Post-Christendom
The New Testament, the end of theology, and the recovery of dialogue:
In very broad brush strokes my overarching thesis—if you like—expounded here and in my books, is this:
that the main narrative trajectory of the New Testament lands at God’s judgment of the world of Greek-Roman paganism and the inauguration of a new age in which Christ is confessed...
(12 Nov. 2011)
The church and social protest: counting the cost:
Now that St Paul’s has belatedly decided that it has enough common ground with the Occupy London protesters to work with them rather than against them, the conversation naturally turns to the question of what sort of economic policy, etc., the church might propose in the place of rampant...
(2 Nov. 2011)
St Paul's: a step in the right direction:
It appears that the resignation of the Dean of St Paul’s yesterday has made room for a much more constructive response on the part of the cathedral authorities towards the Occupy London protesters. A statement was released today, reported on the Telegraph website, which admits that the Dean...
(1 Nov. 2011)
Quote: Mary Riddell: The Disneyfication of God:
Naturally, churches must make ends meet, but St Paul’s does not appear to be on the breadline, with a charitable foundation and a City of London endowment trust showing millions of pounds in assets. Whereas visitors to other European cathedrals pay nothing, Britain’s leading churches have ordained...
(1 Nov. 2011)
Occupy London: what would Jesus have done?:
The confrontation between the Occupy LSX encampment and the St Paul’s authorities in London over the last couple of weeks has reminded many commentators of Jesus’ shocking display of anti-establishment indignation in the temple. Take Stephen Tomkins, for example:
Major national...
(31 Oct. 2011)
Quote: William C. Placher: Hans Frei on narrative after Christendom:
“The most fateful issue for Christian self-description,” Frei wrote…, “is that of regaining its autonomous vocation as a religion, after its defeat in its secondary vocation of providing ideological coherence, foundation, and stability to Western culture.” We no longer...
(23 Oct. 2011)
Emerging ecclesiology in crisis:
I have been meaning for some time to respond to some comments made by Jason Clark to the effect that the emerging church lacks a coherent ecclesiology. He was commenting on a piece I wrote four years ago asking: What does the emerging church stand for?
Jason acknowledges that there have been...
(17 Sep. 2011)
The benefits of the consistent historical over the half-historical paradigm:
Yesterday I set out what I think are the three main ways in which—at least from a post-evangelical perspective—we may construe the relationship between the core event of Jesus’ death and resurrection and the narrative of history: the a-historical paradigm, the half-historical paradigm, and...
(18 Aug. 2011)
The state of theology and the role of freelance theologians:
James K.A. Smith, who stayed in our house in the Hague with his family a few years back, wrote last week about the state of contemporary theology, complaining in particular about the “balkanization” of professional theology today. He attributes this—in part, at least—to a shift in the...
(22 Jul. 2011)
Is the global church following the Western church over the edge?:
Phil Wood, who writes an Anabaptist blog from the UK, made this comment yesterday in response to The Church is dead?:
I was talking a little while ago with a friend who has a senior role in an American Mennonite Conference. We had a long discussion when I said that in Britain we were...
(23 Jun. 2011)
