Chicago up/rooted

up/rooted

1. Author Sean Gladding - 9/9 @8pm "The Story of God, the Story of Us"
   Join us Sept 9th @8pm - "The Story of God, the Story of Us" -
   with author Sean Gladding.
   RSVP via facebook or reply email
   St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wheaton, IL
   Doors open at 7:30, free refreshments and Q&A to follow event
   
   Before the Bible was a book it was flesh and blood. Join author and storyteller, Sean Gladding, as he presents the story of creation, helping us hear it as Israelite exiles would have as they gathered around a fire by the rivers of Babylon in the sixth century B.C.E. The story of creation is chapter one of Sean's new book, The Story of God, the Story of Us: Getting Lost and Found in the Bible (IVP 2010), which has grown out of years of telling the overarching Story of Scripture to large groups and small gatherings throughout the United States and internationally as well.
   
   How did we get here? That question has haunted all kinds of people ever since, well, we got here. Sometimes they're wringing their hands over the origins of the universe: how did we (the human race) get here (on a planet with a breathable atmosphere)? But just as often they're asking a more urgent, more desperate question: How did I wind up in this particular place, with this particular pain? And more important: where do I go from here?
   
   Sean Gladding wrestles with those questions--and others--in all their cosmic and existential dimensions in his book The Story of God, the Story of Us. Thursday, September 9, he'll lead us through the biblical story of creation--not from the vantage point of an ivory tower or a bully pulpit, but from a campfire outside the walls of Babylon, where faithful Jews, to whom God had promised land and all its benefits, wondered where God had gone -wondered how they had gotten to this place of despair. Their story is more like our story than we often think; and God's story speaks to us as profoundly as it spoke to them.
   
   Says the author: "What I always hope people walk away with is a desire to go read the text again, with others, and for people to hear the Story that is healing, invitational and that leads to life, rather than one that creates division, wounding and isolation."
   
   About Sean: Sean Gladding spent several years in Houston, Texas, where he was co-pastor of Mercy Street, an initiative by Chapelwood United Methodist Church for "church wounded" people, as well as people in drug and alcohol recovery. He now resides in Lexington, Kentucky, at Communality, a missional community that serves as one of the host "schools for conversion" for the New Monasticism.
   
   “Sean Gladding invites us to hear God’s story anew—to hear it as our own story—and to let it direct us toward the beloved community we’re made to be. Listen to him. Commit this story to memory. Tell it to your kids. Let it direct your life.”
   --Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, author and new monastic
   
2. Cool As God Made Us (up/rooted.west wrap-up)
   When I was a kid, my mom told me, "If you want to be cool, just be the wonderful, unique person God made you to be." Well, alright, she never said that. But she should have. Somebody's mom probably said that. Anyhow, last night at up/rooted.west, I started the discussion by bringing in Brett McCracken's recent editorial in the Wall Street Journal called "The Perils of 'Wannabe Cool' Christianity," since this has been one of the many critiques lobbed at the emerging church--that emergents are just the coolest kids on the Christian playground. Look at those thick-frame glasses! Check out his super long goatee! Can you believe her dreadlocks! And they're all meeting in a bar! It's all so emerging!
   
   
   While we weren't too enthused by McCracken's quick write-off of the emerging movement (he says it has "fizzled" for two oddly contradictory reasons: that it "was too 'let's rethink everything' radical'" and that its animating impulse was merely to "rehabilitate Christianity's image and make it 'cool.'"), who can take issue with his conclusion that for younger generations, "when it comes to church, we don't want cool as much as we want real?"
   
   
   Actually, correct me if I'm wrong, but I have been under the impression that that was the impulse that got this emergent thing going in the first place. Not a quest for a hipper church, but a desire for a more honest and authentic one. As Tony Jones recounts the history of at least his stream of this thing (in chapter 2 of The New Christians), a host of young male rising-star pastors were assembled by the Leadership Network to figure out how to make Christianity hip for Generation X, but they ended up asking all these deeper questions about the nature of the the church and the essence of the gospel, and were rather critical of the American evangelical marketing machine.
   
   
   That said, I would guess that for those emerging church leaders who were reared in the "golden era" of evangelical youth ministry, it's probably a struggle to jettison the preoccupation with staying on the edge, image-wise. It is always easier to get the people out of slavery than to get the slavery out the people, whatever the captivity in question may be. For my part, I'm Lutheran and I'm pretty sure the last time we had an issue with being too hip was circa 1530 in Germany. (Praise God for a great sense of humor if our rich theology and practice suddenly becomes retro-hip.)
   
   
   We also finished our discussion series on Peter Rollins's The Orthodox Heretic last night with a couple pithy parables called "The Father's Approval" and "Overthrowing the Emperor." Having seen Peter Rollins in person, in a bar in Wrigleyville with many hip-looking people, it should be conceded that objectively speaking, his is cool. Good thing we emergents aren't keen on objectivity.
   
