Comment by Dr.J.

Thanks Tammie & Jason for your posts. I am segueing to your suggestion about turning the comments on; I went to settings and changed two items. Jason, I am also on the learning curve with operating a blog. I appreciate all the help and feedback. In regard to blog protocol, I will address you specifically if I need clarification. The reflections or comments are othewise for both of you.

Jason, you went to the theological core that is vital to the gospel. The issues of Christology and the Scriptures will always be at the center of the theological stage. Two other issues that you raised, individualism and pragmatism, are antithetical to PM. Poser for both Tammie & Jason, How is this discussion more than just a PM issue, what connects these issues to the gospel as Jesus lived and taught it?

(I hope this comment setting works?)

Chapter 2: Classicals & Postmoderns

A return to classical Christianity is a return to the roots of the faith, stripping away all the layers - good and bad - that have built up over the message of grace over the centuries. It peels back arguments about finer points of theology in favor of a truth presented in broader strokes. It accepts the shades of gray in matters of which we are not certain rather than straining for a black and white answer. It looks for community among Christians rather than splitting into more and more denominations. It has a passion for social issues rather than a passivity toward them. In a nutshell, Christians of the classical era, much like today's postmoderns, embraced mystery, community and and symbolism.

To the postmodern, primary truth and authentic embodiment are essential. We might also describe postmoderns as being concerned with theology and practice. The two concepts coexist in the mind of the postmodern so closely as to be inseparable. A postmodern wants not only to see the truth, but also to see it in practice. To see someone proclaiming the truth, but not putting it in practice would create a chasm the postmodern would have great trouble in crossing.

The postmodern has grown up a world in which assumption after assumption has been shattered. Thinking just in my own lifetime, there have been wars and presidential resignations. Our scientific know-how wasn't enough to prevent two disasters in the space program nor has it been able to put an end to diseases like cancer and AIDS. The very definition of a family seems to be evolving before our eyes. The standards of acceptable language in the public discourse is in a continual slide. To make a long list short, the things that we grow up believing have been challenged.

It's no wonder, then, that the postmodern wants to see the proclaimed truth backed up with authentic action.

Chapters 1-8

Ch. 1-2
Postmodernism. As I sit and try to reflect back to the first instance I saw this I develop a blank stare and have no clue. I understand how Webber defines postmodernism as a shift back to "mystery, holism, interpreted facts, community and a combination of verbal and symbolic forms of communication" (pg 24). However, to be able to come up with a first time I saw this left me dumbfounded. After reading Tammie's post I was able to get a better idea of what would possibly be an answer. I too remember watching Sesame Street and School House Rock, along with Electric Company, Romper Room and Mister Rogers. However, as I think back to my childhood, I think of an afternoon show called "Banana Splits". It consisted of four furry creatures that sang and danced and taught you how to solve every day problems.
Postmodernism takes us back to community and this was definitely seen after 9-11 when people all over the US rallied and banded together, however, how quickly did that fade? How quickly did people push the even out of their minds and forget what happened? As much as we as a culture want to come back together, I think that the individualistic mind set has been so predominant that it will take quite awhile before we can fully reach it. But, just as when you drop a pebble in a pond and the rings interact with other things in the pond, so will our actions as a church interact with those around us.

Ch. 3
The return to Classical Christianity means becoming a "universal Christian" (pg 26). Meaning we must not look at boundaries or limits, but merely focus on winning souls for Jesus. Webber tells us that the kind of Christianity that will attract the new generation of Christians will emphasize primary truths and authentic embodiment. (pg 27) Meaning that our focus needs to switch from trying to tell nonbelievers everything and inundating them with details to simply telling them the basics.

1AT THAT time the disciples came up and asked Jesus, Who then is [really] the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
2And He called a little child to Himself and put him in the midst of them,
3And said, Truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you can never enter the kingdom of heaven [at all].
4Whoever will humble himself therefore and become like this little child [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving] is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 18:1-4, AMP)

In this passage Jesus shares with his disciple the answer of how to understand all that he has taught them and how to approach the kingdom of heaven; which is like a child. No preconceived notions, no doubts, no fears, just complete trust and faith. That is how we need to preen the Gospel.

The first core issue identified by PM's is whether or not we can apply classical thought to a postmodern world. The second is whether or not we can conceptualize the significance of classical theology for the postmodern world.

Ch. 4-7

My Christology consists of knowing that Jesus was there at the beginning of time. That he shaped the earth we live on and that as part of his father's plan he came to this earth in human form, as a baby. He then grew up and experienced everything that you and I have experienced and probably more. But in doing so he is able to better relate and understand our sufferings. Then at the peak of his career, he followed thru with his father's plans and sacrificed himself for ALL of mankind. In his sacrifice he took ALL of the sin of the world, which in turn caused his father to turn away from him. However, by dying on the cross he was able to rid us of our sin and thereby make us clean and presentable for his father. Because he rose after three days in the tomb, I have hope that by coming to God now, I am forgiven and that God will accept me into his family forever and ever.

This is an important PM ministry issue, because in order to apply the classical thought to our ministry we must get back to the basics, which is Christ at the center. We as Christians in a PM world need to hold onto two truths:

1. Jesus Christ is God's son and he is our only salvation.

2. The Bible is God's word.

Everything is inconsequential and we can talk about all you want, but if we can't agree on those two items then there is no use talking.

Ch. 8

Pragmatism is a part of my everyday life. This is primarily due to the fact that I work for a company whose sole goal is to make money. Therefore they have come up with ways to accomplish that. So as much as there is a matter of fact way of solving problems, I am also an individual and therefore, use my own experiences and talents to help solve problems. So, in my day to day life, I am in a world or culture of pragmatism, however, I operate in an individualist way. I think this mindset can be applied to how I would like to approach my ministry. I will have to comply or abide by the rules of society or culture, however, I can be myself when working within those rules in order to accomplish my task of sharing the Word with unbelievers.

