« My favorite Super Bowl commercial | Main | No Line on the Horizon: = »

February 26, 2009

Comments

Oh my was this a good forum. I absolutely loved it, but man did it get my brain working. There was so much great information given I don't know which part to comment about. I guess for me I really liked the way Bakke helps us see the city with a whole mew set of eyes. I never seen the stories in the bible with such insight to the urban city. When he gave that example of Jesus, Philimon, or Moeses mom it made so much sense. I guess things finally webbed together in my brain lol... I loved the phrase that he said at the end of the Anatomy of a City, "Take the stain glass windows off the scriptures". Genius.

Raquel, great comments. I like the way you latched on to the phrase "Take the stained glass windows off the scriptures." What Ray is saying is that we bring so much clutter to our reading of the bible. While no one can read the Word in an unbiased "pure" environment, we will understand it better when we can see our own biases; when we can see how our particular history has impacted our interpretation of scripture. Thanks again. -Tim

I think this ties a lot into what SCORR was about this year. Cities are not a bad thing, and that we have to re-engage the city and reconcile races in the city. Its crazy to think that we are losing focus on the cities, and trying to get them to come to us. Much of what I have learned over the last few years, is that I need to go where they are, and not expect them to come to me.

You and I took similar notes.
I've heard Bakke speak before, and I was slightly disappointed that almost half was what I've heard before. But the other half...fantastic! The frustration I find after leaving a conference such as this one, is there are so many good thoughts that I walk away unchanged because I don't know how to let them all sink in. Thus, I'll let a few ones out.
"How do you educate the products of the globe when they're all in one place?" This is a very beautiful concept when grasped in the church since it's a picture of the unity we're to have with each other, but not a very beautiful one when you're thinking realistically on a basic human level. my grandmother and I recently had a heated discussion about whether or not you should make everyone learn to speak English once they've moved to America. Bakke's idea that "Jesus isn't a tribal God...that he brings tribes together" could sound a bit like communism if you stretch it til it breaks. however, I do believe we need to learn to live with one another and communicate, but not necessarily forcing everyone to learn a common language. culture is lost when language is lost, and the irony that we're all the same, yet distinctly and vastly different shines through here.
this leads to another thought:
"All the barriers are not in Fresno, the barriers are in the church!" resonated with me... I feel that there are so many ...not necessarily contradictions that we preach, but the simple fact that we don't act the way we preach is the basic problem. I think the Jesus of the Bible is vastly different than the one that is preached in most churches, and we let ourselves be the stained glass with which Jesus is portrayed. Luke 9.23-25 (look up) has been racking my brain lately. If we're truly the barriers, how then, to do we deny ourselves? What does that look like in today's church? (not just world, but CHURCH?)Far too often churches like to separate themselves from human reality in the framework of the city and the church walks around like a chicken with it's head cut off and flippantly make human choices for humanity that aren't necessarily Christ-like.
I also thought it was pretty cool that Bakke goes and thanks all the different churches for their services to different communities. he asked everyone to think about what their specific denomination can give to the city. we need to keep this is mind!
whew.


I feel I'll blog about this soon...

Hi Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, a cool site I like

The comments to this entry are closed.

Book

Now available for presale

  • Buy on Amazon --
    U2: Rock 'n' Roll to Change the World


    From its beginning in 1976, U2 has consistently interacted with its environment, both influencing and being influenced by the world around. Giving as much attention to social, political and spiritual issues as it does musical creativity, this Irish quartet provides a unique case study in the intersection of artistic expression and cultural engagement.




The One Campaign

  • WWW.ONE.ORG
    Please join the ONE campaign to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa.







About Me

Tim Neufeld

  • Full-time professor, part-time pastor, husband, father of two small boys, news writer for @U2 (atu2.com), just trying to find my way in a new world.




© 2006-2016 Timothy D. Neufeld









Search


  • WWW
    timneufeld.blogs.com