Convergence 2015 mission 3

The Lord’s Prayer
• O God, whose love
makes us one family …
2. May Your unspeakable
Name be revered.

3. Now, here on earth
may Your
commonwealth come.
4. On earth as in
heaven may Your will
be done.

5. Give us today our
bread for today.
4. Forgive us our
wrongs as we forgive.

3. Lead us away from
the perilous trial.
2. Liberate us from the
evil.

1.For the kingdom is yours
and yours alone.
2. The power is yours and
yours alone.
3.The glory is yours and
yours alone.
4.Now and forever, amen.

5. Now, here on earth may your
commonwealth come.
4. Here on earth may your
dreams come true.
3. Hallelujah
2. Hallelujah
1. Amen.

1. Relationship-Building: Worst case scenario of our gathering is that we
leave with a lot of new friends who share a common vision and heart.
2. Mutual Inspiration/Encouragement: We'll have three hours together each
morning to ensure that all will leave with full tanks - with questions
answered, with dreams confirmed, with plans solidified, with allies enlisted,
sharing the joy of being seen and heard by one another.
3. Planning/Conspiring: How can our efforts be more wisely
synergized? How can our many endeavors contribute to a
sustainable, gently-powerful movement?
4. Rest/Reinvigoration/Fun: There will be plenty of time for walks on the
beach, swimming, boating, fishing, walking, exploring while we're together.
5. Targeted Conversations: Each afternoon, you'll have the opportunity to
pull together specific conversations about issues you think are important.

A story
about a
youth
group …

Conventional View Emerging View
The Human
Situation: What
is the story that
we find
ourselves in?
God created the world as perfect,
but because our primal
ancestors, Adam and Eve, did
not maintain the absolute
perfection demanded by God,
God has irrevocably determined
that the entire universe and all it
contains will be destroyed, and
the souls of all human beings –
except for those specifically
exempted – will be forever
punished for their imperfection
in hell.1
God created the world as good, but
human beings – as individuals, and as
groups – have rebelled against God and
filled the world with evil and injustice
like a terrible disease. God wants to save
humanity and heal it from its sickness,
but humanity is hopelessly lost and
confused, like sheep without a shepherd,
wandering farther and farther into
lostness and danger. Left to themselves,
human beings will spiral downward in
sickness and evil.
Basic
Questions: What
questions did
Jesus come to
answer?
Since everyone is doomed to
hell, Jesus seeks to answer these
questions: how can individuals
be saved from eternal
punishment in hell and instead
go to heaven after they die? How
can God help individuals be
happy and successful until then?
Since the human race is in such desperate
trouble, Jesus seeks to answer this
question: what must be done about the
mess we’re in? The mess refers both to
the general human condition and its
specific outworking among his
contemporaries: living under domination
by the Roman empire, and divided into
various competing sects.
Jesus’ message:
How did Jesus
respond to the
crisis?
Jesus says, in essence, “If you
want to be among those
specifically qualified to escape
being forever punished for your
sins in hell, you must repent of
your individual sins and believe
that my Father punished me on
the cross so He won’t have to
punish you in hell. Only if you
believe this will you go to
heaven when everyone else is
banished to hell.”2
This is the
good news.
Jesus says, in essence, “Other people and
groups – including your own religious
leaders - are leading you farther and
farther astray. I have been sent by God
with this good news – that God loves
humanity, even in its lostness and sin.
God graciously invites everyone and
anyone to question and reject what they
have been told and instead follow a new
path. Trust me and become my disciple,
and you will be transformed, and you will
participate in the transformation of the
world, which is possible, beginning right
now.”3
This is the good news.
1
Of course, there are many modern western non-religious ontologies and framing stories too,
plus Eastern ontologies and framing stories – both religious and irreligious.
2
This reflects a Calvinistic Evangelical protestant version of the message. The popular Roman
Catholic version might say, “You must believe in the teachings of the church and follow its
instructions, especially those regarding sacraments.” The popular mainline or liberal Protestant

The Human
Situation: What
is the story that
we find
ourselves in?
in hell.1
sickness and evil.
Basic
Questions: What
questions did
Jesus come to
answer?
Jesus’ message:
How did Jesus
respond to the
crisis?
This is the
good news.
now.”3
1
2
2 questions:
From Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a
Revolution of Hope
What are the top global
problems?
What does the message of Jesus
say to those problems?

