I’ve finally moved into the ranks of people who have actually read their copy of Pagan Christianity, by Frank Viola and George Barna. And I’ve also got to the point where I have the energy and time to get back to blogging here at Postkiwi, after 3 months of relaunching Duncan’s TV as The Inspiration Room. So here goes with my summary and, after the break, my critique of the book.
Frank wrote the original version of the book back in 2003. He aims to challenge most of the practices of regular American Protestant and Pentecostal worship, claiming that they are postbiblical, postapostolic and mostly influenced by pagan culture. Joining him for the January 2008 edition is George Barna, following up his critique of the Protestant obsession with Sunday morning worship in Revolution.
I agree with the need for critiques of what have become standard church practices: the church building with the concept of “sacred space”, pastor’s chair, stained glass windows, Gothic cathedrals, steeples, pulpits and pews, the Sunday morning order of worship, altar call, written liturgy, choir anthems, the concept of a contemporary sermon, the concept of clergy and laity, contemporary ordination, title of pastor, special standards of clothing for church attenders, special special clothing for celebrants, tithing, clergy salaries, collection plates, ushers, infant baptism, sprinkling rather than immersion, baptism separated from conversion, the sinner’s prayer, use of the term “Personal savior”, the condensation of the Lord’s supper.
While the critique provided by Frank and George is in many cases over simplified, the point is clear. Nearly all 21st century church practices are human inventions, developed in the years since the writing of the Scriptures we claim to be based on.
Frank often says that he is no armchair theologian. He time and time again refers us to the practice followed in the fellowships he has been connected with, in which members spontaneously choose songs, share insights and concerns, and pray for one another.Frank’s focus reminds me of The Open Church, published by James Rutz back in 1992.
Those who attended the Willow Creek GLobal Leadership Summit this year were treated to a stunning piece of poetry in music and video this year. “A Thousand Questions”
This video follows the journey of a filmmaker—an “everyperson”—who is on a journey of discovery. It’s done in music video style, largely with scenes and visual metaphors cut to match the pre-existing soundtrack.
The audience has a “behind-the-scenes” view of a film being assembled—and part of the visual strength is the sheer number of assets that the filmmaker has collected—countless images, interviews, journeys, and travels.
Script: Greg Ferguson @ 2008 Greg Ferguson
Original Score: Jay McNeill @ 2008 suitcasemusic. All Rights Reserved
Produced by Dave Schwarz Video @ 2008 Willow Creek Association
Fuzz Kitto, Sydney-based consultant and international speaker, has teamed up with The Work of the People and To Be Told to produce a series of film clips on Christian faith.
Worship and Mission
It’s not about making worship more exciting. It’s more about connecting worship with an all-week lifestyle of mission. In the past I’ve been involved in introducing new technologies for worship, including the visuals Fuzz talks about. But I strongly relate to the questions Fuzz raises here.
The Work of the People
Does your theology come from a system or from Jesus?
Here’s an Australian bit of fun, at the expense of New Zealand Maori and Scottish idioms. A blue whale gets stranded on a beach somewhere in New Zealand. A pelican comes along for moral support. The ensuing conversation is an opportunity to explore the idioms of North Island and South Island New Zild. The video was posted on YouTube in April and has had 921,573 visits.
A few words of explanation. For some reason New Zealanders tend to have a flattened short ‘i’, which Australians hear as the short ‘u’. So fish and chips in New Zealand tones is heard in Australia as fush and chups. Likewise the short ‘a’ is flattened so that ’sweet as’ is heard in Australia as ’sweet ez’. The use of the words ‘bro’ and ‘eh’ is a strong part of New Zealand Maori English. Here the blue whale speaks Maori English with a Scottish accent, no accident as many in the South Island are from Scottish descent.
Transcript
Oh oh no. Oh no. I’m beached bro. I’m beached as.
Hey bro. Oh hey bro
What are you doing bro?
Dude I’m beached as
Oh shit you’re beached as!
