Steve McCoy AKA Reformissionary is running a series of posts on the Verge Conference. Check them out. His candor, authenticity, and love for the Spirit are refreshing.
While you are at it, you can check out other reflections from Verge:
Here (contending that missional communities are NOT a model)
Here (nice review of the main sessions)
Last night we had a great turn out for all three classes at City Seminary (thanks Justin!), where our aim is to make disciples who think theologically and live redemptively. My course is called Theology in Practice: Applying Systematic Theology to Everyday Life (you can check out the rest here) . We’re working through the Nicene Creed biblically, theologically, and practically. Our first night was The Trinity in a Fragmented World.
The course is a combination of lecture, community interaction, and personal study. We moved through the following topics:
It was a stimulating night. I thought one question that sparked some significant discussion was worth re-posting. It revolved around the use of analogies to explain the Trinity. For instance, some say the three-oneness of the Trinity is like the shared substance but different forms of water-gas-ice. Or another is that of the Father, Son and Brother relationships representing the person and roles of the Godhead. So here is the two-part question:
Do all natural/human analogies of the Trinity fail?
What if we found an analogy that adequately explained the Trinity? What would that say about God?
Here are some resources I’ve found helpful in recovering a biblical understanding and practice of the Church as a community.
Academic
Popular
Articles
If you’ve followed my previous blog, Church Planting Novice, then you’ll know that I “planted” a church a couple of years ago by the name of Austin City Life. One of the things we’re continually coming back to is a church as a community.
But What Kind Community?
In a culture so driven by convenience, church has become optional not essential. It can be difficult to extract ourselves from this way of viewing church, as it were some kind of product that access only when we want it. The biblical description of church, however, is altogether different. Over and over biblical metaphors and instructions revolve around community and family. Paul’s letters open and close by addressing not friends, partners, or disciples but “brothers and sisters.” The household of faith calls us to communities of grace, not communities of convenience.
How We Treat Our Family
The family metaphor is the strongest in Scripture. Church is essential to our identity, not optional like an elective because God is a divine family not a spiritual option. Church is a family. You don’t ignore your family. You don’t refuse to feed your kids. You don’t reject responsibility to provide food, shelter, and clothing. You don’t make light of your family’s suffering or joy, you join them in it. Similarly, the church is to live together as a family, not as though we are an elective to interact with only when it is convenient. How are you treating your family?