The Human
Situation: What
is the story that
we find
ourselves in?
in hell.1
sickness and evil.
Basic
Questions: What
questions did
Jesus come to
answer?
Jesus’ message:
How did Jesus
respond to the
crisis?
This is the
good news.
now.”3
1
2
United Nations University: The State of the Future
Top Fifteen Challenges: How can …
1. … sustainable development be achieved for all?
2. … everyone have sufficient clean water without conflict?
3. … population growth and resources be brought into
balance?
4. … genuine democracy emerge from authoritarian
regimes?
5. … policymaking be made more sensitive to global long-
term perspectives?
6. … the global convergence of information and
communications technologies work for everyone?
7. … ethical market economies be encouraged to help
reduce the gap between rich and poor?

The Human
Situation: What
is the story that
we find
ourselves in?
in hell.1
sickness and evil.
Basic
Questions: What
questions did
Jesus come to
answer?
Jesus’ message:
How did Jesus
respond to the
crisis?
This is the
good news.
now.”3
1
2
8. … the threat of new and reemerging diseases and immune
micro-organisms be reduced?
9. … the capacity to decide be improved as the nature of work
and institutions change?
10. … shared values and new security strategies reduce ethnic
conflicts, terrorism, and the use of weapons of mass
destruction?
11. … the changing status of women help improve the human
condition?
12. … transnational organized crime networks be stopped from
becoming more powerful and sophisticated global enterprises?
13. … growing energy demands be met safely and efficiently?
14. … scientific and technological breakthroughs be accelerated
to improve the human condition?
15. … ethical considerations become more routinely
incorporated into global decisions?

The Human
Situation: What
is the story that
we find
ourselves in?
in hell.1
sickness and evil.
Basic
Questions: What
questions did
Jesus come to
answer?
Jesus’ message:
How did Jesus
respond to the
crisis?
This is the
good news.
now.”3
1
2
8 Millennium Development Goals:
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
2. Achieve universal primary education.
3. Promote gender equality and empower women.
4. Reduce child mortality.
5. Improve maternal health.
6. Combat HIV/AIDs, malaria, and other diseases.
7. Ensure environmental sustainability.
8. Develop a global partnership for development

The Human
Situation: What
is the story that
we find
ourselves in?
in hell.1
sickness and evil.
Basic
Questions: What
questions did
Jesus come to
answer?
Jesus’ message:
How did Jesus
respond to the
crisis?
This is the
good news.
now.”3
1
2
Copenhagen Consensus Top 10
Global Problems
1. Hunger and malnutrition
2. Climate change
3. Conflicts
4. Financial Instability
5. Water and Sanitation
6. Subsidies and Trade Barriers
7. Population/Migration
8. Communicable Diseases
9. Education
10. Governance and Corruption

The Human
Situation: What
is the story that
we find
ourselves in?
in hell.1
sickness and evil.
Basic
Questions: What
questions did
Jesus come to
answer?
Jesus’ message:
How did Jesus
respond to the
crisis?
This is the
good news.
now.”3
1
2
Rick Warren’s PEACE Plan
1. Plant churches to combat spiritual
emptiness
2. Equip servant leaders to combat corrupt
leadership
3. Assist the poor through humanitarian aid
(poverty)
4. Care for the sick to combat disease
5. Educate the next generation to combat
ignorance

spiritual emptiness corrupt leadership
poverty disease ignorance hunger
and malnutrition climate change
conflicts Financial Instability
Water/Sanitation subsidies/trade
barriers population/ migration
communicable diseases education
governance/corruption hunger
education gender inequality child
mortality maternal health
environmental sustainability ethnic
conflicts terrorism weapons of mass
destruction organized crime networks
energy demands clean water
population growth authoritarian
regimes

spiritualemptinesscorrupt
leadershippovertydisease
ignorancehungerand
malnutritionclimatechange
conflictsFinancial
InstabilityWater/Sanitation
subsidies/tradebarriers
population/migration
communicablediseases
education
governance/corruption
hungereducationgender
inequalitychildmortality
maternalhealth
environmentalsustainability
ethnicconflictsterrorism
weaponsofmassdestruction
organizedcrimenetworks
energydemandscleanwater
populationgrowth
authoritarianregimes
FOUR
GLOBAL
CRISES

