The grill, and condiments will be here, but food and drinks are up to those who show up.  So bring something to share, and maybe a lawn chair, if you have one.

I’m a bit of a cigar/scotch nut, so, if you wish you’d be welcome to bring a stogy, or your favorite distilled beverage.

And since the next day is the beginning of school for all in my family we will shut things promptly  down at 8:00 pm.  Hope you can join in.

464 – 147th Place NE, Bellevue, WA

peace, dwight

Dr. Pinnock was a strong and at times conversational voice in the Evangelical movement.  He taught most recently at MacMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario in Canada.  And published many books, including (but certainly not limited to):

Flame of Love: A Theology of the Holy Spirit (one of my favorite books on the theology of the Holy Spirit),

The Scripture Principle: Reclaiming the Full Authority of the Bible,

The Grace of God and the Will of Man,

Dr. Pinnock also wrote Most Moved Mover: A Theology of God’s Openness and co-authored, The Openness of God: A Biblical Challenge to the Traditional Understanding of God, both of which were central to discussion of what has become known as “Open Theism.”

No stranger to controversy Dr. Pinnock affirmed an annihilationist view of hell that says that the “unsaved” will experience extinction rather than eternal conscious torment.

Both my sister-in-law and my brother had the pleasure of studying under Dr. Pinnock.  Though I never had the privilege of meeting Dr. Pinnock I am deeply grateful for his writing and his contribution to North American Christian theology and especially for his influence within the Evangelical movement.

My deepest sympathies go out to his wife Dorothy, Little Bethel Community Church, and all who were blessed to personally know him.

For more on the legacy of the late Dr. Clark Pinnock see:

• Greg Boyd: Clark Pinnock has Finished the Race!
• Thomas Oord: Clark Pinnock passing onto glory
• T. C. Moore: Clark Pinnock’s legacy

Peace, dwight

Zuckerman creatively points out that though web connects the globe, most of us end up hearing mainly from people just like ourselves.  He highlights some insightful stories and useful strategies to open up your Twitter world and read the news in languages you don’t even know.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V5k5kprkpQ

Peace, dwight

What a trip. I’ve got more photos posted on my Facebook account, if you’d care to check them out: Kenya – London

I purposely left my laptop at home and I have to say that was a wise move, though it was the longest I’ve ever gone without internet access in more than a decade.

We met amazing people, toured beautiful country, saw stunning wildlife, ate great food, and so much more.

I’ve have yet to fully process the experience . . . but wow!

Peace, dwight

As I’ve been reading I have to say that Botswanan biblical scholar, Dr. Musa Dube is fast becoming one of my favorite theologians.

I first discovered Musa a number of years ago while doing some research on interpretations of Israel conquering Jericho.  But ever since I learned that Dr. Dube will be part of the Emergent Theological Conversation I’ve been ordering and reading everything I can get my hands on.

Thought I’d pass along a link a great essay by Musa titled: “Jumping the Fire with Judah: Postcolonial Feminist Hermeneutics of Liberation,” it from a collection edited by Silvia Schroer & Sophia Bietenhard titled: Feminist Interpretation of the Bible and Hermeneutics of Liberation.

Peace, dwight

Within the Christendom context the church played the dominant role in shaping the social, political and institutional life of a people.  So much so that political structures, education, and other institutions were seen almost like partners with the church in forming a Christendom vision.   In the Western context which is increasingly post-Christendom, the church is more and more marginalized with respect to public life.  The church no longer sets the agenda for government, education or commerce.  So I find myself wonder, if the church’s responsibility to form people in continuity with the narrative of the God as seen in Jesus Christ and testified to throughout scripture changes in anyway when the many of the partners that the church used to be able to rely on for forming Christian identity no longer look to the church, and in fact appear to be more and more antagonistic to the church.

What might be some of the implications for Christian formation in light of this shift?

BTW – The image of the upside down church is a 1997 sculpture by artist Dennis Oppenheim.  He titled it, “Device to Root out Evil.”  I don’t know if its still there but I first saw the piece installed at Harbour Green Park in Vancouver, BC.

Peace, dwight

This is gospel work.  Redemption of body, mind and soul of a community.

Churches need to be about this kind of practical transformation.  This type of community involvement gets people actively reflecting on the interplay between the physical environments we build and the impact those structures then have on the quality of our life together.

Part of what “intersection repair” invites us to consider is that maybe, the grid system that forms the road-infrastructure of our cites can be transformed into even more a live place if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.

Peace, dwight

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVq0exoGySc

Peace, dwight

Paul Sparks & Tim Sorens are pulling together some remarkably innovative folks into this process.  Check out their new web site and corresponding Ning site.

If you and/or your church are seeking to grow in what it means to live in reciprocal relationship with you neighborhood, than this conversation is likely for you.  I can hardly wait.

Connected to this, I’m getting ready to guide students @ Mars Hill Graduate School through a course that I’ve been developing in collaboration with the Parish Collective instigators.  The course will be titled: The Body of Christ: Rediscovering the Local Parish as Embodied Witness.

Peace, dwight

Like prior EV theological conversations, academic luminaries will enter into conversation with pastors – no notes, no papers delivered, no formality – simply a conversation about things that matter.
Past scholars include: Nancey Murphy, Dallas Willard, Stanley Hauerwas, Walter Brueggemann, Miroslav Volf, John Caputo, Richard Kearney, and most recently Jürgen Moltmann.

This year in Atlanta, November 1-3, 2010, Musa Dube, Richard Twiss and Colin Greene will enter into conversation with practitioners exploring:

Postcolonialism & the Missional Future of the Church

What is “Missional” in a postcolonial world?  Can hardly wait!

Follow the event details on Facebook.

Peace, Dwight