1. Loss of truth. Based on the postmodern rejection of a modern worldview which results in a disbelief in the goodness of knowledge, the certainty and rational nature of truth and the objectivity of knowledge, those holding the modern worldview in the church fear that the emerging church will also reject truth. I would take a track similar to the one Conder explains on page 43 in that I would point out that by learning about and understanding postmodernity, we are not accepting all of its precepts. We are trying to figure out how to adjust our ministry models to live out an authentic life that lives out the gospel we teach in the midst of the postmodern world. In a sense, it is much like a missionary foreign missionary learning the language and the culture of the community in which he will be ministering in order to become a more effective voice for the gospel. It would also be important to note that such postmodern ideals as community, missional living and comfort with mystery have expanded our theology as our understanding of God's redemptive work is expanded, our work in our local communities increases and our sense of awe is invigorated. As I think about this particualr fear as it is relates to the ECM's comfort with mystery, I can't help but wonder if the ECM has an approach that is more palatable in times of crisis as we have seen recently as I hear the youth question why something would happen, but at the same time affirm that God's ways are above our knowing.
2. Loss of personal faith. This would certainly be the toughest fear to address since the idea of a personal faith is held so dearly by the modern church. Yet, a conversation on the issue would have to point out that the sense of individualism which feeds the idea of a personal faith comes, as Conder says, in the context of a community. The disciples came to faith as individuals within a community, for example. Valuing a community doesn't rule out a personal faith. In fact, I think living in a real community - a real interdependent, challenging, authentic and, at times, difficult community - can't truly happen without a personal faith. We must point out that living in community adds to the vitality of a privately held faith.
3. A changeless gospel. I have to wonder if this fear isn't a bit misplaced. Personally, I am more afraid of the "Your Best Life Now", prosperity-type gospels that seem to be acceptable to the modern church than I am of the ECM. Setting aside my little soapbox moment, the modern church's fear that the gospel message will be toned down in an attempt to be relevant has some merit and that must be acknowledged. If those in the ECM simply take on the traits of postmodern culture, there would be a real temptation to water down the gospel, but the reality is that these changing times give us a chance to examine our culture and look for glimpses of God at work within the culture. It gives us the chance to see how the gospel has been shaped by the culture throughout the centuries as it was first presented in a Jewish culture and not only survived, but thrived, in the cultures that have come and gone since. Ultimately, it is not the gospel that the ECM is toning down, but, perhaps, the tone of the rhetoric of the modern church that has sometimes become so strident that it turns off postmoderns.
4. Loss of the Word. To those who would express this fear, I would gently suggest that the Bible has been devalued in modernism as well when it is reduced to sound bites, a series of moral lessons or a means to back up our politics or any of the "isms" infecting American culture. In reality, both worldviews benefit from rediscovering the Bible. ECM's emphasis on story helps us rediscover the narrative of the Bible and to relate it to our own stories in our own local contexts. It can offer a prophetic vision, calling the church back to more authentic walk with Christ as works out what it means to actually practice the gospel message in a local context within a community of believers. The ECM's comfort with mystery will keep drawing us back to its pages as we read and re-read passages that fascinate us. For example, I have a student in my group right now who is utterly fascinated with Revelation, but not for the eschatological puzzles that moderns typically see. A very artistic young lady, she is drawn to the apocalyptic imagery of the lamb that was slain and the rider on the white horse and more. She's not interested in finding out whether the fascinating images on the pages will literally happen or if it is just figurative (an argument I have heard among moderns), she wants to absorb these images.
5. Loss of morality/ethics. Rather than a loss of morality or ethics, the ECM's passions of living out the gospel in community, spiritual holism and honoring the beauty of God's creation expands our view of morality and ethics. For example, even the words "moral issues" have become code words, almost, for such hot button issues as homosexuality. Spiritual holism and a passion to live out the Scriptures show us that there's much more to morality as it relates to gender and sexual issues which means that we, as a church, have to address such issues as pornography, the feminization of poverty and more. In addition, we begin to see ourselves in the stories of the Bible reigniting a passion for social justice, a desire to see the poor fed, a concern for the environment and more.
6. Loss of traditions. First, I would have to ask for an example of the tradition the elder is afraid of losing. If it is communion, that's not going anywhere as it is an ancient practice connected to the very teachings of Jesus. If it is the lighting of the two candles on the altar, they aren't going anywhere either. In fact, we may want to add a few! If it is the fact that there are only male ushers or that the offering is collected in a particular way, that may be up for discussion as these sorts of traditions are part of the modern worldview in which our church was founded. I would agree that giving is an act of worship, but suggest that it could be done with a special table and display (such as the one that Kimball describes that includes the incense). I would also talk to the elder about the rediscovery of even more ancient traditions and recovering the parts of church history that seem to be absent in modern evangelicalism. Ultimately, we are connecting our story with the stories of all those who have gone before us as we all take our part in God's story as part of his redemptive plan for the world.
7. Loss of identity. I would point out that the loss of identity as a liberal or a conservative organization may not be a bad thing as the stereotypes associated with each can keep people away. For example, I know someone who was so turned off by the way in which a local congregation so unabashedly embraced conservative politics while chastising anything remotely liberal that she began to find it difficult to even attend the church. In the spirit of community and, again taking a holistic look at the Scriptures, we must seriously reconsider such labels and come together under an expanded gospel. We may have continuing debates as we continue to disgree and new divisions may come up, but we need to take our discourse out of the old ruts of liberalism and conservatism.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
Session 10_11: Tammie
1) Reflect upon the philosophy, spirituality, and ministry in PM-->PC era of the future. How we think this next ideological era will pan out impacts our missiology and ministry strategy today (pp. 57-77).
Kimball's analogy of the tree planted in the postmodern versus the modern soil is an excellent one as it leads to his assertion a few pages later that we can't blame the emerging generations for having the viewpoint they have as it is the world they know (page 63). I think one of the greatest factors to affect those of us in ministry is that we can not make assumptions about anything. The Judeo-Christian atmosphere (which I believe was already starting to disappear when I was in high school and college) is no longer a formative force in our society as the words of the Bible writers become one voice in the chorus of religious writings. So we can't assume that the people to whom we minister have either basic Bible knowledge or a worldview based on its moral teachings. We can't assume people come from similar backgrounds anymore. We also need to realize that the postmoderns are often not thinking in strict black and white terms on moral issues. More often, they are comfortable with the shades of gray. We need to figure out how to approach such thinking in our ministries as we present the truth in a world that isn't so sure about truth.I think above all it means that those of us in the ministry have to be students ourselves. We must study our culture as a way of learning how to approach those who live in it.
