the missional church...in a post-Christendom world

"There is a fundamental schism in American cultural, political, and economic life. There's the quicker-growing, economically vibrant...morally relativist, urban-oriented, culturally adventuresome, sexually polymorphous, and ethnically diverse nation...and there's the small town, nuclear-family, religiously-oriented, white-centric other America, [with]...its diminishing cultural and economic force.... [T]wo nations..."
Michael Wolff, New York, February 26 2001, p. 19

The LMC Leadership Assembly is going to provide opportunity to interact with an artical by Tim Keller--The Missional Church. This theme should generate a healthy and necessary time of reflection and discussion. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend because of school and leaving for Kansas in the afternoon.

The article by Keller effectively surveys the landscape of culture in an increasingly post-Christendom context. Wonder what church would look like if we fully acknowledged that the Christendom footing is crumbling....

Love these points made by Keller in the article:

• The missional church avoids 'we-them' language, disdainful jokes that mock people of different politics and beliefs, and dismissive, disrespectful comments about those who differ with us
• The missional church avoids sentimental, pompous, 'inspirational' talk. Instead we engage the culture with gentle, self-deprecating but joyful irony the gospel creates.
• The missional church avoids ever talking as if non-believing people are not present. If you speak and discourse as if your whole neighborhood is present (not just scattered Christians), eventually more and more of your neighborhood will find their way in or be invited.

Let the re-orientation continue...

American schools...

Some are quite critical in their analysis of the current state of American public education. Thomas Friedman, while honest about the challenges, offers a more optimistic spin.

This post is not an in depth opinion on this topic, just a few observations that were triggered by the simple joy of quality learning experiences our third grader had yesterday.

You know it's been a good day at school when you come home from school with a candy dispenser, a ginger bread house and an ecosystem--all products of learning experiences of the day.

The third graders visited the high school yesterday and were engaged in these projects as they worked alongside high school students.

The ecosystem. What an amazing product. The simple joy of planting orange mint leaves in soil that draws water from a subterranean water basin inhabited by a fish. A self-sustaining balanced system. Our neighbor thought it was a molly or a guppy. How fascinating. A learning experience that touches the senses and involves working alongside older mentors from the high school

When learning is fun, when there is visible fruit to the educational process, when working with older learners who can model a quest for knowledge is involved--there is success.

The simple joy of learning is contagious. It came off the bus and is displayed around our house.