Some great deals today at Amazon:
- Morrissey’s newest Years of Refusal is $3.99
- U2’s classic Boy $5.00
- Barenaked Ladies new release – four songs free
- Miles Davis Birth of the Cool $5,00
Month: February 2009
Equippers in your Church
JR Woodward uses some fresh language to get across the responsibilities of the equippers of the church here.
A History of Sixth Street
This history was used in a sermon for our move onto 6th Street at Austin City Life.
Sixth Street History
Where did 6th street come from? Formerly called Pecan Street (hence Pecan St festival), 6th Street began as the main thoroughfare into Austin (a nice flat trail) for farmland communities to the east. It quickly became a major commerce district. By the 1860s, log and frame houses, wagon yards, livery stables, and saloons were present along Pecan Street, as were pigs and cows from time to time.
Live Music on 6th
When did 6th become known for live music? It all really started in 1975 when Cliff Antone opened a Blues club at 6th and Brazos (now Antone’s). It was here that Stevie Ray Vaughn and “Paul Ray and the Cobras” got started, generating the live music reputation of 6th.
Keep Austin Weird
How did Austin get Weird? The late 70s ushered in a era of live original music in Austin. Paul Ray describes 6th street as follows:
“It was cheap rent and cheap beer, cheap pot, girls in halter tops and cut offs and you could be just whatever you wanted to be. There were rednecks and long-hairs sitting next to one another at the bar telling jokes to one another. People got along. It was just a different scene.”
Three words. Keep Austin Weird. That’s what happened, in all its glory and depravity. Great blues and gross sin. You could be whatever you wanted to be. Six was an eclectic, accepting, creative, and corrupt scene. We have much to celebrate from the creation of 6th street—great music, creative energy, good beer, artistic tattoos and a place where you can be yourself and people will accept you. That weird, tolerant, eclectic spirit has permeated the whole city and there is much to love about it. The American church would do well to learn from this kind of cultural relativism.
80s Downturn
Why has 6th Street become less known for good, live music? In an interview Ray remarked: “I think by the late ‘80s it had become, for lack of a better description, cover band hell. It was all about bands playing cover music basically trying to bring in people so they could drink.” As the ’80s started winding down, many say, came the years the music died. It became a real frat and tourist scene with mediocre music. “I think it’s true you can make money selling daiquiris to kids, who are just learning what alcohol does, than you can running a music venue. It’s a bottom line question. A lot of clubs would have liked to have stayed open, but I think the landlords raised the rent because they saw the possibility of more money,” Forsyth said.
2001 Riot and Stabbing
What was the secret to 6th’s success? KUT radio jock Paul Ray: “I think organic is the way Sixth Street started. It’s the way it got where it is and I don’t think you can legislate it or do studies on it. It needs to be organic. Otherwise, it’s not going to work because the people will decide if they want to go down there.” In my opinion, organic things can have staying power and impact as long as they are nurtured. That’s the current problem with 6th; it hasn’t been nurtured.
2004 Hilton Convention and 6 St Study
What is the future for 6th Street? The rise of Hilton Convention center and a ten thousand dollar study offered hope for Sixth street resurrection. A few good venues have emerged, in particular Stubbs and The Parish. Much more will need to be done to restore the historical character, quality music and culture to 6th, but it seems that those things are on the rise.
[1] One of my sources in this study was a series of articles done by news 8: http://news8austin.com/content/news_8_explores/sixth_street/?ArID=68989&SecID=285
Neil Cole: Parasitical Parachurches Feeding on Church
Neil Cole’s new book Organic Leadership is insightful, provocative, and prophetic. The first section of the book points out the weeds growing in the soil of the American church. One particular weed is the parasitical effect of parachurch ministries. To be sure, Cole does not view all parachurch organizations as an impediment to the church; however, he prophetically points out how the parachurch has assumed the role and mission of the church leaving her weak and anemic. Consider these areas of capitulation:
- Her leadership development has been assumed by colleges, seminaries, and Bible institutes.
- Her compassion and social justice have been given over to nonprofit charitable organizations.
- Her global mission has been relinquished to mission agencies.
- Church government and decision making have often been forfeited to denominational offices.
- Her prophetic voice has been replaced by publishing houses, self-help gurus, and futurist authors.
- Her emotional and spiritual health has been taken over by psychologists, psychiatrists, and family counseling services.
The Anemic Church
Now, before you react let this settle. Detect the truth in these statements. Where can your church recover certain elements, perhaps not in totality but in measure? Cole is not sweeping all parachurches aside. Rather, he is pointing out the professionalization and specialization of the church into ministries that have left the church anemic. We have capitulated to this fragmentation of the church. Cole notes:
The world today looks at the church wondering what relevance she has. The only use they see for the church is performing the sacerdotal duties of preaching, marrying, burying, baptizing, and passing around wafers and grape juice. The church was once a catalyst for artistic expression, social change, and the founding of hospitals, schools, and missionary enterprise, but today she has settled for providing a one-hour-a-week worship concert, an offering place, and a sermon. (116)
Ralph Winter: Sodality and Modality
Cole is careful to note the distinctions made by Ralph Winter regarding sodalities and modalities. Winter’s helpful article emphasizes the more apostolic, missionary nature of certain entities like Paul’s roving, planting, missionary bands. These are sodalities. These sodalities don’t do everything that the church is responsible for, instead they specialize. Modalities, on the other hand, are a little more static though missional and are churches. The church is a modality because it is given the responsibility to do everything that God has commanded us to do (feed the poor, disciple, translate the bible, etc.). A church is modality and parachurch sodality. Sodalities can weaken or strengthen churches.
Cole affirms the need for both modalities and sodalities but contests these distinctions as a point of division between church and parachurch. He writes: “both modality and sodality are part of God’s redemptive purpose. Both are the church in the eyes of Paul. I do no think he saw himself as at all separate from the church…” (122).
What do you think? Where has your church capitulated to the parasitical parachurch? Is there a way forward? And what of the modality sodality distinction? Are both mission agencies and local churches together the church? Much more could be said on these matters.