2) Discuss your response to the Celtic/Roman strategies of evangelism (pp. 197-211).
YES! Like so many aspects of what we have been studying this semester, this chapter on the Celtic/Roman strategies of evangelism falls into place with what I have experienced over the years not only personally, but also with my youth. Just the other week, one of my older students (a junior) was talking about how one of the students in the Youth Alive club had brought in tracts for them to hand out and she took one to be polite to the student (she called the student a freshman who meant well), but would never dream of approaching someone about the gospel in such a way. As we talked, it became clear that the main means of evangelizing for these students is through the relationships they build and the conversations that result. Likewise, a student who recently became a Christian had been part of the youth group (i.e. part of the community) for a while, started to have conversations with leaders and other students and, through the group, was able to have experiences that allowed her to come to the gospel in a more organic way than the Roman model of presentation, decision and assimilation.
On the personal side, I have often wondered about the efficacy of the big event models of presenting the gospel as in many instances they play on the emotions to provoke a decision. I also wonder about follow-up (discipleship) in these settings. My personality is also one that is not only not prone to giving out tracts or to initiating a conversation with a stranger, but also I am prone to avoiding people handing out tracts or trying to initiate a conversation. I am far more prone to talk to someone I know about the gospel if there is an existant relationship - such as with a co-worker or with some students who are visitors to our youth group.
3) Design a EC worship service, explain your rationale. If you have time, experiment with a small group in experiencing your design (share your experiences).
The service I designed for our contemporary service at church incorporates many of the marks Kimball describes as it was in a darkened area, included large portions of Scripture reading, music and silence. Participants entered a darkened room, lit only by a few stage lights. The low lighting created a more spiritual, mysterious atmosphere while also serving to define the space. On screen was the logo for the service (which is a pen and ink drawing of water running through a person's hands with the word Overflow to the side). A sign in the lobby asked participants to enter in silence as a means of preparing their hearts for worship as we remember the final week in the life of Jesus. When it was time for the service to begin, the screen went blank and words started to appear on screen. They came up as if someone was typing them on the spot, but the slides were actually short movies that had been pieced together in a computer program ahead of time. These introductory slides told the participants what was about to happen. That is the service to follow would be different from anything they had done before in that no voice would be heard that night except for their own whether it was speaking or singing. We then did an entire service that had responsive readings interspersed with silent moments for people to meditate on what they had just read. The readings were taken from Scripture passages involving the Last Supper, the betrayal in the Garden, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. It wasn't read verse by verse, but rather the passages were broken down into where the natural breaks seemed to fall. If the words appeared on the left side of the screen, the people on the left side of the room read the words. If the words appeared on the right side of the screen, the people on the right side read the words. If the words were in the middle, the whole group would read the passage. These passages would simply appear onscreen as typical Power Point slides so they could be distinguished from the "commentary" provided occasionally by the slides that looked like someone typing. The Last Supper section was followed by a contemporary song by Third Day called Communion. The crucifixion passage was followed by a set of songs including Grace Flows Down, Once Again, The Wonderful Cross and a reprise of Grace Flows Down. The Resurrection section closed with the upbeat songs Marvelous Light and Salvation is Here. A short commentary then came up which posed the question of what we should do in response to such amazing love to which we sang the answer in the song, We Fall Down.
My idea behind doing the service this way was to strip away all the extras we place around the Easter story and leave the participants with the plain and powerful words of the Scriptures and a few songs that might stick with them through the week. It was, as I said, very different from what people in our church expected or had experienced, but it was well-received. Everyone participated and some of the youth wanted copies of all the slides so they could read them through on their own. The best, though, was the e-mail from our pastor who called it an "innovative" program.
Kimball's analogy of the tree planted in the postmodern versus the modern soil is an excellent one as it leads to his assertion a few pages later that we can't blame the emerging generations for having the viewpoint they have as it is the world they know (page 63). I think one of the greatest factors to affect those of us in ministry is that we can not make assumptions about anything. The Judeo-Christian atmosphere (which I believe was already starting to disappear when I was in high school and college) is no longer a formative force in our society as the words of the Bible writers become one voice in the chorus of religious writings. So we can't assume that the people to whom we minister have either basic Bible knowledge or a worldview based on its moral teachings. We can't assume people come from similar backgrounds anymore. We also need to realize that the postmoderns are often not thinking in strict black and white terms on moral issues. More often, they are comfortable with the shades of gray. We need to figure out how to approach such thinking in our ministries as we present the truth in a world that isn't so sure about truth.I think above all it means that those of us in the ministry have to be students ourselves. We must study our culture as a way of learning how to approach those who live in it.
2) Discuss your response to the Celtic/Roman strategies of evangelism (pp. 197-211).
YES! Like so many aspects of what we have been studying this semester, this chapter on the Celtic/Roman strategies of evangelism falls into place with what I have experienced over the years not only personally, but also with my youth. Just the other week, one of my older students (a junior) was talking about how one of the students in the Youth Alive club had brought in tracts for them to hand out and she took one to be polite to the student (she called the student a freshman who meant well), but would never dream of approaching someone about the gospel in such a way. As we talked, it became clear that the main means of evangelizing for these students is through the relationships they build and the conversations that result. Likewise, a student who recently became a Christian had been part of the youth group (i.e. part of the community) for a while, started to have conversations with leaders and other students and, through the group, was able to have experiences that allowed her to come to the gospel in a more organic way than the Roman model of presentation, decision and assimilation.
On the personal side, I have often wondered about the efficacy of the big event models of presenting the gospel as in many instances they play on the emotions to provoke a decision. I also wonder about follow-up (discipleship) in these settings. My personality is also one that is not only not prone to giving out tracts or to initiating a conversation with a stranger, but also I am prone to avoiding people handing out tracts or trying to initiate a conversation. I am far more prone to talk to someone I know about the gospel if there is an existant relationship - such as with a co-worker or with some students who are visitors to our youth group.
