I am so glad to see all of these projects or avenues. So much of this has been needed and so few have time to put towards them. Thank you especially for working on the profession of faith toolkit and the evaluation of curriculum. Your focus on regions should also help. I hope that you are finding ways to get other voices included in these discussions because the more we share the better we are.
The biggest problem here is one that many don't even mention. We don't have definitions or explanations for how to put our confessions into boxes. In essence we are each forming our own boxes and rules into which we fit the confessions. We really should have first discussed what the differences are and how we are to categorize them. Then we would be better able to sort them. How can we put things into boxes when we're not even sure what the boxes are?
I would have to disagree with the two of you. I have begun a "discussion based" preaching at our evening services and the numbers have increased. At the same time many lifelong members have asked me questions and dug into God's Word more because of it. Those same people have also shared with me that they have heard these stories since they were children but didn't understand half of it.
I guess that what I do is a combination of sorts though. I talk, invite questions, ask questions, and always end with a "sermonette". There is always a point and focus to it so it isn't just information. I have also worked on giving questions a week ahead of time so that everyone can study the passage during that week. I have seen a great increase in excitement in reading God's Word. And probably the best outcome of this all has been that people are talking about the passage and children are even asking their parents questions and telling their teachers about what they learned on Sunday night. If this is bad then I have the wrong understanding of worship.
As far as changing hearts and lives I leave that up to God. I pray that whatever form I present His Word in the Holy Spirit will move in hearts and lives.
My concern isn't so much about whether or not the committee were diligent in their work or if what they wrote was appropriate, but that the people, myself included, haven't seen enough explanation of the changes they made. As I listened to a member on the committee explain their word choices I began to understand better why certain terms or phrases were used. It would be helpful for that detailed information to be provided and the denominations be given enough time to digest it. This is an important change and as I grow older I see the wisdom in taking our time.
What Alan shares reminds me of James K Smith's book Desiring the Kingdom. This past January at the Worship Symposium at Calvin College he talked about how the mall is a religious institution. It was eye-opening to me as I began to see more comparisons such as sports stadiums. We are loaded with consumeristic religion. This is a great explanation of the lack of committment that churches are finding and we also see that when someone "gets it" in terms of a relationship with God and each other then they die to themselves or to the consumeristic religion.
I just witnessed it this past week at a youth group SERVE project where the kids were allowed to use their cell phones, iPods, etc. but because of the fellowship and worship that they were a part of those electronic devices were rarely used. Without knowing it those kids understood that consumerism is a fading shot of happiness.
Although I don't consider myself a Greek Geek as Professor Weima would say I do know enough Greek to give you at least part of an answer. The word that you are referring to is γυνή. It means woman or wife. Deaconess is a stretch and I'm not sure why the translators chose that word other than, like you said, the word fits with the rest of the section.
Posted in: FFM: Who We Are and Where We Are Going (Part 2)
I am so glad to see all of these projects or avenues. So much of this has been needed and so few have time to put towards them. Thank you especially for working on the profession of faith toolkit and the evaluation of curriculum. Your focus on regions should also help. I hope that you are finding ways to get other voices included in these discussions because the more we share the better we are.
Posted in: Belhar Confession Report (2012)
The biggest problem here is one that many don't even mention. We don't have definitions or explanations for how to put our confessions into boxes. In essence we are each forming our own boxes and rules into which we fit the confessions. We really should have first discussed what the differences are and how we are to categorize them. Then we would be better able to sort them. How can we put things into boxes when we're not even sure what the boxes are?
Posted in: Discussion-Based Preaching
I would have to disagree with the two of you. I have begun a "discussion based" preaching at our evening services and the numbers have increased. At the same time many lifelong members have asked me questions and dug into God's Word more because of it. Those same people have also shared with me that they have heard these stories since they were children but didn't understand half of it.
I guess that what I do is a combination of sorts though. I talk, invite questions, ask questions, and always end with a "sermonette". There is always a point and focus to it so it isn't just information. I have also worked on giving questions a week ahead of time so that everyone can study the passage during that week. I have seen a great increase in excitement in reading God's Word. And probably the best outcome of this all has been that people are talking about the passage and children are even asking their parents questions and telling their teachers about what they learned on Sunday night. If this is bad then I have the wrong understanding of worship.
As far as changing hearts and lives I leave that up to God. I pray that whatever form I present His Word in the Holy Spirit will move in hearts and lives.
Posted in: Issues of 'Agenda for Synod 2011'
My concern isn't so much about whether or not the committee were diligent in their work or if what they wrote was appropriate, but that the people, myself included, haven't seen enough explanation of the changes they made. As I listened to a member on the committee explain their word choices I began to understand better why certain terms or phrases were used. It would be helpful for that detailed information to be provided and the denominations be given enough time to digest it. This is an important change and as I grow older I see the wisdom in taking our time.
Posted in: Disciple-Making Versus Consumerism [Video]
What Alan shares reminds me of James K Smith's book Desiring the Kingdom. This past January at the Worship Symposium at Calvin College he talked about how the mall is a religious institution. It was eye-opening to me as I began to see more comparisons such as sports stadiums. We are loaded with consumeristic religion. This is a great explanation of the lack of committment that churches are finding and we also see that when someone "gets it" in terms of a relationship with God and each other then they die to themselves or to the consumeristic religion.
I just witnessed it this past week at a youth group SERVE project where the kids were allowed to use their cell phones, iPods, etc. but because of the fellowship and worship that they were a part of those electronic devices were rarely used. Without knowing it those kids understood that consumerism is a fading shot of happiness.
Shalom,
Craig
Posted in: A Little Hermenuetical Guidance
Scott,
Although I don't consider myself a Greek Geek as Professor Weima would say I do know enough Greek to give you at least part of an answer. The word that you are referring to is γυνή. It means woman or wife. Deaconess is a stretch and I'm not sure why the translators chose that word other than, like you said, the word fits with the rest of the section.