“Keepers” from the Seminar
The seminar this weekend with Brian McLaren and Steve Chalke was excellent. Steve was just as impressive as Brian, and the whole conversation was useful and challenging. Here are some of the soundbites that stuck with me:
“In a post-modern theological setting, our dialog partners are no longer Christians.” -Brian McLaren
“As in art, poetry, music, etc., the best theology is worked out in pain” – Steve Chalke
“Sin is best understood as an infection rather than an infraction” -BM
“In an intelligent church, our Christology shapes our missiology, which shapes our ecclesiology” -SC
“A church is best defined as a dynamic set of ongoing social and spiritual relationships centered on Christ… everything else is cultural baggage.” -SC
“Our task is to create, model and encourage new ways of doing and being church at the heart of every community.” -SC
(in speaking of the Kingdom of God and the deliverance it brings) “We are saved FROM sin, not just from punishment” -BM
“We exist to bring God’s Kingdom, his Shalom, to these people.” -SC
“The greatest danger, and compromise in the church is to hide away and entertain ourselves to death” -SC
“We need to develop a culture among us where we can experiment and fail.” -SC
“There are two synergistic ways to bring about productive change in our churches: planting new churches that innovate to meet the immediate need, and renewing (or reconceiving) existing church that imitate.” -BM
“Let’s hope that churches on all levels and from all backgrounds are successful.” -BM
“I think mega-churches have a bright future, but it is a difficult future.” -BM
“God may not be a universalist, but we should all wish he was.” -SC
“I am not asking the question of who is in and who is out, I am asking the question of how can the Kingdom of God come to earth.” -BM
**quotes may not be verbatum**