I have no creative way to title this blog entry. Honestly, I think I shut down when I come home from school. I get to relax, I get to be comfortable, I get to chill when I'm home. I don't think or write half as much.
I had coffee with an amazing lady this morning. She has been a mentor to me for a year or two now. She makes me think. She challenges me. . . and we get excited together about connecting theology, reality, creativity and humanity together.
This morning we got to talk about the evangelical church, the holistic theology movement and a type of evangelism that connects stories together. Ok, sorry, let me unpack that.
My mentor recently was in seminary. I don't know how we got to this topic but we starting talking about the "evangelical christian/church" and how the main focus is on "saving souls". some times the part of humanity or environmental issues gets pushed aside. How can we push aside the issue of holistic ministry to chop it up and PICK the part that saves souls? Jesus healed, God created the earth. And I am not trying diminish the value of where our souls are in relation to God. . . but how can we ignore the other. My mentor was saying that it is rooted in evangelical theology that there is going to be a "new heaven" , new earth" and "new bodies" therefore the soul is the main focus. . . .
So, is there a term for christians in america that want the focus to be on holistic ministry?
One more note, we talked a little on evangelism as knowing and understanding some ones story so to connect it or be able to relate it to Gods story. . . this is beautiful. unpack that thought.
see that in order for people to see God as a creator and lover and redeemer they have to relate their story to Gods. . .
compare this to the "track" evangelism or a 3 step manual of being saved. . . (that i grew up with. . . this is why I thought this was so cool).
ok, sorry these thoughts are so chopping and the writing is awful. . .
but I promised katherine I would blog!
I'm thinking on spring break! . . . and lovin it!
peace
This Content Doesn’t Need a Title
2 years ago
So, is there a term for christians in america that want the focus to be on holistic ministry?
ReplyDeleteYes, there is, its what we hear from the Emergent Church that it seems most mainline denominations are against. But they preach for the social Gospel as well, Jesus came to begin to reset all of creation, and Paul said that all of creation groans for the redemption to start. So Bell I know preaches that we must teach people that to live in step with God in every way from caring for themselves, and others to the way they interact with the world.
I agree with you completely, we can not have a mission outlook that only focuses on the people an that 3 step process.
I have been reading a lot about William Carey and what he did in India. Besides preaching and doing missions, he was a farmer, a planter, a writer, a linguist, a reformer. He spoke out against the social ills, and knew that the only way to change them was through the Gospel.
Great post!