21
THE EMERGING CHURCH & THE ONE PROJECT? PART 9 “TERRY SWENSON” RON DUFFIELD 1

The emerging church and the one project part 9

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

The Emerging Church and The One Project? is a series of PowerPoint presentations asking the question if there is in fact a connection between the two. The purpose of the presentations are not to lambast those who want to lift Jesus up, but rather to allow leaders of the One Project to tell us in their own words (and the words of those promoting the project) what their goals and aspirations really are, and how these goals have been enacted in their past experiences. Presentation 1 of 10 is a summary of the Emerging Church as defined on Wikipedia. This is a summary of the 17 page article found there which is taken from many leading proponents of the Emerging Church here in America. Presentations 2 through 4 deal with Leonard Sweet, a leader in the Emerging Church movement and a professor at George Fox University, and many of the nearly 50 books he has authored which express his various viewpoints. Presentations 5 through 9 deal with the five main leaders of The One Project, four of which graduated with or started DMin degrees from George Fox University under the mentorship of Leonard Sweet. In each presentation an objective look is taken at material in print telling of each leaders work and ministry up to 2012. The question will naturally follow; is this the direction we should be leading our young people in the Adventist Church? Presentation 10 deals with the One Project gathering in Seattle, February of 2012, looking at the claims of the Project “Jesus. All” and comparing this to what really took place at the gathering. Yes, there was some good points made, and we need to lift Jesus up, but…. We also take a look at a little of the evidence suggesting The One Project is a response to GYC. For a fully interactive edition of all 10 presentations with video clips, contact: [email protected]

Citation preview

Page 1: The emerging church and the one project part 9

THE EMERGING CHURCH &

THE ONE PROJECT?PART 9

“TERRY SWENSON”

RON DUFFIELD1

Page 2: The emerging church and the one project part 9

The One ProjectHistory: Terry Swenson

2

Page 3: The emerging church and the one project part 9

The One ProjectHistory: Terry Swenson

3

Page 4: The emerging church and the one project part 9

The One ProjectHistory: Terry Sorenson

“Terry Swenson, MDiv, DMin serves as campus chaplain and an associate professor of the School of Religion for Loma Linda University. He has held that position for 15 years. Before Loma Linda University, Terry served as a pastor in the Northern California Conference and the Central California Conference and now is a member of the Southeastern California Conference. He has served in the pastoral ministry for 28 years. Working with young people has been a constant focus throughout his ministry. The opportunity to focus his ministry on students at a university level attracted him to his current position.”

“Pastor Swenson’s vision for campus ministries at Loma Linda

University is ‘that every student who leaves Loma Linda University would become a fully devoted Christian with a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ. At the least, I want them to leave knowing that there is a God who loves them deeply and longs to be intimately involved in their lives.’” (http://the1project.org/board/terry.html)

4

Page 5: The emerging church and the one project part 9

The One ProjectTerry Swenson & George Fox University

5

Page 6: The emerging church and the one project part 9

The One ProjectTerry Swenson & George Fox University

“Campus chaplain defends thesis: The University extends its congratulations to Terry Swenson, campus chaplain, who successfully defended his Doctor of Ministry dissertation on March 11, 2009. (http://myllu.llu.edu/oncampus/story/?id=2976)

“Pastor Swenson recently completed a Doctor of Ministry degree from George Fox University, Oregon with an emphasis in the areas of postmodernism, cross-cultural and global interactions and leadership.” (http://www.llu.edu/central/ chaplain/terry.page)

“Pastor Swenson earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from George Fox University with an emphasis in the areas of postmodernism, cross-cultural and global interactions and leadership.” (http://the1project.org/board/terry.html)

6

Page 7: The emerging church and the one project part 9

George Fox UniversityLeadership & Global Perspectives

7

Page 8: The emerging church and the one project part 9

George Fox UniversityLeadership & Global Perspectives

8

“Through a combination of academic seminars and field trips, students interact in-person with scholars from the host location and leaders from churches and faith-based nonprofit organizations engaged in significant ministry, humanitarian, community development, social justice, missional, and church planting efforts. Additionally, students meet with their advisors and research course instructors to discuss the progress in their research.”

“Through a series of real-world experiences in a variety of global venues students engage with Christian leaders from around the world, who are making a difference. They join a network of like-minded leaders who are transforming lives, empowering communities, or engaging in social entrepreneurship as a witness to the love of Christ. They explore ministry leadership at the global and local intersections of church, world and culture with Dr. Clark in a flexible, online learning environment.“ (http://www.georgefox.edu/seminary/programs/dmin-lgp/index.html)

Page 9: The emerging church and the one project part 9

George Fox UniversityLearning Sessions with Mentor Leonard

Sweet

9

Page 10: The emerging church and the one project part 9

The One ProjectTerry Swenson and Leonard Sweet

10

Page 11: The emerging church and the one project part 9

The One ProjectTerry Swenson and Leonard Sweet

11

“My sonnets are not generally finished till I see them again after forgetting them.” So wrote Dante Gabriel Rossetti in 1854. The following doctoral students helped me see this manuscript afresh after forgetting it: Sarah Baldwin, Michael Berry, William Alexander (Alex) Bryan, … John Stumbo, Terry Swenson, Jon Talbert. I feel honored to be studying with each and every one of them and wish more criticism came my way with such admirable amenity. … Leonard Sweet, Thanksgiving Eve, 2007” (Leonard Sweet, 11: Indispensible Relationships You Can’t Be Without, p. 11: http://www.google.com/ search? q=11%3A+Indispensable+Relationships+You+Can%27t+Be+Without&btnG= Search+Books&tbm=bks&tbo=1)

