoods, Tamanna Rahman was pelted with glass and stones and threatened with a brick during an attempted mugging by an eleven year-old boy. Her “husband,” Amil Khan, was punched in the head. Yet the head of the Government’s equality watchdog has said that having a neighbour of a different ethnic background isn’t an issue any more.

Panorama investigates the truth about racism and anti-social behaviour in Britain today.

Here is the link. I know from my experience in the Beeston/Holbeck area of Leeds that racism, particularly towards the Islamic community is rife in some areas.

The Evangelical Universalist by Gregory Macdonald (Robin Parry): After listening to a discussion of the book I decided to see for myself.

Sennheiser Sports Headphones About 10 weeks ago I stopped being a regular pipe smoker. I have taken up running. It was sow and painful at first (I could only do 3km) but now I regularly putting in a 10km run. I love it and I have discovered some great runs around bristol. I prefer running through woods rather than on the road. I listen to lectures/podcasts on my run but have already managed to trash to sets of headphones through increased wear and tear and exposure to rain. I hope these new headphones which are more rugged and waterproof will do the trick.

The Deliverance of God: Am Apocalyptic Rereading of Justification in Paul by Douglas Campbell. I am studying Mark but also want to keep up to date with some of the key texts in Pauline scholarship. This looks like one them.

Paul and the Hermeneutics of Faith by Francis Watson. A look at intertextuality in Paul and Second Temple Judaism.

Who gets to narrate our world? by Robert Webber Short worldview type book.

What were your last five amazon purchases? or book purchases?

Today I had the pleasure of sharing a few insights on mission and worldview to the members of the ‘College Green’ pastoral group at Trinity College.. This group has pioneered and developed a chaplaincy which seeks to serve and bear witness to the young people who gather outside of Bristol Cathedral. Further information can be found here. The session today was intended to provide a theoretical/theological/philosophical basis for using worldviews in evangelism. On a practical level we will be using a modified version of the UCCF worldview questionnaire to engage in discussion.

If any church or group would like me to come and lead an interactive workshop on  ‘Worldview and Mission’ then I would be more than happy to assist. There would be no charge for any group in the Bristol area and for anyone else, within reason,  I would only ask that traveling expenses be covered. If interested then just leave a comment on this post. I can get references for those who want to know that I am kosher and can communicate effectively. I have previously discussed this material at West Yorkshire School of Christian Studies, local churches and a ‘Exploring Vocations’ retreat.

The following is primarily aimed as a resource bank for the pastoral group.

My presentation can be found using the following link.

Worldview College Green

View more presentations from jonswales.

I mentioned 2 books in my presentation.

Walsh and Middleton, Transforming Vision which introduces the reader to a Christian worldview. This book, if i remember rightly, takes a look at the worldview questions.

Where are you? Who are you? What is the problem? What is the solution? Where are we going? It will be worth checking out my  mate, Mark Roques’ website who has a great page on the worldview questions and sketches out a number of answers from different worldviews.  Also check out his podcasts.

I also recommended N.T Wright’s ‘New Testament and the People of God’ which provided the story, symbols, q+a, praxis part of my presentation. This book is great and will greatly assist you in hermeneutics and study of the New Testament. It is meaty and is not directly related to mission or evangelism. If this is your first year of theological training it may be best to leave on hold for a while. I think that it would be great to try and sit down and sketch out the worldviews of some of the young people you have met. What is their praxis? symbol? story? answers to worldview questions.

If you are interested in the Christian metanarrative and a holistic understanding of mission then check out some of the audio lectures by Micheal Goheen.

In Chpater 6 Belcher analyses both traditionalists (if in UK read conservative evangelical)  and emergents. Traditionalists, emergents claim,  are in danger of reducing the gospel to individual salvation. Emergents, traditionalists claim,  are in danger of reducing the gospel to cosmic and social dimensions. Belcher encourages both sides to embrace Deep Gospel

‘The way forward is to realize that each accuses the other of reducing the gospel. The traditional church argues the emerging church has reduced the gospel to social action and the emerging church contends that the traditional church has reduced the message of salvation to individual salvation. But according to Darrel Guder’s book ‘The Continuing conversion of the CHurch’, all reductions are wrong… Guder points out that ‘our greatest priority, particularly in our theologies of salvation, should be to join the benefits of salvation with the responsibilities and call to the saved to enter into God’s mission in the world. Recognizing this truth  is the first step in moving beyond the impasse’

Here is the blurb,

The following is background by John Piper on this event and the issues being discussed. Listen to the audio or watch the video for the conversation itself. On September 27, 2009, Desiring God and Bethlehem College & Seminary hosted “An Evening on Eschatology” at the Downtown Campus of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. It was attended by about 800 people who sat in the darkened sanctuary while six cameras were trained on the brightly lit roundtable where the four participants sat in a circle. For two hours I moderated, more or less, a discussion among Jim Hamilton (professor of New Testament at Southern Seminary in Louisville), Sam Storms (pastor of Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City), and Doug Wilson (pastor of Christ Church, Moscow, Idaho).

Here is the link

I am listening to as I write this post.  It took me a few miuntes to get into it but I think the conversation is well hosted by John Piper.  I would probably align myself with a position similar to that of Doug Wilson especially in his discussion of the events of AD. 70. I do have some reluctance in going with a systematic view of eschatology but my understanding of Mark 13 points in this direction.

 

Almighty God, you planted in the heart of your servant William Tyndale a consuming passion to bring the Scriptures to people in their native tongue, and endowed him with the gift of powerful and graceful expression and with strength to persevere against all obstacles: Reveal to us your saving Word, as we read and study the Scriptures, and hear them calling us to repentance and life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Jake Belder, via his blog, introduced me to the book ‘Who gets to narrate the world?’ by Robert E. Webber. My copy arrived today and I have ploughed through the first few chapters.  So far, so good. Webber encourages us to look at the comprehensive biblical narrative which is desperately needed as Christians face real problems, both internal and external, in the 21st century.

However, I was surprised, given this book calls us to move away from a reductionistic understanding of God’s story and mission to find the following,

The overriding theme of this book is to respond to these challenges by understanding and practising the fullness of God’s narrative. Whether you are a pastor, a youth worker, a worship leader, an evangelist, a teacher or active layperson in the church, the effect of restoring God’s narrative is manifold. (page 19)

Why, please tell me, does a book which is against reductionism, have as its target audience people who work in a church? Surely the call of the gospel is to people working in all spheres of life. I have taken the liberty of re-writing the above paragraph and would be happy for Robert to use it in in any future editions of the book.

The overriding theme of this book is to respond to these challenges by understanding and practising the fullness of God’s narrative. Whether you are a pastor, baker, butcher, scientist, artist, teacher, economist, lawyer, candlestick maker,  the effect of restoring God’s narrative is manifold.

If this potential new edition contains the above paragraph I would only ask that a glossy picture of myself be included on the back cover. This would have the added advantage of increasing sales…..