Societal Machine
Equity Security
Prosperity
Heat
Solar Energy
Resources
Waste
Good News
(an alternative
story)
PLANET
POVERTY
PEACE
RELIGION

Luke and Acts
One ongoing story:
Good News of Jesus and the
Kingdom/Commonwealth of God

16:11 From Troas we put out to
sea and sailed straight for
Samothrace, and the next day
we went on to Neapolis. 12
From there we traveled to
Philippi, a Roman colony and the
leading city of that district of
Macedonia. And we stayed there
several days.

13 On the Sabbath we went outside the
city gate to the river, where we expected to
find a place of prayer. We sat down and
began to speak to the women who had
gathered there. 14 One of those listening
was a woman from the city of Thyatira
named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She
was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened
her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15
When she and the members of her
household were baptized, she invited us to
her home. "If you consider me a believer in
the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my
house." And she persuaded us.

16 Once when we were going to the
place of prayer, we were met by a
female slave who had a spirit by
which she predicted the future. She
earned a great deal of money for
her owners by fortune-telling. 17
She followed Paul and the rest of us,
shouting, "These men are servants
of the Most High God, who are
telling you the way to be saved."

18 She kept this up for many
days. Finally Paul became so
annoyed that he turned around
and said to the spirit, "In the
name of Jesus Christ I command
you to come out of her!" At that
moment the spirit left her.

19 When her owners realized that
their hope of making money was
gone, they seized Paul and Silas and
dragged them into the marketplace to
face the authorities. 20 They brought
them before the magistrates and said,
"These men are Jews, and are
throwing our city into an uproar 21 by
advocating customs unlawful for us
Romans to accept or practice."

22 The crowd joined in the attack
against Paul and Silas, and the
magistrates ordered them to be stripped
and beaten with rods. 23 After they had
been severely flogged, they were thrown
into prison, and the jailer was
commanded to guard them carefully. 24
When he received these orders, he put
them in the inner cell and fastened their
feet in the stocks.

25 About midnight
Paul and Silas were
praying and singing
hymns to God, and the
other prisoners were
listening to them.

26 Suddenly there was
such a violent
earthquake that the
foundations of the
prison were shaken.

May 2010
Washington DC, USA
4.5 on richter scale
(viewer discretion
advsied)

At once all the prison doors flew
open, and everyone's chains
came loose. 27 The jailer woke
up, and when he saw the prison
doors open, he drew his sword
and was about to kill himself
because he thought the
prisoners had escaped. 28 But
Paul shouted, "Don't harm
yourself! We are all here!"

29 The jailer called
for lights, rushed in and
fell trembling before
Paul and Silas. 30 He
then brought them out
and asked, "Sirs, what
must I do to be saved?"

Saved = set free from
the oppression, fear,
and exploitation of an
enslaving system.

The next morning - a sit-in
followed by demands
and negotiations
and reconciliation.

The gospel of the kingdom of God
engages with
a colony of the empire of Caesar
Begins with the marginal
Rescues the vulnerable
Infuriates the oppressors
Loves the enemy
Confronts injustice among the powerful
Sings, prays, and gains participants

Internal spiritual formation in the way
of Jesus ...
is expressed through participation with
the Spirit
in the liberation of children, women,
and men ...
starting with the weakest and least and
continuing to those in power.

reclaiming the “e-word”
evangelism

Communities
Families, individuals, and
organizations linked to a
common environment,
collaborating for the
common good.

Publics:
Organizations which operate
across many communities.
Coca Cola, McDonald’s,
Democratic/Republican
Party, BP

Individuals
People who live their lives in
relation to communities and
publics.