Week #1: Postmodernism on the street

To be honest, I thought this would be the easiest of the questions. Identifying my first encounter with postmodernity should be as simple as matching up something in my life with the concepts Webber describes - ideas such as the lack of a single unifying factor in the universe, the interrelationship of all things and the increasing tendency to communicate visually and symbolically.

The problem is, with each encounter that came to mind, I could think of something earlier until I came to this conclusion: Sesame Street and Schoolhouse Rock. It sounds funny and maybe a bit absurd, I realize, but, then again, my thought processes are often a bit absurd so let me explain.

When I was just six months old, Sesame Street debuted on public television introducing to the nation a whole new way to teach children. In a show brought to us by the letter A and the number 3, we learned how to count, to say the alphabet and understand concepts like "near" and "far" through a combination of visual images and little songs that our parents must have found to be utterly annoying. Thanks to the technology of the Internet and the fun that is YouTube, here's one example that sticks in my mind to this very day:

As if the Sesame Street phenomenon weren't enough, Saturday morning cartoons were peppered with these little mini-cartoons, known collectively as Schoolhouse Rock, that again used visual images and songs to teach everything from grammar to math to science to civics. I have yet to meet someone my age who doesn't remember at least a little bit of one of these cartoons.

Certainly, I didn't have a clue what postmodernism was when I was a toddler singing, "conjunction, junction, what's your function?" In retrospect, though, we can see that this was a new means of teaching basic educational concepts to children through a medium that had only in the past decade or so become a staple in nearly every household. It relied on visual cues, a fast pace and stories to convey the meaning behind such varying concepts as the parts of speech and how a bill makes its way through Congress.

If, however, you want me to point out an event that I knew at the moment I was watching changed my view of the world, I would have to point to November 4, 1979. On that Sunday afternoon, I watched the special reports as Iranian students led blindfolded members of our embassy staff in Tehran through surging crowds. Before that time, it was inconceivable to me that anyone would want to do Americans harm - much less American who were also diplomats, who, I thought, were universally considered off-limits to such tactics in the world community.

In thinking about postmodernity, I agree with Dr. J.'s statement in the original post that World War I began the awakening and that was reflected first in the arts, as many cultural changes are. With successive catastrophes, such as the Great Depression, World War II, the uncertainty of the Cold War and more, the walls of modernity continued to break down to the point that I believe that if I were to describe postmodernity and then ask the students in my youth group to describe their first encounter with it, they would give me the most quizzical look you could imagine and say, "What do you mean first encounter? It's always been that way ..."

Session #1, January 25

Greetings Tammie & Jason!

Welcome to the "Emergent Kingdom" which is bigger issue than just another evangelical fad. During this term we will explore the nuances and dynamics behind this movement. I am looking forward to learning with you as we dialogue on these issues. Please feel free to ask any questions, provide suggestions, and express concerns and insights that you may have that arise during this term. The goal of this course is to study and reflect on the theology and impetus for this current trend in order to conceptualize possible connections with the students' ministry context.

This blog will provide the format for our weekly postings and discussions. You are invited to make as many posts as you want to each day/week, a minimum would be your responses to each of the questions listed in the "Weekly Reflection Post." This blog is intended to be for our class only, and if you want to invite your mentor, friends, and pastor into this blog, please request permission from me prior to sending the link for this blog to your desired blog associate member.

Course Projects:1) Weekly Reflection Worksheets, are posted on this blog. They are due noon on each Thursday of our class sessions. I will be available to respond to your daily/weekly blog posts, except one week in March (3/19-23) when I am in Canada at an ATS Conference may pose a problem. Another event on the horizon is the arrival of our grandson sometime in early February??

2) Integration Paper, may be sent to me via e-mail file at: jnissley@winebrenner.edu, due by midnight April 30th.

3) Oral Exam will be completed on April 17th via a phone call at a convenient time. All assigned phone conferences will be at a convenient time and on the WTS tab as I will initiate the phone calls. You may call me anytime during the day at WTS: 1-800-992-4987.

Shalom,
Dr. John Nissley



Weekly Reflection Worksheet #1, Webber, chapters 1-8 (Two pages per worksheet would be acceptable practice. Your responses to this worksheet will be due by next Thursday, February 1 at noon. My suggestion is to post your responses as you complete reading each chapter then we can each respond during the week and view the deadline next Thursday as the goal for posting reflections on chapter #8.)

Chapters 1-2, We are collecting the data behind the paradigm shift that is happening in the culture, philosophy, theology, and church. Reflect upon the historical review on the emergence of postmodernity in the early 20th century. Describe your earliest encounter with postmodernity. [For me it was on a TV show, "Dobie Gillis". He had a friend Maynard Crebs who was a Beatnik who dressed and acted like today's PMs, he even had the triangular chin mustache. Literature, music, and philosophy began in 1930's to reflect this philosophy. My reflection is that WWI woke up a sleepy world that modernity was morally, ethically broke. More recently, Vietnam and 9-11 have also rocked the culture.]


Chapter 3, In the midst of all these lists and charts, what is your understanding of the return to Classical Christianity? What are the two core issues identified by PMs regarding Christianity? Why?


Chapters 4-7, The centrality of Christ is emphasized in these chapters. Explain your Christology and its relationship to the kingdom of God. Why is this an important PM ministry issue?


Chapter 8, Looking ahead---> How does pragmatism and individualism impact your life, ministry, theology, and congregational life?