3) Design a EC worship service, explain your rationale. If you have time, experiment with a small group in experiencing your design (share your experiences).
The service I designed for our contemporary service at church incorporates many of the marks Kimball describes as it was in a darkened area, included large portions of Scripture reading, music and silence. Participants entered a darkened room, lit only by a few stage lights. The low lighting created a more spiritual, mysterious atmosphere while also serving to define the space. On screen was the logo for the service (which is a pen and ink drawing of water running through a person's hands with the word Overflow to the side). A sign in the lobby asked participants to enter in silence as a means of preparing their hearts for worship as we remember the final week in the life of Jesus. When it was time for the service to begin, the screen went blank and words started to appear on screen. They came up as if someone was typing them on the spot, but the slides were actually short movies that had been pieced together in a computer program ahead of time. These introductory slides told the participants what was about to happen. That is the service to follow would be different from anything they had done before in that no voice would be heard that night except for their own whether it was speaking or singing. We then did an entire service that had responsive readings interspersed with silent moments for people to meditate on what they had just read. The readings were taken from Scripture passages involving the Last Supper, the betrayal in the Garden, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. It wasn't read verse by verse, but rather the passages were broken down into where the natural breaks seemed to fall. If the words appeared on the left side of the screen, the people on the left side of the room read the words. If the words appeared on the right side of the screen, the people on the right side read the words. If the words were in the middle, the whole group would read the passage. These passages would simply appear onscreen as typical Power Point slides so they could be distinguished from the "commentary" provided occasionally by the slides that looked like someone typing. The Last Supper section was followed by a contemporary song by Third Day called Communion. The crucifixion passage was followed by a set of songs including Grace Flows Down, Once Again, The Wonderful Cross and a reprise of Grace Flows Down. The Resurrection section closed with the upbeat songs Marvelous Light and Salvation is Here. A short commentary then came up which posed the question of what we should do in response to such amazing love to which we sang the answer in the song, We Fall Down.
My idea behind doing the service this way was to strip away all the extras we place around the Easter story and leave the participants with the plain and powerful words of the Scriptures and a few songs that might stick with them through the week. It was, as I said, very different from what people in our church expected or had experienced, but it was well-received. Everyone participated and some of the youth wanted copies of all the slides so they could read them through on their own. The best, though, was the e-mail from our pastor who called it an "innovative" program.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Sessions 12 & 13, Conder: Rock Daddy
Being an engineer, I looked at the 7 passions and 7 fears and matched them up as best I could. So, you will see them numbered. This is based on the order that Conder presents them.
1. Community: The first passion and the second fear deal with community. The ECM is for community. In this PM world, were it is all about individualism, the ECM is trying to reach out to the lost and help them feel a part of something. Humans by nature were not meant to be alone. "The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." " (Gen 2:18, NIV) Even God didn't want us to be alone. The modern church (mc) feels that by being in a community people automatically think that you will lose your identity. On the contrary it is the uniqueness of each individual that helps create the dynamics of the group.
2. Values: The second passion and the third fear deal with values. The ECM is striving for us as the EC to be able to show our Christianity and allegiance to Christ thru what we do more so, than what we say. The mc feels that because we live in a PM and "PC" world, people think we will have to modify or change the gospel message in order to be heard. On the contrary people now a days want sincerity or real truth, but only after they know you care about them as a person.
3. The unknown: The third passion and the first fear deal with the unknown. The ECM strives for Christians to have an open mind and an open heart in order to be able to deal with whatever comes there way. "Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." (1 Cor 9:20-23, NIV) In this scripture Paul tells how he himself adapted and changed how he acted and dealt with others in order to be able to share with them the Good News. The mc, however, feels that by adapting and changing we will exclude the truth of the gospel. As a wise professor once told me, if you roll a snowball down a hill the snowball gets bigger, but the snowball still has its original core. So, just because we adapt to our environment doesn't mean we lose the truth or "core" of the gospel.
4. Completely different discipleship: The fourth passion and the seventh fear deal with being a disciple in a completely different manner than we are presently in. The ECM is merely introducing change. Change in how we reach out to unbelievers. As I have mentioned in earlier posts the street corner evangelist is a thing of the past. People want interactions that connect and mean something to them. The mc feels that by reaching out to our community, that we as the church will lose our buildings, beliefs and budgets. What the mc doesn't realize is that we have to be fluid and not so rigid in our approach to disciplining others.
5. Scripture: The fifth passion and the fourth fear deal with the Bible. As an EC we need to be able to take the core message of the Bible and relate it to nonbelievers in such a way that they can understand it and accept it. Which is exactly what Jesus did when he spoke in parables. He told the masses stories of things that they could relate to, for example the Parable of the Sower. The mc feels that by changing the story we will change the core. It is true, that could happen, however, if all you do is update or modernize the story but keep the core the same then you aren't really watering down the gospel, but merely relating it.
6. Worship: The sixth passion and the sixth fear deal with worship. How we worship, what we do during worship, what constitutes worship and why we worship. Again the ECM is merely trying to convey that we need to adapt, change and be open to new ideas or ways of conducting a church service. No longer will churches have to be held in brick buildings with a steeple and cross on top. The mc feels that by not meeting in a church like the one I described, that the church will lose all of its traditions. This statement is truly oxymoronic. The reason why is because the traditions we have now a days were made up by someone at sometime in the past. I mean, no where in the Bible do I read about the early disciples participating in a Hanging of the Greens service. Yet, my church religiously (pun intended) holds this service every year prior to Christmas. I mean if we want to hold to the traditions, then we should follow the holy feasts and such that are listed in the Bible. But that is not what Jesus was all about. He was about bringing the lost back to his father.
7. God's design: The seventh passion and the fifth fear deal with free will and the guidelines God has given us. The ECM merely wants to honor God for all that he has done and continually provides, which includes the fact that he has given us free will. So, even though the Holy Spirit resides in us as believers, we are still able to make the choice and sin. The mc feels that by acknowledging and accepting free will we the church will in essence condone or accept immoral behavior. Again, just because you change how you look at or approach something doesn't mean that you change the core values.
