In order to see the world in a true light and everything in its proper shape, in order to contemplate the wide horizon, we must climb out of the pit of self-centeredness and rise to a height. We must see the center of being not in ourselves but in God, where it truly is, and then everything will fall into the right place. - Nikolai Berdyaev In Adve
“Love one another…” - The New Testament In the previous articles, we explored two main themes. The first was the Spirit’s experiential utility. Here we discovered that the active presence of the Spirit among us is not merely a nebulous theological concept but rather a tangible reality that has practical use in the realm of post-church missio
Desire needs mystery. - Esther Perel In the previous article, we saw that mission in emerging secular contexts requires the church to shift from the centralization of rational discourse toward a more holistic rhythm that balances gnosis (knowledge), koinonia (relationships), and doulos (service). In fact, it is the element of service that, in the p
Most Seventh-day Adventists and Adventist churches I know are functionally binitarian. - David Hamstra In his book “The Rise of the Nones: Understanding and Reaching the Religiously Unaffiliated”, authors James Emery White makes a remarkable observation about contemporary mission. In the olden days, he argues, a church could reach its community by
The greatest among you will be your servant. - Jesus In the previous two articles, we explored the ritual of the Lord's Supper with a focus on transplanting its timeless themes to the present age. The conclusion of this journey was a simple reclaiming of the biblical communion expression—an expression rooted in Hebraic materiality which cele
God creates everything out of nothing. And everything which God is to use, he first reduces to nothing. - Soren Kierkegaard In the previous article, we explored three interconnected themes. The first is that emerging generations find value in the ancient. Therefore, in seeking to connect with contemporary seekers, the church should not be driven by
The Lord’s Supper is no longer a supper; it has become the Savior’s Snacklet or the Nazarene’s Nibble. - Jeremy Myers In 2014, the Barna Study group conducted a survey study focused on identifying the kind of worship spaces that Millennial generations found most attractive or meaningful.[1] The study was focused mostly on aesthetics but also
Every institution that we trust lies to us. - Dave Chapelle In the previous article, we touched on the nature of inclusivity and exclusivity in the church. We saw that the church can be passively exclusive while imagining itself actively inclusive by nurturing structures, cultures, and systems that are designed for one kind of demographic. In Adven
There can be no great love without exclusivity. - Carol Grace In the previous article, we explored how an experiential approach to baptism—one that emphasizes its romantic and metamorphic roots—is necessary for the secular man’s discipleship journey. The one-dimensional approach that often suffices for those who are brought up in church must
We have in Christ what we have lost in Adam. - John Calvin Baptism is one of the most remarkable and profound rituals of church life. It emerges in scripture as part of the nexus of sin, salvation, and the new humanity birthed in the second Adam. Properly understood, its themes maneuver like tendrils through the Old Testament narrative, full
