As I've continued thinking about yesterday's post regarding Theocracy, I began wondering what it is that convinces people that a "congregational" style of church governance is best. What biblical and/or historical grounds support the congregational model over an episcopal one (which I have almost always been part of)? And... if your church/denomination/group practices a form other than these, how would you describe it, justify it, and why do you prefer it?

Without a doubt, the eschatological climate is beginning to change. The view which has nearly dominated the Church for the past 40 years has been eroding. Pre-tribulational premillennialism is quickly loosing ground. And in it's place, other eschataological views are becoming popular again.

There is much talk of preterist interpretations of Revelation again, as well as "post-" and "a-"millennialism. And so I'm wondering...

If we are going to witness a progressive unfolding of God's millennial kingdom reign here on Earth, can we expect to see theocracy emerge before the End -- before the parousia?

Epiphany has been on my mind a lot over the past 3-4 weeks, both in terms of "THE" revealing of the Christ to the Magi as well as the many ways people experience a personal epiphany.

It's a wonderful thing to encounter the Christ...to experience his presence...to even be surprized by him, finding him (or being found by him) when we weren't expecting to (cf. Jesus' encounter with the widow from Nain - Lk. 7:11-17). Sometimes the way I've seen the charismata operate has been like "mini-epiphanies" -- when it's as if my spiritual "light-bulb" turns on, and I recognize that the Lord has just spoken to us or touched our lives deeply (I often "recognize" the operation of spiritual gifts AFTER they've been manifested).

But what of those times when we're "expecting" to experience or encounter the presence of Jesus, only to sense or discern that he's not there? I'm not suggesting (in case you're wondering) that somehow the omnipresence of God is compromised, but simply that God's activity and blessing isn't being witnessed. There seems to be a mystery here. God is omnipresent, yet somehow the concept of "Ichabod" (the glory has departed) can also (simultaneously) be true.

Have you ever been to a church service, or listened to a teaching, or even read something that you yourself had written and thought: "God just isn't in this"? It's a reverse epiphany -- a realization that what I have presumed to be blessed by God, seems to be void of his blessing. Is that completely crazy? Am I nuts? Or is there some truth in this?

In their best-selling book, Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby and Claude King encourage believers to "find out where God is at work, and then join him in that work." Such a notion suggests that God is not "working" everywhere (e.g. in every "ministry" or "project"). In our quest to align ourselves with what God's doing in our world, will we not likely discover activities that God isn't in? Might we be surprized in some cases? Are we open enough, sensitive enough, and courageous enough to acknowledge such reverse epiphanies? And shouldn't we, as Christ-followers, then be eager to respond accordingly, so as to "keep in step with" the Spirit?

And one final curiosity -- if we DO occassionally experience such reverse epiphanies, how might we "test" them, in order to protect ourselves from erring?

A couple of years ago, I remember reading (and hearing) about irreverence being a characteristic of the postmodern mindset -- and certainly there were "types" of irreverence to be seen (e.g. heightened use of profanity, avant garde art, a certain laize faire attitude during worship gatherings, etc.) But this certainly wasn't uniquely postmodern. The 70's Jesus People movement, for one, was widely considered "irreverent" by the leadership of many, many churches. Whether it was the clothing, hair styles, language, or "satanic" teaching (e.g. Charismatic renewal) of these religious hippies, they were routinely written-off as irreverent renegades. Yet is was these Jesus-loving, Bible-memorizing, Spirit-energized young adults who revolutionized worship, world missions, and more.

Thirty years have passed, and a new generation of young adults are stirring up controversy. Have we come full-circle? Or is there something inherently different about the Emerging Church movement?

You know, American citizens are often characterized by those from other nations as "loud and arrogant." Could this also be said of American Evangelicals? Are we missing something here? Are we simply repeating ourselves? Do we carry an "irreverent gene" in our spiritual DNA? Can God use us despite this? Of course! But are we open enough to learn something about ourselves? Is our irreverence only in the eye of the beholder? Is any of this even relevant?

Church-within-a-Church... that's how supporters are decribing the unprecidented network of conservative dioceses formed today within the Episcopal Church. The creation of the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes stopped short of a schism within the Episcopal Church -- a move some believed inevitable. For this and related stories, go here.

Should this "solution" be preferred to simply forming an entirely different denomination/communion/group?

Is this a sign of "things to come" among other denominations or groups?

Within the Emerging Church conversation, the topic of self-evaluation and self-critique, is on the rise. And I am glad. One of the most recent installments is an excellent post by Adam Cleaveland -- definitely worth checking out.

While "emerging" out of things that may not-be-so-good...
we often fail to consider what not-so-good-things may be "emerging" out of us!

Christus Mansionem Benedicat. These are the Latin words (May Christ bless this dwelling) which some believe stand behind the symbols written on door posts or doorways in chalk as part of an Epiphany-related house blessing (i.e. CMB, written between the numerals of the year, such as those shown in the picture: 19 C+M+B 98). In some parts of the world, particularly Great Britain, there is a custom of gathering in places of residence or work (generically called "homes") to ask God's blessing on those dwellings and upon all who live, work, and visit there. Normally performed on "Twelfth Night" (e.g. Jan. 6th) or during the Season of Epiphany, the practice is known as "An Epiphany Blessing of Homes and Chalking the Door".

As especially the Protestant wing of the Church recaptures the sacredness that all of life represents (i.e. as opposed to a strict sacred-secular delineation), my hunch is that we will see a marked increase in "blessings" like this (cf. my article on "Blessing Our Pets"). Blessings our homes, our cars, our businesses, our tools, our pets --- that's a good thing, isn't it? Or... does this somehow detract from the holy, sacred spaces of our churches? (cf. also my post, The Beauty of Space)

Have you had your home blessed?

Many of you know that at the church I pastor, we birthed an emerging church last January: Paradox. Our church's youth pastor, Benjy Oliver, and I were recently invterviewed by John O'Keefe of ginkworld, concerning the postmodern conversation and a number of important issues related to what we're doing, why, and how it's going (thanks for the opportunity, John!). You might enjoying reading what I had to say, as well as what Benjy had to say. And of course, I'd love to hear your reactions or thoughts.

I admit I'm not a great fan of reality shows.

The novelty. The clashes. The shock value. No offense intended toward any of you who love these programs. I just normally like to spend my available TV time differently.

But here's what I'm wondering -- might reality shows like Big Brother actually be hurting this generation's pursuit of meaningful community? Are they short-circuiting what little hope we have of realizing our dream? Are these programs unconsciously teaching us that rich and fulfilling community just isn't possible in the real world?

And coming at this from a different angle -- if it were possible to put koinonia on TV, would anyone want to watch?

I need some help thinking this one through... brilliant ineffectiveness -- that's exactly what some are charging postmodern culture with. Let me see if I can explain a little.

Under modernity, empiricism ruled supreme and creativity tended to be thwarted. Postmodernism has broken us free from all that. And it's our curiosity which now fuels our creativity (as well as our deconstuction). But as a trusted friend of mine, suspicious of postmodernism explained -- postmodernism is experiencing a bit of a "disconnect" between the world of ideas and the world of reality. And this is what is leading to what he termed brilliant ineffectiveness. Example? "Authentic community" is being envisioned left and right throughout the EC (emerging church), yet many realize they don't know how to fully make it happen.

I confess. The whole notion ticks me off a little, and yet it intriques me too. So...I thought I'd turn to all the awesome people who frequent my blog, in hopes that at least some of you can help me figure this out a bit more. It may not be a brillant idea -- but hopefully it will prove effective. ;)