Page 12: The emerging church and the one project part 9

The One ProjectTerry Swenson Invites Leonard Sweet to

LLU

12

Page 13: The emerging church and the one project part 9

The One ProjectGeorge Fox University Praises One Project

13

Page 14: The emerging church and the one project part 9

The One ProjectGeorge Fox University Praises One

Project “George Fox Evangelical Seminary: October 25

[2012] via HootSuite. Check out The One Project, being led by 3 of our D.Min alums: Terry Swenson, Alex Bryan, and Tim Gillespie: http://bit.ly/Mj0MR”

“Jim Carlson: The link doesn't seem to work right now and I wanna see it cause these are my boys. October 25 at 5:40pm via mobile”

“George Fox Evangelical Seminary: The One project - Celebrating the supremacy of Jesus in the Seventh-day Adventist Church—Home: the1project.org” (https://www.facebook.com/georgefoxevangelicalseminary/timeline?filter=1)

14

Page 15: The emerging church and the one project part 9

The One ProjectEmerging Church Movement Philosophy?

15

Page 16: The emerging church and the one project part 9

The One ProjectEmerging Church Movement Philosophy?

16

“My seminary training took place in the mid-80s. During that time, we were taught the following methodology for Bible studies. The process began with the underlying assumption that the persons we were going to be studying with were either Christians who needed to understand the Bible better, Christians who had fallen from faith or individuals that knew about Christianity but had never made the commitment. So, the first step was to show them the Bible and demonstrate, by the usage of appropriate proof texting, that the Scriptures declare that they are the Word of God and, therefore, are normative and directive for their lives. Now accept and follow. But something has happened to the culture I find myself in. The United States has changed from modern homogeneity to postmodern emerging. And with that transformation, so too, must our methodology be transformed. …” (cont.)

Page 17: The emerging church and the one project part 9

The One ProjectEmerging Church Movement Philosophy?

17

“In my mind, the realization of Christ’s Kingdom of inclusion begins with the embracing of the “rainbow” principles of Scripture previously discussed. The Gospel is God’s message in verity. Through His Incarnation and how Christ approached individuals, the Gospel speaks to the heart and need of diversity. The refracted rainbow constituent colors would represent the multiplicity of God’s methods and means of reaching this world and its cross-cultural diversity with the Gospel of His love, presence and purpose. And now, through us His followers, He seeks to be incarnate in our actions and relationships.”

“How do we communicate Christ’s Kingdom dynamics in a coherent manner? It is by embracing the diversity that we find ourselves in. In other words, the reality of our lives is that ‘we’—the culture in which we find ourselves, and ‘them’—the cultures as they exist for those we come in contact with, are not divisible from each other. To interface, we must embrace—who each other is, how we process life, how we experience things, what our stories are and how those stories are determinant for us. …” (cont.)

Page 18: The emerging church and the one project part 9

The One ProjectEmerging Church Movement Philosophy?

18

“The Gospel is the truth that defines and directs our lives as Christians. Yet, the Gospel is story—the Story of God incarnating in our world and our lives and sharing ‘His’ story of redemption and reality with us. We, in turn, as His followers are called to share that story in the context of the varied stories of ‘all nations’”

“It is by engaging the diversity around us with a love that reflects the love that comes from Christ in our hearts that we are enabled to effectively share our story and stories. It is that love that inspires and compels us to build relationships. But, to build strong and vibrant relationships, there must be the ability to communicate in a manner that is recognized, understood and accepted by all individuals involved.”

“Embracing diversity through the impetus of Christ’s love is a beginning. It is an accepting of the value of another and their cultural experience. But we need to move past acceptance and enter into involvement. The next step that we need to take is to establish an effective means of interface. …” (cont.)

Page 19: The emerging church and the one project part 9

The One ProjectEmerging Church Movement Philosophy?

19

“For the followers of Jesus there is a deeper meaning to ‘cross-cultural.’ That deeper meaning is that all of our cross-cultural interaction is transformed into a new cultural oneness and inclusiveness through the Cross of Christ. That is what seems to be missing in Christianity today. At its beginnings, Christianity crossed over all barriers and boundaries of nationality, race and culture and formed a universal body. That’s why all the powers that were sought to stamp them out. Christianity seems to be the opposite today—exclusive and separate.”

“As Christians, we are to incarnate Christ to the cultures around us. To do so, we must become truly cross-cultural and Cross-cultural. And, in so doing, we discover means of effective communication and dialog, develop connections and relationships, and form communities that reflect Christ’s desire of diversity and inclusivity. We will become one.” (Terry Swenson, “Breaking Down the Walls: Becoming a Cross-Cultural Community,” The One Project Program Book, Sydney Australia, July, 2012; http://the1project.org/sydney-2012.html)

Page 20: The emerging church and the one project part 9

The One ProjectEcumenical Movement & Rick Warren

20

Page 21: The emerging church and the one project part 9

The One ProjectEcumenical Movement & Rick Warren

21