Tell me something I don’t know
Bro you’re heaps beached eh!
So beached. Beached as!
Want a chip bro?
As in a chup?
Yeah a chip.
A potato chup?
This one a chip. A chup.
I would bro but I don’t eat chups.
Well that’s shit.
I only eat plankton
Plinktun?
Can’t chew bro
Just try a chip bro
Ah well I can’t chew.
Just try a chip bro.
You don’t understand, I might look big, but I can’t chew. I only have plankton.
That’s pretty deceptive.
I know it’s very misleading. Do you have any plankton?
I’ll go and check over here.
Do you happen to have a bucket or a hose bro? I need to get wet ASAP.
Are you pretty parched?
I’m parched as and I’m beached bro.
You’re beached as!
I know…
People Behind the Scenes
The video was put together by Jarod Green from Bean Productions, written and performed by Antony McFarlane and Nick Boshier. There’s an online store producing all the goods that go with the video.
Google have just launched Street View in Australia. Some time ago Google paid for someone or someones to drive a car around the streets of Australia with a camera on the roof, capturing shots of urban life for posterity.
I managed to find my workplace very quickly. Type in 48 Bayliss Street, Auchenflower and you’ll be out on the street looking at the house my employers converted into an office. I took a look at my home and saw that indeed my son’s car was parked outside. An orange cone narrowed down the time during in which the photograph was taken.
I’ve just set up a new YouTube channel for the Queensland Synod, Uniting Church in Australia. Journey TV is an extension of Journey the magazine and Journey Online.
Pastors of the Future
The first video is a video I produced for the 2006 General Assembly to explain a new approach to commissioning and training lay pastors in the Uniting Church. Helen (Ennis) and Gary (myself) talk about what it’s like to be a pastor in 2012, looking back over four years of support, recognition and training.
The phrase, “From time to time and place to place” comes from the Uniting Church’s Basis of Union. It was the inspiration (you could sing it) for the brief musical piece I wrote for the beginning, middle and end of the video.
“The Uniting Church recognises that the type and duration of ministries to which women and men are called vary from time to time and place to place, and that in particular it comes into being in a period of reconsideration of traditional forms of the ministry, and of renewed participation of all the people of God in the preaching of the Word, the administration of the sacraments, the building up of the fellowship in mutual love, in commitment to Christ’s mission, and in service of the world for which he died.”
Vinni’s Yard
The second video is a sample from Enhance, a collection of Flash-based videos put together by Michael Jeffery and his team at Digistry. This clip retells Jesus’ Parable of the Vineyard (Matthew 21:33-46, Mark 12:1-12, Luke 20:9-19) through the lens of The Godfather. The script and music are by Joh Knijnenburg. I’m now working on a YouTube channel for Digistry.
TEAR Australia is calling for applications for the position of National Director, based in Melbourne.
TEAR Australia is a Christian development, relief and advocacy organisation responding to global poverty and injustice. Their motivation comes from their conviction that God loves all people, and desires a just and compassionate world in which all people have adequate resources and the opportunity to live meaningful and dignified lives.
With the retirement of Steve Bradbury, their long-serving National Director, TEAR Australia is seeking a suitably qualified person to lead TEAR Australia. The Director is supported by a dedicated, professional team of four direct reports and 50 staff. The role involves strategic and operational leadership of the organisation, and representation of TEAR Australia in the public sphere - including relationships with Australian churches and with international development partners and alliances.
TEAR Australia is looking for someone that has a passion for justice, success in leadership and management, and is familiar with key aid and community development issues. The new director will need to be comfortable in cross-cultural contexts, understand the Australian church environment and be able to articulate the biblical foundations of TEAR Australia’s mission.
Enquiries are welcome to TEAR Australia’s lead consultant, Judy Wong-See at Credence International, Level 14, 309 Kent Street, Sydney NSW 2000 on (02) 9994 8044 or email judy.ws at credenceintl.com
Applications close Monday 16th June 2008.
