Archive for the ‘blog’ Category

I hope you enjoy the new minimalist design of subversiveREFORMATION.com. Please remember to check the tabs at the top of the page and utilize the links in the sidebars to connect online or check out some quality links to the right. Please comment suggesting any pages that you think should be recommended. Buttons will include links to sites about theology, church, family, parenting, history, philosophy, environmental sustainability, emergent. I’m also hoping to include organizations and ministries that seek to bring peace in our world. Sarcastic comments are welcome, too – but hopefully I’ll also get some quality recommendations.

I have read a number of articles about using a reader in order to keep up with blog content when wanting to read numerous blogs. Tyler Braun wrote about using Google Reader. I think if I were to use a reader it would be one from Google since they, in conjunction with Apple, do in fact run the universe (by which I mean, if Google and Apple didn’t exist there would be a cosmic implosion causing all things to move to a higher state of order which is simply unacceptable and perfectly acceptable in the postmodern era).^ I have elected, however, to avoid using a reader. Part of the blogging and blog reading experience extends well beyond the content hammered out on a keyboard. A reader delivers the content of individual posts but does not capture the fullness of a blog. Many bloggers spend hours designing layouts, color schemes, and headers (or is that just me) in order to 1) provide the reader with a pleasant and artistically engaged online experience; and 2) offer content and links that enhance the message of the written material. Unless Google’s Reader has a content feature that I have yet to explore I would suggest that one simply use the bookmarking and RSS features found in internet browsers in order to directly visit the sites about which you care. Appreciate the art. Appreciate the feel. Don’t just read it. Experience it.

^ For those needing explanation due to the sarcastic language concerning existentialism, postmodernism, and theology(ism), I may write another post with a more modernly-toned explanation.

It appears as though my last post was published on August 11 – almost a month ago. I suppose there is a reason why I have not written in nearly a month. On August 12 I was offered and accepted a new position at MVNU, where I have served as a Resident Director for the last 3 years. I am now in the position formerly known as the Associate Dean. Though the listed responsibilities are essentially and/or technically the same as in previous years, the name of the position has changed, symbolically reflecting the change that I will/am bring/bringing. I am serving as the Director of Student Involvement and Accountability in the Office of Student Development. My title is the next-to-longest name second only to Rick Teasdale (not to be confused with an actual person), the Assistant Associate Vice Regional Director to the Chancellor of Student Services. My new role at MVNU includes serving as an advisor to the Student Government Association, chairing of the University Judicial Council and Campus Life Council, providing leadership development and mentoring to students, and handling all discipline process and accountability standards for students. I’m also the University Liaison to the Parents’ Association.

In the midst of the transition into my new position I’ve been quite wrapped up with a number of things. Sarah, Kyla, and I moved out of the RD apartment attached to Oakwood Hall. Per my request, we were able to maintain MVNU’s campus as our place of residence. My next post will tell about our move down the hill from Oakwood Hall to the Rosewood Apartments. We primarily wanted to remain on campus in order to continue living life among the students that we love, opening our home to all those who accept the invitation to journey with us, together in the struggle to learn what it really means to live in the way of Jesus.

I realized during a time of silence on our SGA Retreat (a couple of weekends ago) that the consistent and abnormal practice of solitude, prayer, and reflection is essential in the midst of all the things both good and bad that fill our lives. So… I am not particularly proud of the fact that I’ve had only 2 days off in the last 29 days but I am excited to enter a new season of life that possesses a more natural and healthy rhythm of existence. A more consistent schedule of thinking and writing will reignite the posts that are going to be published on a much more regular basis now that the time demands of transition have subsided.

I also moved into a new office. It’s name is Sweden. Stop by. We’ll share some coffee and conversation.

Peace.

I have had some delay in my video review of Rob Bell’s newest book, Drops Like Stars. Some problems with my external hard drive have prevented finalizing the video. It will be posted as soon as I am able resolve that problem (I really hope I haven’t dropped all my stored data). Additionally, the series On Church will begin shortly after the review.

The pages on subversiveREFORMATION.com have been updated. Check out the menu bar and click HYPOTYPOSIS, INTERACTION, and RESOURCES. I am particularly interested in suggestions to the RESOURCES page. If you have ideas for local (MV, OH), art, and web resources please add your recommendation in a comment to this post.

Peace.

subversiveREFORMATION.com has been under construction with a hosting location change and CSS and subscription edits. The site is not yet fully customized and/or functional. Thank you for your patience during the downtime. You will continue to see edits and updates to the site with full functionality restored on August 1. Also, keep checking back for the beginning of the “On Church” series with contributions from various individuals including Chris Heuertz from Word Made Flesh and Adam Walker-Cleaveland from pomomusings.com.

Reflecting on my previous post that notes the silent historical framework of the emerging/emergent movement brought to mind some foundational questions on church.

What is the church? What is not the church? What should the church be?
Who is the church? Who is not the church? Who should be the church?
Where is the church? Where is not the church? Where should the church be?

This post is the beginning of a series On Church. I will be publishing a series of posts from contributing authors to provide their reflections on church with a focus on the above questions. Throughout the series I will be posting my own thoughts as well (though my thoughts most likely are not my own and reflect those who have actively been involved in my formative process). If you are interested in contributing, please send an e-mail to tkeller@mvnu.edu and include your contact information.

