Finding Your Missional Context in the Postmodern Matrix

January 8th, 2008 | by Scott |

That’s my new Wednesday night class series.

I’m not going to call it that, though. I’ll call it something a little more user friendly.

However, one of my objectives is to trace the development in thought from the first century to todays post-modern world.
To show the shift away from Enlightenment thinking is an important process and in order to do that we have to critically engage our own suppositions.
Hailing from the Restoration Movement we have to be aware of and acknowledge our own potential blind spots and limitations.

One of my introductory points will be how our restoration lens can hamper us from having a more holistic view of culture and context. This is not a dismissal of the major tenets of restoration but instead a recognition of some potential dangers in our ecclesial lens.
Here is what I have come up with so far:

Potential Dangers of the Restoration Movement
1. It over-estimates the theological sophistication and ecclesial understanding of the first century believers
2. It under-estimates the importance of the first century historical context
3. It overvalues the writes of Paul over and above the teachings of Christ
4. It views Discipleship as a destination and not a process

Help me push back on these points a little. How accurate is this? What would you add to the list? Again, this is not to be a dismissal of the restoration movement but an attempt to define where we might have become myopic and missed out on some of the larger picture.
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  1. 8 Responses to “Finding Your Missional Context in the Postmodern Matrix”

  2. By Jeff B. on Jan 8, 2008 | Reply

    Scott,

    I have been wanting to teach a similar class for a while now but have not had the time to develop one. Would you be willing to share your notes?

  3. By Scott on Jan 8, 2008 | Reply

    Sure. When I’m done, I’ll make it available. I’ll be drawing from a wide array of sources and will be putting together a bibliography as well.

  4. By Jeff B. on Jan 8, 2008 | Reply

    Thanks!

  5. By len on Jan 8, 2008 | Reply

    Scott,
    where can I learn a little about the restoration movement and what it is?

  6. By Scott on Jan 8, 2008 | Reply

    Len,
    The Restoration Movement was an attempt to return to the practices of the first century church. It is the Restoration Movement that birthed the Churches of Christ, Independent Christian Churches and the Disciples of Christ.
    Wikipedia has a decent summary:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restoration_Movement

  7. By Matt W on Jan 8, 2008 | Reply

    That sounds great, Scott. I’m actually planning on teaching a class much like it later this year. I would also love to see your outline and sources.

  8. By Steve Allison on Jan 9, 2008 | Reply

    Yes, please keep us informed on what you cover in the class. I think those are good considerations for people of our heritage to ponder.

  9. By Carlin Brooks on Jan 15, 2008 | Reply

    Scott,

    Your class sounds most interesting and relevant. I taught a similar class a couple of years ago and realized what a profound impact Infant Baptism and the State church has had on Christianity. I really think we have failed to make enough of this when we try to examine “Who we are and why we think this way.” Check out some more thoughts on this here: http://carlinbrooks.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2005-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-06%3A00&updated-max=2006-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-06%3A00&max-results=6

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