The Challenges of Research

I recently stumbled across this on the the Pew Research known as the US Religious Landscape Survey. Fascinating...

http://www.getreligion.org/?p=3670%3E.

I had not been to GetReligion.org site before. Have to do some exploring there. This was a good post...  At least for those who appreciate research and its challenges. 

Missional Church - A Definition

"So a working definition of missional church is a community of God's people that defines itself, and organizes its life around, its real purpose of being an agent of God's mission to the world. In other words, the church's true and authentic organizing principle is missions."

Alan Hirsch, The Forgotten Ways, pg 82

Missional Quotes

"The Church is by nature missionary to the extent that, if it ceases to be missionary, it has not just failed in one of its tasks, it has ceased being Church."

What is Mission?: Theological Explorations by J. Andrew Kirk, 2000, p. 30.

"A mission focus looks first at those who are outside the church before it ever looks at the internal needs of the church."

Invading Secular Space by Martin Robinson & Dwight Smith, 2003, p. 167.

"Remember, you are never more like God than when you are living in relationships with God's people and working in partnerships for the re-creation and redemption of God's world."

A Theology as Big as the City, by Ray Bakke, p. 35

God is Not Dead Yet

Makes you glad, doesn't it. Not that I was worried, but it is encouraging that the Philosophers are continuing to conclude that his existence is philosophically sound. Read more with the Christianity Today article: 

God is Not Dead Yet

Diagram Man

I was once introduced to an audience as "Diagram Man." I guess my reputation among my coworkers is that I can't think without creating a sketch. My journal, my Bible studies, everything ends up in a sketch. So I was delighted to be made aware of this Fast Company article -- Hooray for sketches:

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/124/the-napkin-sketch.html?page=1%2C0

BTW - don't do what the first commenters did and miss the sketches. Click on the company name to see their sketch.

Now you see why I like the Four Circles gospel (below).

The Four Circles - A Gospel Presentation

James Choung has developed a gospel presentation using Four Circles. He writes:

Here's an attempt to explain the Christian faith... in three minutes. (It was tough, but I was asked to do it.) Clearly, many details will be left out in such a short amount of time. Let me know what you think.

It was recently featured in Christianity Today:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/july/11.31.html

But if you would like to see James in action his videos are on YouTube. Well worth watching.





You can also download this to your iPod from http://www.jameschoung.net/2007/09/17/the-big-story/

He has two upcoming books: "True Story: A Christianity Worth Believing In" and "Based on a True Story," published by InterVarsity Press and available at Amazon. I have not seen either.