Church & Credibility in a Postmodern WorldPostmodern World

Church & Credibilityin a

Postmodern World

The Christian Church is a

premodern movement

that became a

modern institution

and now must shift to a

Postmodern context

Post-colonialist

Post-secularist

Post-rationalist

Post-communist

Post-capitalist

Post-nationalist

Post-institutionalist

Post-patriarchal

Post-Christendom

4

Broadway was originally the Wickquasgeck Trail, carved into the brush of Manhattan by its Native American inhabitants. This trail originally snaked through swamps and rocks along the length of Manhattan Island.

3 forms ... one way.

The Christian faith, like all religious traditions, has taken many forms through its history.

It continues to take new forms.

It is still in the making.

10

Like the individuals who constitute them, [our spiritual communities] are unfinished and “in the making.” They have the capacity to move forward if

they choose ... and the freedom to stagnate and regress.

11

I believe that all of us play a role in choosing and creating our futures - as

individuals and as communities. We don’t need to wait passively for history

to happen to us. We can become protagonists in our own story. We can

make the road by walking.

Old

Paradigm/

Model

Early

Transition

Late

Transition

New Paradigm/

Model

Buildings ... or ... ?

Weekly gatherings ... or ... ?

Historic arguments ... or ... ?

Self-preservation ... or ... ?

Information ... or ... ?

What is possible?

Buildings - communityWeekly gatherings - constant digital

connectionHistoric arguments - contemporary

crisesSelf-preservation - common

good/missionInformation - spiritual experience

What is possible?

Buildings - communityWeekly gatherings - constant digital

connectionHistoric arguments - contemporary

crisesSelf-preservation - common good,

missionInformation - spiritual experience

What is possible?

beau

ty

There are many reasons to compare our religious communities to an old male tortoise ... Slow-moving …

isolated …

Ancient-looking

withdrawn in its shell … won’t stick its neck out

There are many reasons to compare the crises in our world to a tsunami …

There are many reasons to compare the emerging global culture to an orphaned hippo

…

Orphaned by religion …

science … government …

the economy … technology … consumerism… “progress”…

What could happen in our world if the church “came out of itself” for the common good?

solidarityhumility

methodologyliturgy

mission networks

storybe

auty

many forms ... one path

in a

Church & Credibility

Postmodern World

There are many reasons to compare our churches to an old male tortoise …