In summary, the fears are due to Christians having closed minds and hearts. I'm not saying that ECM's have all the answers or that the answer they have are all right, but at least they are open to new and different ideas. Having earned my parachute wings in the Army (not Marines), I truly appreciate the adage: "Minds are like parachutes. They work better when open."
1. Community: The first passion and the second fear deal with community. The ECM is for community. In this PM world, were it is all about individualism, the ECM is trying to reach out to the lost and help them feel a part of something. Humans by nature were not meant to be alone. "The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." " (Gen 2:18, NIV) Even God didn't want us to be alone. The modern church (mc) feels that by being in a community people automatically think that you will lose your identity. On the contrary it is the uniqueness of each individual that helps create the dynamics of the group.
2. Values: The second passion and the third fear deal with values. The ECM is striving for us as the EC to be able to show our Christianity and allegiance to Christ thru what we do more so, than what we say. The mc feels that because we live in a PM and "PC" world, people think we will have to modify or change the gospel message in order to be heard. On the contrary people now a days want sincerity or real truth, but only after they know you care about them as a person.
3. The unknown: The third passion and the first fear deal with the unknown. The ECM strives for Christians to have an open mind and an open heart in order to be able to deal with whatever comes there way. "Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." (1 Cor 9:20-23, NIV) In this scripture Paul tells how he himself adapted and changed how he acted and dealt with others in order to be able to share with them the Good News. The mc, however, feels that by adapting and changing we will exclude the truth of the gospel. As a wise professor once told me, if you roll a snowball down a hill the snowball gets bigger, but the snowball still has its original core. So, just because we adapt to our environment doesn't mean we lose the truth or "core" of the gospel.
4. Completely different discipleship: The fourth passion and the seventh fear deal with being a disciple in a completely different manner than we are presently in. The ECM is merely introducing change. Change in how we reach out to unbelievers. As I have mentioned in earlier posts the street corner evangelist is a thing of the past. People want interactions that connect and mean something to them. The mc feels that by reaching out to our community, that we as the church will lose our buildings, beliefs and budgets. What the mc doesn't realize is that we have to be fluid and not so rigid in our approach to disciplining others.
5. Scripture: The fifth passion and the fourth fear deal with the Bible. As an EC we need to be able to take the core message of the Bible and relate it to nonbelievers in such a way that they can understand it and accept it. Which is exactly what Jesus did when he spoke in parables. He told the masses stories of things that they could relate to, for example the Parable of the Sower. The mc feels that by changing the story we will change the core. It is true, that could happen, however, if all you do is update or modernize the story but keep the core the same then you aren't really watering down the gospel, but merely relating it.
6. Worship: The sixth passion and the sixth fear deal with worship. How we worship, what we do during worship, what constitutes worship and why we worship. Again the ECM is merely trying to convey that we need to adapt, change and be open to new ideas or ways of conducting a church service. No longer will churches have to be held in brick buildings with a steeple and cross on top. The mc feels that by not meeting in a church like the one I described, that the church will lose all of its traditions. This statement is truly oxymoronic. The reason why is because the traditions we have now a days were made up by someone at sometime in the past. I mean, no where in the Bible do I read about the early disciples participating in a Hanging of the Greens service. Yet, my church religiously (pun intended) holds this service every year prior to Christmas. I mean if we want to hold to the traditions, then we should follow the holy feasts and such that are listed in the Bible. But that is not what Jesus was all about. He was about bringing the lost back to his father.
7. God's design: The seventh passion and the fifth fear deal with free will and the guidelines God has given us. The ECM merely wants to honor God for all that he has done and continually provides, which includes the fact that he has given us free will. So, even though the Holy Spirit resides in us as believers, we are still able to make the choice and sin. The mc feels that by acknowledging and accepting free will we the church will in essence condone or accept immoral behavior. Again, just because you change how you look at or approach something doesn't mean that you change the core values.
In summary, the fears are due to Christians having closed minds and hearts. I'm not saying that ECM's have all the answers or that the answer they have are all right, but at least they are open to new and different ideas. Having earned my parachute wings in the Army (not Marines), I truly appreciate the adage: "Minds are like parachutes. They work better when open."
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Session 10 (maybe?): Tammie
1) In PM, perhaps we should be preparing pastors to be pastoral missiologists? What do you think?
Training pastors to be pastoral missiologists can only be helpful as postmodernism becomes more prevalent, but, more importantly, training pastors as missiologists can assist pastors as it would provide pastors the skills to deal with the inevitable cultural changes that develop in lesser ways than the paradigm shift we see with postmodernism. Even though I am not a "pastor" in an official sense, I have been a volunteer youth leader for a little more than 10 years. Even in that period of time, I have seen the mindset of the students shift from those who (at least from what I saw) accepted the faith of their parents as their own and seemed satisfied with answers based on Scriptures, commentary and study. More recently, students are far more comfortable asking questions in general. They are satisfied with an "I don't know" kind of answer and, though they might ask why, they seem satisfied with understanding that there are some things about God that we, as humans, just don't get. They want experience over explanation. They want informal over formal. I think for me it is a good thing that I wasn't trained as a youth minister right off the bat because without a formal training to which I may have been unduly attached. Rather, I have sensed the changes happening and sought the answers through reading a wide range of books even before starting seminary. As a result, my ministry has become more effective - not in terms of numbers, but in terms of the growth I sense in the students through the questions they ask and the things they do. If pastors are prepared as missiologist, spotting these adjustments, communicating the changing times to the congregation and adjusting our own ministry processes would be greatly improved.
2) Are the Hindus saved? (Chapter 14)
My gut reaction as one who grew up in the church with the phrase "Jesus is the way" emblazoned on my mind is to say, "No" but with no stronger proof than that is what I was always taught. In the past few years, especially, I have been thinking about this question, brought on in part by a question from one of my students to which, at the time, I felt I had given a wholly inadequate answer. A friend of two of my students had been killed in a car crash. By all accounts, this was a wonderful, friendly young man. The students were concerned because the young man claimed to be an atheist. They wanted to know if that meant he was now in hell. As it turns out, my answer to the girls last night falls along similar lines as Newbigin's assessment in chapter 14; that is, no one knows the heart of the individual except God therefore it is not for us to say whether or not this young man was in heaven or hell. For all we know, he could have been a believer who was going through a period of doubt and just used that language loosely without holding to it as a true belief. And, we don't know what transpired in his final moments.We must, as Newbigin says, contribute to the dialogue by sharing the gospel and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of the people. I particularly liked his statement on page 183 in which he talked about how all roads do not lead to the top of the same mountain, but that some of the roads lead over the precipice and, in Christ, we have been shown the road.
