Perhaps we should just agree to disagree…or maybe a better way to put it is agree that the discussion isn’t going anywhere any longer.

You now call me names and insult my intelligence (“armchair theologian”).
You imply that your knowledge of theology is superior to mine. HOW DARE YOU. No one can know the mind of God — we can only grasp at glimpses. You have no right to EVER put yourself above me in such an arrogant way. Shame on you.

I think that it is great that you are in the ministry, Wayne, and I’m sure that you do experence much that others don’t have opportunity to through your counseling.

I have continued to discuss these issues with you (and others) — but as I said, it seems that you aren’t interested in actually debating. You don’t take my statements and look to refute them (especially with some scripture, perhaps?). Instead you choose to attack me personally in order to attempt to discredit the things I have written.

In any case, I’m sure you won’t respond, or if you do it will be to attempt to censor and dismiss me once again (much like how you removed me from your Facebook list…highly mature, that…are we back in high school?)….so this can’t possibly be wasting your time.

For me, issues of oppression, race, even gender roles come into play everyday in life and death situations as a pastor. 30 minutes ago I had to minister to a family who just lost a patriarch. How the grieving women carry on is of utmost concern to me. Don’t use me to bounce off your theological side-hobby when these issues are of the utmost praxis for me. I have better things to do. If you wanna come around here to debate, do it to learn, not to win. And fewer times a day at that.

I’m saddened by that response from you. I thought you actually wanted to discuss issues, and any discussion is always bettered when somebody presents a different point of view (not wrong, just different).

I guess I will have to accept that you prefer to discuss volatile topics with people who will just chime in and agree with you.

The conclusion I come to is that you have decided to label me simply because you don’t agree with my point of view, and dismiss my opinion. I haven’t dismissed your opinion — rather I have debated it with you.

Oh, and the attempt at throwing out cute internet speak like “trolling” is just sad. I am clearly not trolling, and if you wish to label this as such, so be it.

I’ll leave you to talk about issues and chat it up with people who only agree with you, as you clearly aren’t interested in having a real debate.

God Bless
Matt

Putting it bluntly, who cares if the teaches of some subject are white, black, asian, aliens, angels, etc. The Bible commands us to consider everything in prayer, and test what we are taught against the Word of God…trusting that the Holy Spirit will give us the insight and convictions necessary from the Lord.

Let me reverse your point. How would you feel if I said “Why should I sit through a 3-credit class about missional theology from two Asian males who represent only a fraction of the population in the United States?” I’m pretty sure that many people would immediately wonder if I was making a racist statement.

Why does the content have to be qualified by the color of the person teaching it?

This sort of thing shouldn’t even be a question.

@JO
I hear what you’re saying but here’s the thing about education – is it just about ideas or is it also a process? In other words, how are ideas not only communicated, but received, engaged, embodied by teachers who are of only one predominant demographic?

Why should I sit through a 3-credit class about missional theology from two white males who represent only a fraction of the population in Vancouver? (mind you I love both of these profs) – but how can they teach me how to reach the 40% minorities there?

Taken in a certain way, the question could be asked, then: What can a bunch of first century Jews teach us about missions? Or, what could Hudson Taylor teach us? While it would certainly be great to have additional perspectives on missions (not just white guys teaching) it’s best to evaluate teaching simply on the basis of the truth of the teaching. You may be doing that, anyway, but others might go in with a preconceived notion about white professors, say, and reject the teaching without regards to truth or falsehood.

I’m diggin your blog. I think you bring up a lot of interesting ideas, and as someone who’s beginning to re-engage the evangelical world, I appreciate your perspectives on trends that are taking place in Christian literature, including the “missional” craze. That word seems to be everywhere nowadays.

I have many thoughts on the subject (I agree with a lot of what you’re saying), but my main hesitancy with the missional emphasis is the lack of a counterbalance toward being, rather than doing. I’m afraid that the same drivenness to expand, grow, reach more people, etc might feed into our impulse to define ourselves by how much we’re doing, rather than a natural overflow from who we are. I think the message of a contemplative devotional life gets lost when the entire emphasis is on being “missional”. New missiologists might be emphasizing smaller communities over the large seeker church models of our predecessors, but the constant message of “mission” and “doing” at the expense of a quality inner life and family seems to perpetuate more really really active and overly-busy people.

@Daniel So
amen. May our meditation be pleasing in his sight, and may it rise in praxis.

http://www.ministrymatters.ca/archives/2009/fall-2009/recovering-the-real-beginning-genesis-1-and-2/

If you’re interested in chatting, shoot me an email. You should have it, as it’s required for this post.

Peace.
Dan