Comments on: Star Trek and the Church Today–Rebooting the Church! http://dwhamby1.wordpress.com/2009/06/18/star-trek-and-the-church-today-rebooting-the-church/ Thoughts on Faith and Life Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:23:35 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: dwhamby1 http://dwhamby1.wordpress.com/2009/06/18/star-trek-and-the-church-today-rebooting-the-church/#comment-251 dwhamby1 Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:16:32 +0000 http://dwhamby1.wordpress.com/?p=598#comment-251 To the Spong comment- Where I would differ greatly is Spong's theologically rebooting. He has problems with basic orthodox Christianity and the idea of a personal God! I am not advocating heresy but I do agree with the title you used (the wording that is). We do need to change or else. And yet not the orthodox nature of our faith but rather how we might express that faith in our world. We need to not keep repeating the same mistakes of history and be stuck in the past but rather need to be innovative, creative, and responsive to the current context and not a past one. We are now 'starting over' in a sense and have a chance to be a new kind of church for a new kind of world. We are really going to have to rethink how we do church in the world. This is not an argument for a worship style, etc but the very way we connect to our world and the way we are as a church. We can't copy the CEO mentality or latest fad or hold on to some imagined past. Also I agree we have to put 'boots on the ground' and be the church now and not just stare at the sky. If we do work with our communities and become the presence of Christ...wow. It's Biblical. If the current economic situation taught us anything is that we don't need to be the way we were before the crisis. We were junkies on a fix for material greed. We need to not return to that---spending what isn't ours...what we don't have...for stuff we don't need..while the world starves. I might not have 99 thesis but give me time and I might come up with my own list!! Read some Bonhoffer (Cost of Discipleship), throw in St. John of the Cross "Dark Night of the Soul", and mix up a bit of Barth and we might just get there!! Oh and a dash of "the Joshua Tree" playing in the background (u2). :) To the first comment- thanks! I have seen the video! To the Spong comment-
Where I would differ greatly is Spong’s theologically rebooting. He has problems with basic orthodox Christianity and the idea of a personal God! I am not advocating heresy but I do agree with the title you used (the wording that is). We do need to change or else. And yet not the orthodox nature of our faith but rather how we might express that faith in our world. We need to not keep repeating the same mistakes of history and be stuck in the past but rather need to be innovative, creative, and responsive to the current context and not a past one. We are now ’starting over’ in a sense and have a chance to be a new kind of church for a new kind of world.

We are really going to have to rethink how we do church in the world.

This is not an argument for a worship style, etc but the very way we connect to our world and the way we are as a church. We can’t copy the CEO mentality or latest fad or hold on to some imagined past.

Also I agree we have to put ‘boots on the ground’ and be the church now and not just stare at the sky. If we do work with our communities and become the presence of Christ…wow. It’s Biblical.

If the current economic situation taught us anything is that we don’t need to be the way we were before the crisis. We were junkies on a fix for material greed. We need to not return to that—spending what isn’t ours…what we don’t have…for stuff we don’t need..while the world starves. I might not have 99 thesis but give me time and I might come up with my own list!!

Read some Bonhoffer (Cost of Discipleship), throw in St. John of the Cross “Dark Night of the Soul”, and mix up a bit of Barth and we might just get there!! Oh and a dash of “the Joshua Tree” playing in the background (u2). :)

To the first comment-
thanks! I have seen the video!

]]> By: dmhamby2 http://dwhamby1.wordpress.com/2009/06/18/star-trek-and-the-church-today-rebooting-the-church/#comment-250 dmhamby2 Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:18:49 +0000 http://dwhamby1.wordpress.com/?p=598#comment-250 Not to accuse you of something you're not doing or compare you to someone you're not, but this and the last few posts remind me quite a lot of Spong's "Why Christianity Must Change or Die" and other similar works in theme at least, though obviously much less extreme or combative. So when are you nailing your version of a 99 Thesis to a Church door? PS, Don't you agree that it's high past time that all churches of all theological stripes began to actually put the time, money and effort to physical compassionate work in their local community, that they began to utilize all of the skills of the members they already have to help all those outside their door, not with the intent to convert or sway others but to simply help them for helpings sake? I mean, that's not to hard to do so why aren't we all doing it? Not to accuse you of something you’re not doing or compare you to someone you’re not, but this and the last few posts remind me quite a lot of Spong’s “Why Christianity Must Change or Die” and other similar works in theme at least, though obviously much less extreme or combative. So when are you nailing your version of a 99 Thesis to a Church door?

PS, Don’t you agree that it’s high past time that all churches of all theological stripes began to actually put the time, money and effort to physical compassionate work in their local community, that they began to utilize all of the skills of the members they already have to help all those outside their door, not with the intent to convert or sway others but to simply help them for helpings sake? I mean, that’s not to hard to do so why aren’t we all doing it?

]]> By: Lina Hart http://dwhamby1.wordpress.com/2009/06/18/star-trek-and-the-church-today-rebooting-the-church/#comment-249 Lina Hart Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:11:17 +0000 http://dwhamby1.wordpress.com/?p=598#comment-249 Derik - you're musing what I'm feeling and wishing I knew what to do about it. I'm also a Presbyterian minister who works for the presbytery - the bureaucracy - and on sabbatical - exploring church and culture. I'm realizing how our of touch our churches are with changing culture. We're wanting them to join us - have you seen the youtube video of if starbucks marketed like the church - quite telling. Keep up the musings... God's at work among us. :) Derik – you’re musing what I’m feeling and wishing I knew what to do about it. I’m also a Presbyterian minister who works for the presbytery – the bureaucracy – and on sabbatical – exploring church and culture. I’m realizing how our of touch our churches are with changing culture. We’re wanting them to join us – have you seen the youtube video of if starbucks marketed like the church – quite telling. Keep up the musings… God’s at work among us. :)

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