3) Self-awareness missiology examination, how has your culture impacted, distorted, or uncovered the gospel? (Chapter 15)
One of the more dangerous (if you can call it that) distortions that has come from culture is accepting the view that God is love, but ignoring the image of God as just and as a righteous judge. For example, they remember that Jesus pardoned the woman caught in adultery, but conveniently forget that he also told her to leave his life of sin. Some of my students and I were talking about this topic recently and how such a view leads people to a lesser view of God and to not taking seriously the calls to righteous living that are found in both the Old and New Testaments. I think this stems from the deeper distortion that Christianity equals happiness. If God wants us to be happy, surely he wouldn't judge us, the culture says. The prosperity gospel which seems so popular in certain circles today (Joel Osteen, anyone?) is a further distortion that has been taken into the church itself.
It isn't always a negative exchange as advances in technology help to spread the gospel and to allow Christians to join together to shine into the world's darkness. For example, on Tuesday morning, I read a blog entry that spoke of heavy hearts and eternal hope. In the comments on the post, a commenter mentioned a Facebook group that had been created called "Pick A Hokie" in which students on Facebook were asked to go to the Virginia Tech network and pick one of the VT students at random and send them a note telling them that they were praying for them. Some entries on the Facebook page indicated that VT students were getting the messages and that they were appreciating them. Just a few years ago, there wouldn't have been a blog to which people could go to find gospel-based words of encouragement or a networking site that would allow students touched by the gospel to share the hope that they have with the students directly involved in the tragedy. In this sense, I believe technology is impactig the gospel as it allows us to share the gospel in ways and places that have never been explored before.
4) Reflect upon the topic of the powers (Chapter 16). If they are disarmed, but not removed from their place in the "excluded middle" until the consummation, why?
It seems I have been saying this quite a bit to my students over the last couple of days, but it is part of God's purpose in the world. We may not understand why they are allowed to exist or to do what they do, but we trust that they will, in the end, serve God's purposes just as the powers behind Caiaphas and the Jewish leaders served as the human agents that led to Christ's crucifixion. From a human viewpoint on Good Friday, that was a victory in the eyes of the principalities and powers of the world, but we know that on the first day of the week the real victor was revealed as the tomb stood empty. The principalities and powers form the structure of human society and are meant to serve Christ, but when they attempt to gain his throne, they become powers for evil. This, then, is the struggle that Christians face as we work to unmask the powers and reveal the true ruler in the living God.
5) Ask your question for the class and me to discuss.
On page 215, Newbigin writes, "There are good grounds for saying that the secularization theory has been accepted uncritically by Christians to justify a social institution. The idea of a secular society has been attractive to Christians because it seemed to hold out the hope of a peaceful coexistence between the religions and worldviews." I just wonder what y'all think of the statement and how it might blow the Sunday School class apart if instead of letting the class rail against the secular society, we shared this quote that (it seems) says the church is complicit in creating the myth so that it can keep God in a box. How might our interaction (especially in terms of sharing the gospel) with society change if we recognize it not as a secular society but as the pagan society that worships gods that are not Gods?
Training pastors to be pastoral missiologists can only be helpful as postmodernism becomes more prevalent, but, more importantly, training pastors as missiologists can assist pastors as it would provide pastors the skills to deal with the inevitable cultural changes that develop in lesser ways than the paradigm shift we see with postmodernism. Even though I am not a "pastor" in an official sense, I have been a volunteer youth leader for a little more than 10 years. Even in that period of time, I have seen the mindset of the students shift from those who (at least from what I saw) accepted the faith of their parents as their own and seemed satisfied with answers based on Scriptures, commentary and study. More recently, students are far more comfortable asking questions in general. They are satisfied with an "I don't know" kind of answer and, though they might ask why, they seem satisfied with understanding that there are some things about God that we, as humans, just don't get. They want experience over explanation. They want informal over formal. I think for me it is a good thing that I wasn't trained as a youth minister right off the bat because without a formal training to which I may have been unduly attached. Rather, I have sensed the changes happening and sought the answers through reading a wide range of books even before starting seminary. As a result, my ministry has become more effective - not in terms of numbers, but in terms of the growth I sense in the students through the questions they ask and the things they do. If pastors are prepared as missiologist, spotting these adjustments, communicating the changing times to the congregation and adjusting our own ministry processes would be greatly improved.
2) Are the Hindus saved? (Chapter 14)
My gut reaction as one who grew up in the church with the phrase "Jesus is the way" emblazoned on my mind is to say, "No" but with no stronger proof than that is what I was always taught. In the past few years, especially, I have been thinking about this question, brought on in part by a question from one of my students to which, at the time, I felt I had given a wholly inadequate answer. A friend of two of my students had been killed in a car crash. By all accounts, this was a wonderful, friendly young man. The students were concerned because the young man claimed to be an atheist. They wanted to know if that meant he was now in hell. As it turns out, my answer to the girls last night falls along similar lines as Newbigin's assessment in chapter 14; that is, no one knows the heart of the individual except God therefore it is not for us to say whether or not this young man was in heaven or hell. For all we know, he could have been a believer who was going through a period of doubt and just used that language loosely without holding to it as a true belief. And, we don't know what transpired in his final moments.We must, as Newbigin says, contribute to the dialogue by sharing the gospel and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of the people. I particularly liked his statement on page 183 in which he talked about how all roads do not lead to the top of the same mountain, but that some of the roads lead over the precipice and, in Christ, we have been shown the road.
