Brian McClaren (sp?) Podcast

Just listened to Off the Map Production’s podcast “A Generous Heart Toward The Powerless With Brian McLaren.” McClaren’s speaking bout violence and power, is pretty heady but gave me some new thoughts to chew on regarding the Sermon on the Mount and even the atonement. His take on the Sermon on the Mount havig much to do with power and how to confront it was interesting. At the end he asks if he can “get political” and makes some interesting connections between this new take on atonement and what it might mean for a better way to confront violence and specifically terrorism. “Just War” theory is discussed some too. I’m not enough of a theologian to know if I should fully endorse what all McClaren says here, but I can say it is interesting and seems to be offered in a Christ-like spirit. If you listen to it, comment below and let everyone know what you go tout of it.

Podcast for Urban Christians

I just listed to a Fermi Project (with which George Barna has some connection) Podcast. #29 Jon Tyson. Had some solid words about the church in an urban environment. I especially resonated with this...

"I don't think Paul had that clear of a strategic an idea of what he was doing. ... He knew he was going to have some level of influence [but] I don't think he had a grand idea of how to do it. I don't think he sat down and said, 'Let's map out all the larger cities in the world and move to them becasue this is where culture is formed.'

"It seems like the Spirit led him. He's wandering around listening. 'Where's God moving? What's God doing next?' The Spirit leads him, he goes to a place. And I think it developed over time like that.

"I get a little cautious when people are only purely strategic... We are famous in the chuch for building skeletons and trying to bring them to life. And I'd rather find out where God is moving, where the Spirit is leading."

Get it on iTunes. Here's the iTunes description of the podcast.

This episode features Jon Tyson, a church planter in the heart of Manhattan and a part of the Origins Movement - a church planting movement committed to multiplying missional communities in the major urban influential centers of the world.