Sydney is hosting the Reel Dialogue Conference 2008: Reel Faith in Action, a two day conference designed for creative dialogue between the church and culture, with Christians discovering how common theological ground can be forged with story tellers, image shapers, and culture makers.
This year, Friday August 29 & Saturday, August 30, the two-day Reel Dialogue Conference will bring together internationally renowned speakers, authors and theologians to explore the theological dimensions of film and pop culture, including:
Robert K. Johnston and Catherine Barsotti (Reel Spirituality, Useless Beauty: Ecclesiastes through the Lens of Contemporary Film, Reframing Theology and Film: New Focus for an Emerging Discipline, Finding God in the Movies: 33 Films of Reel Faith)
Mark Seton, University of Sydney, (CineDialogue, Screenvision)
Sandy Boyce (National Faith Development Consultant for the Uniting Church in Australia)
Charlie Brammall (Chaplain the entertainment industry and head of ENTER - The Entertainment Bible ministry);
Grenville Kent
(filmmaker and lecturer at Wesley Institute).
The conference will be held over two full days (9am - 5.30pm) with an optional dinner on Friday August 29 to talk and network with the speakers and a film and group discussion held on Saturday afternoon.
Why is Generation Y called Generation Y you might ask. Here’s a perspective provided by French Canadian cartoonist Marc Beaudet, published at Journal de Québec on January 22, 2008.
Blackstar Coffee, Brisbane’s first 100% certified fairtrade coffee company, is opening its doors to the public on Monday the 19th of May. Having been roasting for several months from its (until now) hidden location, behind the Moreton Bay figs at Davies Park, Blackstar Coffee is ready to launch its espresso bar.
BLACKSTAR has developed an almost ‘cult-like’ following down at the West End Greenflea markets selling its range of organic coffee beans and boutique iced cold pressed coffee. It’s with excitement that Blackstar now opens its roastery doors to the public where it can finally offer espresso beverages as well as its full range of single origin coffees.
Blackstar was started by Marty Richards and Evonne Andrews, a married couple who have invested heavily in social enterprise in the West End suburb. Marty and Evonne, in partnership with Ali Baba and Mailka Karimi, began roasting fair trade beans in the Souths Logan Magpies rugby league club rooms at Davies Park, West End. They expanded with a coffee cart in the Brisbane City Council Green Square complex in Fortitude Valley.
Blackstar was inspired by and continues to be supported by Matthew Lamason, one of New Zealand’s most experienced fairtrade roasting personalities, director of Peoples Coffee, a Wellington based Fairtrade roastery.
“It’s great to see boutique coffee taking root in Brisbane. The quality of a good cup of coffee is enhanced further through fairer trade initiatives like that of Fairtrade. Blackstar plays an important role as a local leader in the area of speciality roasted fairtrade coffee here in Brisbane”, says Lamason.
Customers can expect to taste a consistently high standard of speciality espresso drinks, cold pressed coffees as well as a full range of single origin coffees, and blended brews. Nestled in amongst a working, coffee roasting environment, coffee fiends can grab their favorite espresso while chatting to the roaster about the best range of coffee to suit their home brewing needs.
While excellent coffee is at the front of everything at Blackstar, the business has the interesting and unique aspect of being a social enterprise. It has been a participant in the Brisbane Social Enterprise Hub, a joint initiative of BCC, PriceWaterHouseCoopers, and Social Ventures Australia (SVA).
The Espresso bar is open 6 days from 6am to midday, and is situated across the road from 115 Jane st, just off Montague road, West End.
Duncan Macleod posts on life, faith and culture in Australia, drawing from his involvement in the creative industry, the Uniting Church, the blogosphere, generational research, the emerging church and life on the Gold Coast.
Frank wrote the original version of the book back in 2003. He aims to challenge most of the practices of regular American Protestant and Pentecostal worship, claiming that they are postbiblical, postapostolic and mostly influenced by pagan culture. Joining him for the January 2008 edition is George Barna, following up his critique of the Protestant obsession with Sunday morning worship in Revolution.
