EmergingPhoenix

EmergingPhoenix

1. No Cohort Meeting in June...BUT STAY TUNED!
   We will NOT be holding a cohort gathering in June, but stayed tuned for a revamped, rebooted, reinvigorated Atlanta cohort!!!
   
   (Also, be sure to check out some of the events going on at the Cobb cohort - listings below!)
   
2. Brian McLaren and Tony Campolo in Chattanooga!
   
   
   Tony Campolo and Brian McLaren will be leading a conference in Chattanooga,TN, November 8-10, 2009, around the theme of "Adventures in Missing the Point." For more information, check out http://www.firstcentenary.com/ or http://www.brianmclaren.net.
   
3. A New Cobb Gathering Cohort Spoke - Come Join Us!
   
   PINTS AND PARABLES: THE ORTHODOX HERETICS
   
   Every 3rd Tuesday of the month at 8 pm (starting June 16th), meet us at Johnnie MacCracken's Irish Pub off the Marietta Square (our "headquarters") to work through Peter Rollins' latest book of parables, "The Orthodox Heretics: And Other Impossible Tales". You don't need a copy of the book (though we're sure you will want one) to join us. Just bring an open mind, and a thirst for a cold pint as we wrestle with these challenging, disturbing parables - invite your friends! We will gather at 8 pm and end when we feel like it!
   
   From Publishers Weekly
   Don't be fooled by the slender spine of this unusual book. Rollins, the Irish philosopher/po-mo theologian who has previously published How (Not) to Speak of God and The Fidelity of Betrayal, upends some of Christians' most cherished platitudes about God in his newest outing. He cautions readers that the book is not to be read quickly, for acquiring information, but to be savored slowly for possible transformation. Mostly, the book lives up to this billing. Rollins recasts some of the most familiar parables of and stories about Jesus, sometimes subversively—as when he proposes a version of feeding the 5,000 that shows Jesus and his disciples pigging out on meager resources while the multitudes look on, starving. His point? That Christians are the body of Christ, and when we oppress the poor and hoard scarce resources, we are saying that represents the kind of God we serve. Although not all of the parables work equally well—some could use further illumination—Rollins is a tremendously talented writer and thinker whose challenges to Christianity-as-usual should be well-received by the emergent church crowd, if not beyond.
   
   Download a PDF file excerpt of "The Orthodox Heretic".
   
4. Ancient-Future Emerging Jesus
   

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   Free Four-Week Class: Ancient-Future Emerging Jesus
   
   This class, taught by Cobb Gathering Cohort participant Rev. Gregg Carlson, provides an introduction into the changing understanding of the early church and its writings about Jesus, but also explores some ancient spiritual practices and post-modern voices that are shaping what is being called “The Emergent or Progressive Emergent Church”. Primary texts will be "Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas" by Elaine Pagels and "The Message Bible".
   
   Rev. Gregg Carlson is a graduate of Colgate University and Northern Seminary. He has more than 24 years of ministry experience in a variety of settings. He has studied with one of the leading experts in theAncient-Future movement Dr. Robert Webber and has been part of the Emergent Conversation for more than 4 years.
   
   Class is scheduled to run from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. Wednesday evenings (four consecutive) beginning July 22nd. It will be held in the Holy Grounds Café of Unity North Church in Marietta (click HERE for a map). There is no fixed charge for the course, a love offering will be received each week and you are urged to participate as you are able.
   
   Download the class syllabus HERE (pdf file).
   
5. The Next Evangelicalism Seminar at Columbia Theological Seminary
   Hey folks,
   
   I wanted to let you all know of an event taking place at Columbia Theological Seminary. Professor Soong-Chan Rah, of North Park University (colleague of Scot McKnight) will be speaking on the captivity that white, Western culture has on American Christianity and the need to move beyond that. In his book, The Next Evangelicalism, he writes about the Emergent Church's being subject to the same white, Western culture as well.
   
   It's the first criticism of Emergent I've heard that had nothing to do with theological heresy (he affirms the postmodern hermeneutic) but with cultural exclusivity.
   
   I really hope to see some faces from the cohort at this free event.
   
   Wednesday, May 6
   Harrington Center Auditorium (at Columbia Theological Seminary)
   7:30pm
   
   Grace and peace,
   Dan