3) Self-awareness missiology examination, how has your culture impacted, distorted, or uncovered the gospel? (Chapter 15)
One of the more dangerous (if you can call it that) distortions that has come from culture is accepting the view that God is love, but ignoring the image of God as just and as a righteous judge. For example, they remember that Jesus pardoned the woman caught in adultery, but conveniently forget that he also told her to leave his life of sin. Some of my students and I were talking about this topic recently and how such a view leads people to a lesser view of God and to not taking seriously the calls to righteous living that are found in both the Old and New Testaments. I think this stems from the deeper distortion that Christianity equals happiness. If God wants us to be happy, surely he wouldn't judge us, the culture says. The prosperity gospel which seems so popular in certain circles today (Joel Osteen, anyone?) is a further distortion that has been taken into the church itself.
It isn't always a negative exchange as advances in technology help to spread the gospel and to allow Christians to join together to shine into the world's darkness. For example, on Tuesday morning, I read a blog entry that spoke of heavy hearts and eternal hope. In the comments on the post, a commenter mentioned a Facebook group that had been created called "Pick A Hokie" in which students on Facebook were asked to go to the Virginia Tech network and pick one of the VT students at random and send them a note telling them that they were praying for them. Some entries on the Facebook page indicated that VT students were getting the messages and that they were appreciating them. Just a few years ago, there wouldn't have been a blog to which people could go to find gospel-based words of encouragement or a networking site that would allow students touched by the gospel to share the hope that they have with the students directly involved in the tragedy. In this sense, I believe technology is impactig the gospel as it allows us to share the gospel in ways and places that have never been explored before.
4) Reflect upon the topic of the powers (Chapter 16). If they are disarmed, but not removed from their place in the "excluded middle" until the consummation, why?
It seems I have been saying this quite a bit to my students over the last couple of days, but it is part of God's purpose in the world. We may not understand why they are allowed to exist or to do what they do, but we trust that they will, in the end, serve God's purposes just as the powers behind Caiaphas and the Jewish leaders served as the human agents that led to Christ's crucifixion. From a human viewpoint on Good Friday, that was a victory in the eyes of the principalities and powers of the world, but we know that on the first day of the week the real victor was revealed as the tomb stood empty. The principalities and powers form the structure of human society and are meant to serve Christ, but when they attempt to gain his throne, they become powers for evil. This, then, is the struggle that Christians face as we work to unmask the powers and reveal the true ruler in the living God.
5) Ask your question for the class and me to discuss.
On page 215, Newbigin writes, "There are good grounds for saying that the secularization theory has been accepted uncritically by Christians to justify a social institution. The idea of a secular society has been attractive to Christians because it seemed to hold out the hope of a peaceful coexistence between the religions and worldviews." I just wonder what y'all think of the statement and how it might blow the Sunday School class apart if instead of letting the class rail against the secular society, we shared this quote that (it seems) says the church is complicit in creating the myth so that it can keep God in a box. How might our interaction (especially in terms of sharing the gospel) with society change if we recognize it not as a secular society but as the pagan society that worships gods that are not Gods?
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Sessions #12 & #13, Conder
Conder provides seasoned insights into the ECM and counsel about transitioning the church. I really appreciated his approach and dialogue with modern church leaders. His spirit is generous rather than cynical or snobbish about being a "cool" ECM leader. This ongoing connection with the modern church is important to avoid making the same modern mistakes with new window dressing, we can learn and need to learn from church history as we envision the future.
He explains why the ECM defies being boxed in and defined then provides 7 passion principles (core values) that guide the ECM (p. 25). He then moves on to describe the 7 fears of the ECM (p. 40, Loss of truth, personal faith, & changeless gospel; p. 60, loss of the Word; p. 69, loss of morality/ethics; p. 79, loss of tradition and its praxis; p. 86, loss of identity).
One integrative question: Contrast and compare the 7 ECM Passions and 7 ECM Fears by describing your 7 ECM Conversations on these 7 issues you might have with a conservative, modern, fearful, sincere deacon in the context of a modern church. Perhaps you had some of these conversations with people in your congregation about changing something in the worship service or youth ministry. Feel free to adapt the question to your context, e-mail me if you have questions.
He explains why the ECM defies being boxed in and defined then provides 7 passion principles (core values) that guide the ECM (p. 25). He then moves on to describe the 7 fears of the ECM (p. 40, Loss of truth, personal faith, & changeless gospel; p. 60, loss of the Word; p. 69, loss of morality/ethics; p. 79, loss of tradition and its praxis; p. 86, loss of identity).
One integrative question: Contrast and compare the 7 ECM Passions and 7 ECM Fears by describing your 7 ECM Conversations on these 7 issues you might have with a conservative, modern, fearful, sincere deacon in the context of a modern church. Perhaps you had some of these conversations with people in your congregation about changing something in the worship service or youth ministry. Feel free to adapt the question to your context, e-mail me if you have questions.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Session 9: Tammie
1) On page 89, Newbigin quotes a Hindu scholar that Christians have misrepresented Christianity as another religion. Reflect upon this theological concept that the Bible is universal history for the world.
It is interesting for those who have grown up in the church to see the gospel through the eyes of someone who has not grown up in the church whether that means the person grew up in a different faith tradition or no faith tradition. So often, the church teachings get caught up in looking at the lives of Biblical giants like Abraham, Noah, David, the apostles and even Christ himself as a way of simply discovering how we should live our individual lives on earth. I wonder if that doesn't leave us with an image of God that is far too limited and far too small. The idea that the Bible is universal history for the world expands that vision to see God at work in various contexts to bring about the vision of cosmic history offered in the pages of Scripture. This vision, as Newbigin describes, offers hope for the future and gives the individual a reason for being by creating a responsible role for the individual in the greater story of God. I was particularly drawn in this chapter to the statement on page 91 in which Newbigin says that a loss of vision for the future leads to a state in society in which the publicly accepted norms and values have disappeared. This seems to be an accurate description of what we see happening in the postmodern era as more and more behaviors that were once considered unacceptable have become routine. But that doesn't have to be the end of the story and, indeed, in the pages of the Bible we learn that it is not the end of the story. That gives us a universal hope for the future that will sustain those living in the Biblical worldview through these changes in culture and even the most hopeless of times.
2) The logic of mission, explain the relationship of the gospel and the meaning of history as it relates to pluralism (p. 122).