What do you think of the new logo and the subtitle for subversiveREFORMATION.com? What do you think the image means? What are your thoughts on the phrase? Please comment.

Thanks to "makeesha" and Julie Clawson for their thoughtful comments and contributions to some ongoing dialogue on my previous post concerning Emergent Village , their^ recent gathering, and the ideas of home and church. makeesha pointed out one thing that i was attempting to suggest or about which i was honestly inquiring. The blogosphere and twittersphere are quite confusing when dealing with anything other than the regularities of life. Many things are hard to communicate when the conversational dynamics of tone, vocal inflection, facial expression and body language are absent. Yet, inconsistently, I continue to blog. Ha! In the same way I wonder about the clarity of communication during a gathering of those with limited to no historical and proximal connectivity (maybe that is an incorrect assumption). How does Emergent Village benefit one’s local context? How does EV benefit a community’s love toward neighbor? What is the value to Emergent Village’s global presence? Are these some of the questions discussed at the gathering in D.C.? What are some perspectives about the value of the family and the family being the agent of change with the church in order for the church to be the agent of change within society?

Julie, I am glad that you were not permitted and/or discouraged from Tweeting during the gathering. A friend recently tweeted that even though there were a good number of people attending a Bible study gathering that none of them really seemed present – to which I replied, "It’s good to see that you are fully present since you are tweeting." I also recently wrote a short book review on Reggie McNeal’s Practicing Greatness: 7 Disciplines of Extraordinary Spiritual Leaders where I focused on the the idea of centering our time and energy so as not to have the distractions of internet, mobile phones, and television consume us.

^ I realized after writing this post that I used the possessive language of "their" when referring to Emergent Village. I hope this is not offensive as I know that any of us who have every associated ourselves with or been labeled as "emeregent" (whether for good or bad) do not wish to be an exclusive group that claims ownership of some institutionalized system.

I welcome and appreciate comments that question the intent or perspective of my posts. One particular comment, which may seem adversarial but I would suggest is written for constructive or at least clarifying purposes (tone and intent are largely lost in the blogosphere), reads as follows:

"im a little confused on your opinion of journey. i have been there a few times but not much scripture was used so i haven’t been back. may come again sometime though.

speaking of scripture…. i appreciate your writing but would like to see more scripture references.

i’m also curious to why you chose the name “subversive reformation”. a lot of post-modern movements (like rob bell, donald miller, shane claiborne kind of thing) make me wonder if we are too cynical and proud of our big words and creative artwork that we miss the point: LOVE."

Please note that I am not degrading this comment but rather continuing with the invitation for discussion. There are many directions in which to go but I want to begin by addressing only one small element of the comment. I may return to the ideas of postmodernism, movements, naming, and cynicism but first want to conisder "scripture references."

We have been conditioned to expect Scripture to be used in a certain way. Don’t get me wrong, I highly value the recitation of Scripture during church gatherings. I sometimes need to go to a Catholic or Episcopal gathering just to hear the public reading of God’s written communication with humanity. It is good for the soul of my recovering popular-evangelical self.  However, to quote Scripture doesn’t mean that one has to "quote" (pun intended) Scripture. Modernism has conditioned us to want references, bullet points, quotations, citations, enumerations and many other "ations." Our western, post-enlightenment minds that place an overly-high value on reason and logical processing have difficulty recognizing that Scripture is interlaced within our stories.

Here, I will draw a parallel using a specific reference from Scripture . The book of Esther found in the Hebrew Scriptures (TNK ) never uses the actual word "God" in any of its forms (YHWH, Elohim, etc.) Esther is the only book of the Bible that does not use the word "God." Does that mean that God is not present throughout the story? Should the book of Esther not have been included in the Bible? Should it be discluded from that which is considered in the Judeo-Christian tradtion to be "holy writing" simply because the word "God" isn’t quoted? Equally, should any writing that does not "quote" scripture be tossed out as though it is irrelevant and removed from the narrative of God with his people?

Hate is such a strong word isn’t it? It’s no so much that I hate tithing as it was originally acted in the Levitical narrative of the TNK.^ Moreso, I hate how people practice "tithing" with a complete misunderstanding of what tithing is and what giving is. This post could be loaded but I’ll try to parse my thoughts, posting multiple times on subsequent and consequent issues that arise when addressing the topic of giving.

There is a great conversation happening over on Matt Frye’s blog . I suggest you read the comments and enter the blogalogue .^^ I’ll be addressing the topic of giving moreso than tithing in some posts to come.

I’ll add "giving" to my list of Nouns and Verbs that are Good . What do you think about monetary giving? Is it good?

^ "TNK" is Hebrew for what "protestant Christians" unfortunately call the "Old Testament." The letters "TNK" in Hebrew with vowels inserted is pronounced "tanakh" (teh-nock). The initials stand for the sections of the Hebrew Bible (referred to as the tanakh). T: Torah (Teachings); N: Nevi’im (Prophets); K: Ketuvim (Writings) — TaNaKh.

^^ Blogalogue is a word I made up that describes a virtual written dialogue via a weblog on the world-wide-web.