Social Movements
Organizations which make
proposals or demands to
communities and publics to
make progress towards new
gains.

It takes collective, non-institutional
(or prophetic) power to bring change
to communities/institutions/publics.
You can’t change the
center/inside/priestly without
proposals and pressure from the
margins/outside/prophetic.

The Personal Question
What kind of personal spiritual formation keeps us alive
and empowered for long-term, non-self-destructive
engagement?

The Audience Question:
To the churches?
With the churches, to the world?
To the churches and the world?
100 - 500 - 1000 - 10,000 churches joining with a message
to their fellow churches and the world.

If then there is any encouragement
in Christ,
any consolation from love,
any sharing in the Spirit,
any compassion and sympathy,
make my joy complete:

be of the same mind,
having the same love,
being in full accord and of one
mind.

Do nothing from selfish ambition
or conceit,
but in humility regard others as
better than yourselves.
Let each of you look not to your
own interests,
but to the interests of others.

Let this attitude be in us,
The attitude of Jesus.

Christ being in the image of God ...
Did not count equality with God
Something to be grasped,
But he emptied himself,

By taking the very nature of a
servant,
Being made in human form,
And being found in human form,
He humbled himself.

He became obedient to the
point of death,
Even death upon a cross.
Therefore God exalted
him to the highest
place.

God gave him the highest name
of all,
So that at Jesus’ name
All knees should bend/
All tongues confess/

That Jesus Christ is Lord/
To the glory of God the Father,
... Who works in us to desire
And do God’s good pleasure.

Let this attitude be in us,
The attitude of Jesus.
Amen.

we need a theology of
Communities, institutions and
movements

1. The Bible: In light of how the Bible has been abused in
the past and present, we know that we need a new way of
describing what the Bible is, how it reached its current
form, how we should interpret and teach it (especially to
children and youth), etc.
2. The Church: A vision of integral missional prompts us to
challenge the church in many ways - moving beyond
preoccupation with its own institutional maintenance
towards forming Christ-like people who become a blessing
to the larger community, and thus embody the message we
proclaim.

3. The Poor: The growing gap between rich and poor calls for a multi-faceted
partnership that expresses compassion, seeks justice, confronts exploitation
and marginalization, and creates opportunity, especially in a global economy.
4. The Planet: The environmental crisis must evoke from us proposals that will
benefit the birds of the air, the flowers of the field, and the ecosystems that
maintain them, so that followers of Christ will pioneer a new lifestyle and help
create the regenerative economy the planet needs.
5. Pluralism: To love our neighbors in today’s world means to learn to
appreciate our neighbors’ diverse religions. We must propose new ways of
encountering the other that provide alternatives to both combative
fundamentalism and combative atheism.
6. Peace: After two thousand years, it is time for the Christian faith to
distinguish itself not just by advocating for war with less injustice, but by
proclaiming an attainable ideal of peace, along with equipping Christians as
practical peacemakers.

7. Equality: Women and men, gay and straight, minority and majority,
alien and native-born, unbeliever and believer, occupied and occupier,
one percent and ninety-nine percent - our world is torn by divisions
that put some in a position of of privilege and power, and others in a
position of disadvantage and danger. Sadly, our churches are often
laggards, not leaders, in confronting prejudice and standing for the
dignity and equality of all people.
8. Families, Women, and Children: Families face multiple challenges
today, including greed-based economies that corrode humane values,
exploitive entertainment industries that undermine human dignity, and
patriarchal religious systems that reward a crude form of masculinity.
We must challenge churches to propose and embody family life that
can overcome these challenges.

9. Business/Economics: We must challenge business and economic
leaders to create new forms of business that seek a triple bottom line -
lasting social, environmental, and economic benefit, not just
maximized short-term profit. In a world of rising population and
increasing mechanization, we must also challenge business leaders to
seek to maximize employment along with profit, and to discover new
ways to reduce economic inequality by expanding opportunity.
10. Personal Dimensions: In what way must those who articulate
demands like these make demands on themselves? And how can those
demanding practices be sustainable and life-giving rather than
burdensome and restrictive?

Convergence 2015 mission 3

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Convergence 2015 mission 3