If we accept the Bible as universal history through which the secret of God's purpose for the universe is revealed with the life, death and resurrection of Christ at the core of that purpose, we are also compelled to share that secret with others to give them the opportunity to know the truth and discover their role in the story of God - it's one way bring God's kingdom to earth. Once that truth is shared in a culture, it will meet with competing philosophies in both those who uphold the traditions that were in place before the gospel was presented and in those worldviews that rise up - Marxism and Islam, to cite the examples used by Newbigin - in response. But we must continue to bear faithful witness to this truth knowing that it will endure to the end while other kingdoms rise and fall and other philosophies fade from memory. The emerging church in this era is a catalyst for precipitating the crisis of which Newbigin speaks on p. 122 in that it finds ways to offer the truth - the gospel - among the rising philosophies of the day, which in this instance is postmodernism which rejects the notion of absolutes. Once confronted with the truth of the gospel, the individual and the culture will never be the same; thus forcing a decision one way or the other.
3) Discuss the polarities and resolution of Mission in word, deed, and new being (p. 135-136).
Newbigin's discussion of the polarities of mission in word and deed are reminiscent of James when he challenges the reader of his letter to show him their faith without deeds and he would show them his faith by what he does. The truth that both Newbigin and James are pushing us toward is that one should not exist without the other. In my lifetime, I have seen the big crusades or the evangelistic services that focus on the "big" show with a speaker and a choir, etc. that does tend to result in people coming forward to accept Christ, but where these movements sometimes fail is in the follow-up discipleship that helps the new Christian to grow and to understand his role in the story of God. By the same token, I have heard of ministries that do a wonderful job of providing for the poor and the hurting, but are less than forthcoming about their reasons for doing their work - that is, they are reluctant to build the relationship along with the frame of the house. The example that comes to mind was a story told to me by a man who has been a partner with ministries in Mexico for several years. He said that although the people of Tijuana were happy that two specific ministries came to town to build homes, they were disappointed that the work teams were so focused on their work that they did not take the time to talk to the people for whom they were building the homes. I hear such a story and wonder what opportunity to share the gospel must have been lost. I think Newbigin explains the result of bringing the two sides together on page 137 where he writes, "The words explain the deeds and the deeds validate the words."
4) Respond to Kaufman's position of modern historical consciousness that Christ is not unique--the God/Man. (p. 159).
In looking over Kaufman's position as related by Newbigin, I have to note that Kaufman begins with the need for human unity, but assumes "without argument" that the gospel can not furnish the center for such unity. All we need to do is ask why Kaufman did not defend his rejection of the gospel as a centering force (at least from the information given to us in Newbigin's book). Could it be that looking back on the gospel and on the history of believers through the ages proves his argument false? Though no society has lived out the kingdom of God perfectly, we can see examples in Scriptures that show people of different backgrounds unified in the central figue of Christ. For example, the early church in Jerusalem had all things in common and shared with those in need. We understand from reading further along in the story that this group included landowners (the middle class/maybe rich?) as well as widows (the poor). We also read in Paul's letters that in Christ there is no longer Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, but all are equal in Christ. When we have equality, a great step has been taken toward the unity which the world seeks. Ironically, to believe Kaufman's position is to also take a leap of faith, but it is a leap that is unsupported and, perhaps, on a shaky foothold as some new means of looking at history will inevitably come along to dislodge this "modern historical consciousness" of which Kaufman speaks while the uniqueness of Christ will continue to be a message that draws people to the cross, to his truth and to the ultimate unity that will be revealed as history reaches its conclusion in the kingdom of God.
It is interesting for those who have grown up in the church to see the gospel through the eyes of someone who has not grown up in the church whether that means the person grew up in a different faith tradition or no faith tradition. So often, the church teachings get caught up in looking at the lives of Biblical giants like Abraham, Noah, David, the apostles and even Christ himself as a way of simply discovering how we should live our individual lives on earth. I wonder if that doesn't leave us with an image of God that is far too limited and far too small. The idea that the Bible is universal history for the world expands that vision to see God at work in various contexts to bring about the vision of cosmic history offered in the pages of Scripture. This vision, as Newbigin describes, offers hope for the future and gives the individual a reason for being by creating a responsible role for the individual in the greater story of God. I was particularly drawn in this chapter to the statement on page 91 in which Newbigin says that a loss of vision for the future leads to a state in society in which the publicly accepted norms and values have disappeared. This seems to be an accurate description of what we see happening in the postmodern era as more and more behaviors that were once considered unacceptable have become routine. But that doesn't have to be the end of the story and, indeed, in the pages of the Bible we learn that it is not the end of the story. That gives us a universal hope for the future that will sustain those living in the Biblical worldview through these changes in culture and even the most hopeless of times.
2) The logic of mission, explain the relationship of the gospel and the meaning of history as it relates to pluralism (p. 122).
If we accept the Bible as universal history through which the secret of God's purpose for the universe is revealed with the life, death and resurrection of Christ at the core of that purpose, we are also compelled to share that secret with others to give them the opportunity to know the truth and discover their role in the story of God - it's one way bring God's kingdom to earth. Once that truth is shared in a culture, it will meet with competing philosophies in both those who uphold the traditions that were in place before the gospel was presented and in those worldviews that rise up - Marxism and Islam, to cite the examples used by Newbigin - in response. But we must continue to bear faithful witness to this truth knowing that it will endure to the end while other kingdoms rise and fall and other philosophies fade from memory. The emerging church in this era is a catalyst for precipitating the crisis of which Newbigin speaks on p. 122 in that it finds ways to offer the truth - the gospel - among the rising philosophies of the day, which in this instance is postmodernism which rejects the notion of absolutes. Once confronted with the truth of the gospel, the individual and the culture will never be the same; thus forcing a decision one way or the other.
3) Discuss the polarities and resolution of Mission in word, deed, and new being (p. 135-136).
