Emergent and Diversity

I haven't visited Dan Sheffield's blog in such a long time, but am glad I finally did tonight. At our Greenhouse meeting on Saturday, a meeting where at least 80% of those in the room were white males, we had a good starting discussion on the impact multiculturalism will inevitably have on coming generations of church. It was so good and so necessary to talk about this, especially since so much of "emergent" church culture is heavily influenced by the white male. I'm not hating on myself here, I don't think that's entirely helpful, but I'm glad that conversation is starting to happen about what the emerging church might look like as the goateed, blogging, ibook-toting, dark-rimmed-glasses-wearing church planter is joined by people who don't conform to that picture: Within a decade or so, the majority of Christians in the United States will be non-white. I can say that with confidence because all the sociological trends, all the ways the white church is declining and all the ways the immigrant church, the African American church, the Spanish-speaking church is growing by leaps and bounds. Within a decade, in every metropolitan corner of the United States, we are going to see more non-white Christians than white Christians. Why is it that the leadership is still all white? Time magazine does an article on the top 25 evangelical leaders. Twenty-three of those spots are filled by white evangelicals. Why is it that the face of the "emerging church" is always white? Full Article

Get a Freaking Bike

So I'm sitting around my house, incredibly caffeinated, and I've got nowhere to go. Oh, I could go to work, but I'm not feeling the burning desire to walk a coupla hours downtown. Wildcat Strikes. Reminds me of India. We were taking the group to our debriefing session in Darjiling and as we wake up from the overnight journey, hear some buzz on the train that the entire state of West Bengal was on transit strike. Brilliant. Especially since we're still in WB, and have a four-hour jeep ride up the mountain to go, with no accomodations available for miles around. Eventually we convince a band of renegade cycle rickshaw drivers to take us to a hotel that had agreed to house us for the evening - a mere 6km away. Keep in mind that everyone on the trip had their 60L travel packs with them. Each cyclist pulled two people and their bags (at least 350lbs dead weight) across cobbled back streets, uphill to our final destination. They sure earned their wage that day. Okay. So. It's like that but different. Because unlike our trip in India, I am not stuck in a random train station, and there is also a disturbing lack of cycle rickshaw drivers about. I am stuck in my house, at my computer, in front of the TV, wondering if I'll make it into work today. Moral of the story: Get a freaking assbike. Sidenote: Becoming a sexy bitch - the Unoriginal Gangster tells it like it is.

Canadian Slang

All in one place.

Ideal Conditions

I went to a Church Planters networking meeting in Mississauga yesterday. Jared had emailed me and asked me to come, and so, while I have no idea whether I am to plant a church anytime soon, I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to get out there and meet some of the whack jobs thinking of doing just that. After taking the GO bus from Union Station to Square One in Mississauga, I was hungry, so I swung through the Mall's food court to get a muffin. Amongst others in line at Tim Hortons was a girl with a tiara and veil in her hair. Day of the wedding, and she's going to Timmies for a double-double. We are in Canada, after-all. Probably part of her wedding plans since she was six. Because girls are weird like that. I got my muffin and then left for the Greenhouse where I was greeted by the aforementioned Jared, as well as Nathan who I met at the Mosaic Church Planting Conference in November, and who was out taking photos at empireremixed a few weeks back. It was good to have some familiar facess in the room. There was this huge contingent of Queen's people in the room, probably due to the influence of the Next Church in Kingston. That's the church Jared planted in the late 90s, and that continues to influence generations of Queen's students as well as the local community. It's amazing to watch the ways in which that small community is reaching out in, and influencing the world. It was good to just be in a room full of people thinking and dreaming of new ways to love their communities more, to reach out and give themselves over to seeking the wellbeing of their neighbourhoods. It's amazing to see all of these people with visions, with questions, and to be in their midst. I still have no idea what's next for me. Finishing classess, writing my thesis, and then the great unknown. Whatever the case, I'm sure I'll be taken care of, and find a couple things to keep me occupied in the meantime. Part of the next few years may indeed involve a church plant, but I guess we'll see how that all goes down, how the visions and conversations arise, and if the ideal conditions for such a whacked-out idea present themselves.

Guitars and Collars

I'm exhausted. But hey. Why not? Last night's gig at the Revival Club with the Bish was something I'll not forget for a long time. The Bish, he can sing. Play guitar. And Harmonica. When I told him he should quit his day job, he smiled knowingly and said "I'll retire eventually." It was a great conversation in a packed bar of peoples come to hear a theologian speak. I bet he does shit like that all the time. Nathan has posted some photos from the event you should check out.

Introductions

You know, it's funny. When the email they send around work to introduce you makes mention of the fact you're pursuing your Masters in Theology, you get some interesting reactions. Some funny looks. Some jokes. Some good conversations. And a quick survey of who the other Christians in the office are.