   
   Next month, we are privileged to host special guest Sean Gladding, author of The Story of God, The Story of Us (IVP, 2010), in town for the Christian Community Development Association conference. Make note, it'll be on the second, not the third Thursday: September 9th at 8pm (gather at 7:30).
   
   
   "Sean is a British Texan living in Kentucky whose thing is dramatizing the metanarrative of Scripture. His new book surveys the Bible in twelve chapters set in three different locales--for the Old Testament, a fireside gathering of a Jewish exile community in Babylon, where a rabbi reminds them of the promises of God while they fret over why God has abandoned them; for the Gospels and Epistles, an ekklesia in an urban commercial center, explaining this odd new celebratory sect to a merchant over a series of dinners; for the Revelation, that merchant's underground ekklesia, hidden for fear of persecution, explaining to two tentative followers of the Way why Christians stand in defiance of the Roman empire."
   
   
   As you can see here at his IVP book page, Sean also has a bald head and a long goatee. Whether that is, for him, cool, only his Creator knows.
   
   
   Mark
   up/rooted.west co-leader
   
3. Peter Rollins and his parables
   

   Join us this Thursday, 7/15 @ 6:30pm at Gino's East Pizza in downtown Wheaton for more Rollin's parable discussion! Also, if you might be interested in an up/rooted lunchtime downtown loop meeting time, let us know! We're getting ready to launch a virtual cohort discussion group as well!

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   Last month, we began a discussion on Peter Rollin's book “The Orthodox Heretic and Other Impossible Tales”. We selected three parables for discussion from the first section “Beyond Belief”: Chapter 3) Translating the Word; Chapter 4) Turning the Other Cheek, and Chapter 9) The Invisible Prophet.

   
   

   The first parable, Translating the Word, recounts a woman who was commissioned by God to dedicate her life to the distribution and translation of the Word of God. To achieve this she sells all she owned and spends years of her life living on the streets begging for money and working odd jobs so that she can afford a printing press and qualified translators. One disaster after another happens and each time she gives away all the funds she collected to aid in the needs of people here and now. At the end of her life she is able to get the funds, hire the translators, and print Bibles. The parable ends saying she appeared to have fulfilled her commission not once, but many times.

   
   

   Our discussion opened with a question, “Did she feel a failure until the very end?” She willingly gave away the funds to help those in need, but this put her further away from the “goal” of a printed translated text. From there we asked, “Did she ever feel a success?” For some present it was a feeling granted at the completion of the first printed text, for others it was a feeling she never received for there are always more who could receive. It was here our discussion was moved by greater attention to the text. She was called to spend her life on this task. It was not something God asked her to finish quickly so that she could do something else later. I will leave you with a question we did not get to ask, “Is this a lifestyle that God calls some towards, or is this lifestyle Christianity itself?”

   
   

   The second parable we read, Turning the Other Cheek, was a recounting of Matthew 5. Our reading of this retelling had Jesus dividing the hearers into two groups – the oppressed and the oppressors. To one group he said carry the pack a second mile and to the other he said my witness to you is those who carry for you. To one group he said do not resist evil men but pray for their salvation, to the other he said, those to whom you do evil and they only respond with righteous love are my witness unto you.

   
   

   The text in this format is bracing. Our discussion quickly took these sayings as defining groups who are powerful and who are powerless. We began by looking to place ourselves within the narrative. We realized through our discussion that we do not fit nicely into either category. Living within the richest county in the state we ought to remember our place as the oppressors, but we also give of ourselves in service to others. Thus sometimes we waffle back and forth between the two. Another of us held some problem with the categories, it is not the oppressed who choose of their own will to carry for a second mile but the free. The one who chooses to be a servant may be exploited, but their choice empowers them to be less than oppressed. As a group, however, we worried a bit over legislating freedom for the oppressed from our comfortable chairs surrounded by an abundance of food. What do you think?

   
   

   The final parable we read, The Invisible Prophet, was about a prophet whose message was rendered void by the Adversary for it chose to make her beautiful beyond measure. She inspired the painters to paint, the poets to muse, and the crowds to assemble, but they heard nothing of her message for the words were so marvelous to behold. She died a popular star, but not one had listened to her call of repentance.

   
   

   We began this discussion with an aside on modern worship practices. One of us shared a remark about a church where they had compelling teaching, reverent reflection upon God's grace, and the best Jesus show in town. The final element of the list being amongst the most planned out. We asked what this means for our understanding of worship that so much focus goes into the entertaining aspects? An awkward silence followed. From there one of us asked if this prophet might be creation itself? We are all so accustomed to the splendor of creation that we don't see it as a prophetic witness to God's goodness. We all too often ignore it. Another asked if this prophet was not the Bible itself, for all the beauty of its poetry or the romance of God's love we hear not the calls to justice – its voice condemning our sin. From here we also asked about what great beauty is hidden within the ugliness of the cross of Christ. What do you think, are we so distracted by beauty that even its absence drives us to distraction?