Newbigin's discussion of the polarities of mission in word and deed are reminiscent of James when he challenges the reader of his letter to show him their faith without deeds and he would show them his faith by what he does. The truth that both Newbigin and James are pushing us toward is that one should not exist without the other. In my lifetime, I have seen the big crusades or the evangelistic services that focus on the "big" show with a speaker and a choir, etc. that does tend to result in people coming forward to accept Christ, but where these movements sometimes fail is in the follow-up discipleship that helps the new Christian to grow and to understand his role in the story of God. By the same token, I have heard of ministries that do a wonderful job of providing for the poor and the hurting, but are less than forthcoming about their reasons for doing their work - that is, they are reluctant to build the relationship along with the frame of the house. The example that comes to mind was a story told to me by a man who has been a partner with ministries in Mexico for several years. He said that although the people of Tijuana were happy that two specific ministries came to town to build homes, they were disappointed that the work teams were so focused on their work that they did not take the time to talk to the people for whom they were building the homes. I hear such a story and wonder what opportunity to share the gospel must have been lost. I think Newbigin explains the result of bringing the two sides together on page 137 where he writes, "The words explain the deeds and the deeds validate the words."
4) Respond to Kaufman's position of modern historical consciousness that Christ is not unique--the God/Man. (p. 159).
In looking over Kaufman's position as related by Newbigin, I have to note that Kaufman begins with the need for human unity, but assumes "without argument" that the gospel can not furnish the center for such unity. All we need to do is ask why Kaufman did not defend his rejection of the gospel as a centering force (at least from the information given to us in Newbigin's book). Could it be that looking back on the gospel and on the history of believers through the ages proves his argument false? Though no society has lived out the kingdom of God perfectly, we can see examples in Scriptures that show people of different backgrounds unified in the central figue of Christ. For example, the early church in Jerusalem had all things in common and shared with those in need. We understand from reading further along in the story that this group included landowners (the middle class/maybe rich?) as well as widows (the poor). We also read in Paul's letters that in Christ there is no longer Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, but all are equal in Christ. When we have equality, a great step has been taken toward the unity which the world seeks. Ironically, to believe Kaufman's position is to also take a leap of faith, but it is a leap that is unsupported and, perhaps, on a shaky foothold as some new means of looking at history will inevitably come along to dislodge this "modern historical consciousness" of which Kaufman speaks while the uniqueness of Christ will continue to be a message that draws people to the cross, to his truth and to the ultimate unity that will be revealed as history reaches its conclusion in the kingdom of God.
The Matrix: Reflection
The Matrix is not a movie I would have chosen to watch of my own accord. In fact, I have tried to watch it a few times, but never made it through the whole thing. Looking at with an eye to theology and to the emerging church helped to keep my interest this time around.
The entire premise of the movie is representative of the human condition in the postmodern world. There are many out there living lives that are controlled by the desires and expectations of our culture and, all too often, people are content to stay in the what they consider to be the safe confines of cultural mainframe totally unaware that there is a greater purpose and a freedom somewhere outside that superstructure. Likewise, the question of what is real is one reflected in the movie and in the postmodern culture to which the emerging church is ministering.
That there are people within that structure seeking is a reality with which the emerging church is struggling though not in the typical seeker-sensitive modes of, say, Willow Creek or other megachurches is reflected when Trinity and Neo first meet and Trinity says that she knows Neo is seeking and she even knows the question he is asking. In the emerging church, the fact that someone has questions is an expectation, not a surprise.
There's also a point in the movie - the exact moment escapes me just now, but it may have been in the same scene mentioned above - that there's a realization that there's something out there that's not quite right. If you were to put a finger on the root of the emerging church movement, that would be it - a realization that something wasn't working in the current way of doing (or being) the church in light of the changes taking place in society. It is also the thought that motivates the seeker to look for Christ in the first place.
Even the moment in which Morpheus offers the red and blue pills to Neo can be related to the choice every person eventually has to make - that is to seek the truth about Christ or to simply continue to live in and follow the dictates of the culture at large. I found it interesting, though, that Morpheus said there would be no turning back because, in a sense, there are plenty of examples in the world of people who made the choice to follow Christ and do just that so it is at that moment that, perhaps, the analogy falls apart.
Neo's journey after that moment follows the journey of the new believer, especially, it seems in the postmodern era when faith is born not out of an analysis of the facts, or a crystal clear presentation of the four spiritual laws, but of a relationship between a believer and a non-believer that draws the non-believer into the life of faith. When we first decide to follow Christ, we don't know much and we understand less, but as we grow we come to greater understanding which, in turn, strengthens our faith just as Neo gained strength through the course of the movie until the point at which he was able to defeat those who would come after him and offer a way out for others who are seeking only God knows what as he does in his closing monologue.
The entire premise of the movie is representative of the human condition in the postmodern world. There are many out there living lives that are controlled by the desires and expectations of our culture and, all too often, people are content to stay in the what they consider to be the safe confines of cultural mainframe totally unaware that there is a greater purpose and a freedom somewhere outside that superstructure. Likewise, the question of what is real is one reflected in the movie and in the postmodern culture to which the emerging church is ministering.
That there are people within that structure seeking is a reality with which the emerging church is struggling though not in the typical seeker-sensitive modes of, say, Willow Creek or other megachurches is reflected when Trinity and Neo first meet and Trinity says that she knows Neo is seeking and she even knows the question he is asking. In the emerging church, the fact that someone has questions is an expectation, not a surprise.
There's also a point in the movie - the exact moment escapes me just now, but it may have been in the same scene mentioned above - that there's a realization that there's something out there that's not quite right. If you were to put a finger on the root of the emerging church movement, that would be it - a realization that something wasn't working in the current way of doing (or being) the church in light of the changes taking place in society. It is also the thought that motivates the seeker to look for Christ in the first place.
Even the moment in which Morpheus offers the red and blue pills to Neo can be related to the choice every person eventually has to make - that is to seek the truth about Christ or to simply continue to live in and follow the dictates of the culture at large. I found it interesting, though, that Morpheus said there would be no turning back because, in a sense, there are plenty of examples in the world of people who made the choice to follow Christ and do just that so it is at that moment that, perhaps, the analogy falls apart.
Neo's journey after that moment follows the journey of the new believer, especially, it seems in the postmodern era when faith is born not out of an analysis of the facts, or a crystal clear presentation of the four spiritual laws, but of a relationship between a believer and a non-believer that draws the non-believer into the life of faith. When we first decide to follow Christ, we don't know much and we understand less, but as we grow we come to greater understanding which, in turn, strengthens our faith just as Neo gained strength through the course of the movie until the point at which he was able to defeat those who would come after him and offer a way out for others who are seeking only God knows what as he does in his closing monologue.
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