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Re-imagining mission for a spiritual age. To the Mission Context. To the essence of the Christian Inheritance. Double listening (Mission-Shaped Church). Two ears one mouth Use accordingly in mission
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To the Mission Context • To the essence of the Christian Inheritance Double listening (Mission-Shaped Church) Two ears one mouth Use accordingly in mission Failure to enter the other persons world leaves us like the tourists who keep speaking louder in their own language
Changing cultureModernity toPostmodernity I tell my story I choose my beliefs truth as experience truth as fact I buy my identity The logic of consumerism
Post-Christendom? 76% of New Christians Come from 26% De-Churched finding faith today 1992 65% Non Churched This section of the population is older and decreasing over time 26% De Churched 9% monthly Church attendance 2005
Post-Christendom? Not just about church attendance • Grace Davie, - Believing without belonging and vicarious faith • But changing belief • Fading of occasional office • Decline in Christian identity • Stages in the decline of Christendom not a new way for it to persist
Post- Secularism? • Post-modernity - multi-faith in a post-secular age • Post-modern move from truth as fact to truth as experience - From universal truth to true for me may be different to true for you. • Rejection of objectivity for subjectivity • Personal belief re-enters the public square • Any and every belief …. All are equally unprovable • All of this much to the annoyance of Richard Dawkins……. and Christians? • Religion once more on the agenda but any religion with no way back to Christendom …..indeed is Christianity disadvantaged compared to the alternatives?
The Media • Growth in TV shows on the supernatural, spiritual and paranormal – • Fiction … supernatural, sea of souls, Buffy, demons, Hex, charmed, Sabrina the teenage witch, apparitions • ‘fact’…..haunted homes, most haunted, healers, Britain's psychic challenge, documentaries on mediums, Pagans, teenage witches etc • Move from ‘Scooby Do’ approach where the ghosts are found not to exist to an approach where the balance is to believe in them • Replacement of the priest with the medium, investigator or demon hunter.
55% saw a patterning of events – up 90% 38% felt God’s presence – up 41% 37% had answered prayer – up 48% 29% felt sacred in nature – up 81% 25% the presence of the dead – up 39% ‘Spiritual’ experience in 2000 Vs 1987 1987 48% aware of having a religious/spiritual experience 2000 risen to 76% 25% the presence of evil – up 108% But what are they experiencing?
Experience of fortune telling, Tarot, astrology, psychics, palmists
Australian Gen Y – like Britain? Rationalist humanist Non believing 14% Moral relativism, pick ‘n’ mix, truth in all religions but not just one, something ‘out there’ occult and paranormal experienced BUT open rather than committed or seeing as important Includes neo pagans and followers or frequent participants in the esoteric/occult growing shrinking ‘new spiritual’ 23% Religious 17%
Post Christian spirituality • My experience is true • Things that happen are not coincidences but ruled by spiritual forces • My ‘faith’ is assembled from the bits I like in other spiritualities D.I.Y. style
‘New Age’ background Eastern Unity in spiritual realm Transcending the body Consumer orientated ‘Pagan’ background Western Unity in physical realm Celebrating the body Consumer suspicious New Spiritualities
Crossing culture - The Early Church • In Jerusalem • The Pentecost Sermon to Jews Acts 2 • The Jerusalem church Acts 4 • The Hellenists – fresh insight & Persecution • In Judea and Samaria • The dispersal of the Hellenists • Philip – the Samaritans & Ethiopian Eunuch Acts 8 • To the ends of the earth • Peter and Cornelius Acts 10 • The Church in Antioch Acts 11 • The Gentile mission from Antioch
Paul does ‘double-listening’ • Acts 14 – Lystra • After healing a crippled man the crowd think Paul and Barnabas are Hermes and Zeus. • Paul reasons from nature not scripture to explain his faith….and struggles to communicate • Acts 17 – Athens • Paul goes round the temples learning about Greek belief • He debates with the philosophers in the market place….and struggles to communicate – they call him a ‘spermalogos’ – someone who doesn’t know what they are talking about! • Acts 19 – Ephesus • Debates in the lecture hall - for several years • Break through when he is seen not as a magician • Conflict with Demetrius
Jesus is the expected messiah who will fulfil the prophets and law He was killed as a sacrifice but rose He has been appointed judge and we must now change the directions of our lives We are all searchers after God The God of the universe doesn’t live in temples That God has set a day to judge the nations so we must now change the directions of our lives The judge will be Jesus who was raised from the dead Paul’s two sermons Jews …….and…….Greeks? Mission in Christendom is like Jewish Mission
Evangelism: shift to Christendom • Early Church incarnate in local culture • Greek Church - Paul uses poetry to Zeus • Roman Church - Jesus as Orpheus • Coptic Church - the image of Isis becomes Mary • Celtic Church - Jesus the Druid (Columba) • Germanic Church - the Heliand • Christendom one faith one empire • The Saxon Church and the war band • Synod of Whitby - the date of Easter; monks hair • Evangelism ends within empire, • becomes conquest beyond it • Modernity evangelism recovered in Christendom • Individuals called to belief in a Christian country • Aimed at intellectual conviction and crisis conversion
Mission (abroad) Cultural export Vs Inhabiting local culture Evangelism (at home) Calling people back to ‘the national faith’ Mission in Christendom
Learning from foreign mission • “Do not call people back to where they were (they never were there) • Do not call people to where you are, as beautiful as it may seem to you • But travel with them to a place neither of you have been before” Vincent Donovan – ‘Christianity re-discovered’
From: sharing the Gospel in “come to us” mode To: Exploring Church in “go to them” mode Church Missions To boldly go where no church has gone before Courses ‘Seeker’ Services Changing Mission?
sin New creation creation salvation Individuals saved All creation saved From individuals to all creation Restoring the whole story of salvation
Who are on the way? Bounded set ? Or..
Who are on the way? Bounded set ? Or…….Centred Set?
A new apologetics? • Hearing – relating to what is going on in people’s lives not assuming a pattern • Holistic – not just brains but people drawn to God • Hopeful – assume God is at work in others, ‘see what God is doing and join in’ • Humble – we have a lot to learn too from God and others, including those of other faiths and no-faith • Hidden – the parable tradition – people ignore the obvious answer but explore the open ended. • Heavenward – focus on where we are going and invite people on the journey
wider community halfway meeting space Christian community Three levels of mission community
What is connecting? Mind Body Spirit Fairs Local Festivals And national ones…
What is connecting? Buildings The Environment Prayer