   
   

   Regards,

   Pat Riehecky

   
   

   Brief me-ness: When the season is right, I am a graduate theology student at Wheaton College; when it is not, I am a UNIX Administrator. My perspective is informed by the writings of Kierkegaard, Tillich, and Levinas as well as lectures from Daniel Block, Douglas Moo, Daniel Treier, and Kevin VanHooser. I have known the name that is above any other since I could talk, but it took me some time to accept His guidance. The theological questions that haunt me revolve around the meaning of Christianity, the theology of a name, and retelling the Bible as the story of God's romantic passionate love for His creation. In short, I guess you could say I am interested in a counter narrative of grace stretching from Genesis to Revelation.

   
4. Young Adults Speak Out Artistic Expression Event
   In February of 2009 a new emerging community in Lockport, Illinois tried something new. We sat in a circle with about a dozen teens with some pizza and talked about what they wanted this community to become. It started off with radical inclusiveness - something like "Pizza Party meets group therapy" and we talk about life's issues honestly and openly. This new group of teens and young adults became known as YASO (Young Adults Speak Out)
   
   This Saturday, June 12, the University of St Francis at 500 Wilcox Street in Joliet will be sponsoring YASO's first artistic expression fund raiser in their main auditorium from 7 until 10 PM. There is no admission fee and the auditorium seats 250 people. Teens and young adults will be expressing themselves through interpretive dance, song, slam poetry, and monologues on stage. In the lobby area there will be paintings, sketchings, and photography on display reflecting the hearts of a generation. In between performances, anonymous letters written by teens and young adults in the area will be read aloud. These are stories of pain, darkness and hope.
   
   This is YASO's first engagement in their Society's Forgotten Children Silent no More campaign. The messages they want to send through their art regards:
   
   
   1. Real Life
   2. Hurt and Pain
   3. Acceptance
   4. How society Treats Them
      
   5. Criminally and Sexually Abused Children
   6. Change
   7. Profiling and Assumptions
   8. Family, Friends, Cutting, Death, and other real life topics they live with every day.
   9. Trust
   10. Hope and Grace
   The people they want to hear this message are:
   
   
   1. Adults
   2. People With the Power to Affect Change
   3. Parents
   4. "Perfect Life People"
   5. Judgmental Bastards
   6. Teachers
   7. Fellow Freaks
   8. Doubters
   9. People who are like "Rawr"
   10. Pastors and Churches
   11. The Hopeless
   12. People who are hurting
   13. Those in Society who NEED to hear what they don’t want to hear.
   Due to the nature of some of the content, it may not be appropriate for people under the age 13.
   
   The most important aspect of this event is for their voice to be heard and the message of their hearts shared. In regards to fundraising, there will be an opportunity to donate and much of the physical artwork will be up for silent auction. All YASO folks are unpaid volunteers and all proceeds are used for relief supplies and resources for teens and young adults with needs.
   
   For more information about the event, please contact Patrick Green at 815-905-0185 or email him at patrick (at) lifebridgeonline (dot) org.
   
   For more information about the YASO story, please check out our article on the Emergent Village Weblog.
   
5. "He told them many things in parables": up/rooted.west this summer
   At our May gathering, we wrapped up discussion of Tony Jones's The New Christians. Next up, since the few of us who were at the Peter Rollins Insurrection tour back in April were happily left in a parabolic state of mind by that experience, we'd like to take up Rollins's The Orthodox Heretic and Other Impossible Tales. I notice from the blog archives here (before my time) that this won't be up/rooted.west's first discussion of a Rollins book--the group read How (Not) to Speak of God a few years back--but if you haven't had any exposure to Peter's distinctive way of "a/theologizing" yet, his latest collection of parables should serve as a fine introduction. Inspired by Jesus' own method of teaching, these creative new parables similarly reveal and conceal at the same time, pointing us to a God who is so much more than our statements about God.
   
   
   But if that doesn't sound intriguing enough, think of it as story time. Everybody loves story time, right? We'll have the book on hand and will pick out a couple to read aloud--they're short and pithy and I believe meant to be told in that way. So that means you don't have to read anything ahead of time, and securing a copy of the book yourself is optional.
   
   
   We're sticking at Gino's, at least for June (maybe we'll picnic it later in the summer), but please note we're switching from the 2nd Thursday of the month to the 3rd. So we'll gather next on June 17th. Drop in between 6:30-7pm; the conversation starts at 7.
   
   
   Peace,
   Mark
   up/rooteded.west co-leader