Session #4: Rock Daddy

1. According to Watson, the recovered gospel is the message of what Christ has done for us. It is the gospel "of" Jesus and not the gospel "about" Jesus.

2. Moral Authority is what people are seeking, therefore our mission should be to be able to relate the gospel which represents the ultimate Moral Authority to people. As far as our congregations go, I think it is a fine line most Christians walk between being morally authentic verses not judging others who struggle with certain aspects. Case in point is Ted Haggard. Here is someone who was doing so much good, but as soon as he reveals he is human and sins, Christians all over begin to dis him and shun him, instead of supporting him and helping him through his issues.

Meaningful Community is what I would consider the ideal in which we should strive for. Just as Hall says, "the pursuit of individual freedom and personal aggrandizement has been...driven to it absolute limits." (pg 209) Therefore, our congregations should be striving to over come those barriers by openly presenting the gospel.

Transcendence and Mystery can be seen throughout the gospel and are often the reasons people bring up to not believe the validity of the Bible. However, if we as individuals can present the gospel and then be able to relate it to something current I think we will have a better job of convincing nonbelievers.

Meaning is so ingrained in each of us as humans, that I think we are born with it. Look at how children play dress up, looking for different professions (doctor, policeman, fireman, etc.) or people to be (Superman, Batman, Robin Hood, etc.) In college, we struggle with what to major in, at least I did. Meaning is constantly at the back of our minds. But as Christians we know where our meaning comes from, Jesus. Therefore, we need to rely on that knowledge as we share the gospel with others, so we can not only tell them but also show them.


3. West's thesis is this:
"The church is therefore called, with its gospel, no to reestablish the traditional Christendom but to confront the dogmas of secular pluralism with the truth claim of faith, and the secular authorities with their responsibility before God." (pg. 215) In essence he is stating that we as Christians need to address not only the issues that face our culture but also those in power. He goes on to explain that America has become what it is by the Political covenant, ethos and the power. He explains that the political covenant has come about due to a "break in traditional Christendom." (pg. 216) The ethos he says has always been there, however, it is difficult to define due to the fact that it comes from God, but it is interpreted and defined by man, thereby creating tension amount people. He feels that because of our history we as a country have assumed the power position and therefore, believe we will always have it because of science, technology and economics.
All in all he paints a dire picture, however, he feels that if we are to over come the issues we need to merely present the truth of the gospel and behave in accordance with God's will and we will have a greater impact.

4. I liked how Brownson stated that missional hermeneutics recognizes that due to the fact we are all different individuals we will all interpret the Bible differently. I would go even further to say that based on the stage we are in, in our spiritual walk will also dictate what the Holy Spirit reveals to us when we read scripture. Since I have started seminary, I have found numerous passages that seem so alive and new to me, yet I know I've read them many times in the past.
I did not agree with him when he stated that as individuals we read a passage, interpret it and as we discuss it with someone else we realize we were wrong in our interpretation. I find this contradicts what he said earlier when he said that as individuals we will each interpret the Bible differently. I guess where I draw the line is if someone is strictly taking verses out of context and not looking at any of the background for the verse, then yes they are incorrectly interpreting the Bible. However, if someone has put the time and effort into studying what was being said then, I think that it is possible for the scripture to speak differently to them verses someone else.
At this stage in my Christian walk I welcome others interpretation of scripture and I love to discuss what people think or feel about scripture, however, I am very quick to shy away from a discussion with someone who is not open minded to my or others interpretation and only want s to present their own. "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ." Just as in 1 Cor 12:12, I believe there is one word of God , but many ways in how it impacts us.

5. I feel that Dyrness' vernacular theology could easily be applied to my ministry context. I say this because I have a strong sense that God is calling me to be a missionary here in the United States. Based on all we have read Dyrness' three aspects: communal; created by beliefs/practices/context; point of view of the community are what I am going to need in order to be able to connect and relate to those I am trying to reach.

6. The culture I was raised in definitely tainted or skewed how I viewed the gospel. Being raised in the Church of Christ, we never had any musical instruments. This was based on scriptures such as Mark 14:26, 1 Cor 14:15, Eph 5:19 and Col 3:16. All of which refer to singing, not playing instruments while praising God. We also had communion every week, based on Acts 2:42. The irony I now see is that as a church we had merely been following only certain passages instead of taking it all as one. I think the challenge we face when we have small groups is that unless we intentionally intermingle denominations, we will always resort back to what we initially learned or were taught. As an example, I know that the men's group I attend on Wednesday morning is much more stimulating due to the fact that there are at least four different denominations present, verses the men's group I attend on Wednesday nights at my home church which is made solely of COG members. I think that by staying with what we know we subconsciously limit ourselves from seeking/pushing/asking others. We assume everyone is on the same page. But by integrating different philosophies we, again subconsciously, force ourselves to seek/push/ask others so we can understand where they are coming from.