Coffeehouse Theology: A Great Intro to Contextual Theology

A few years ago, I met a guy named Ed Cyzewski in an etrek course at Biblical. Ed was just starting work on a book that he hoped would take the emerging / missional church conversation and make it presentable and digestible to the people who would arguably most benefit from it but who were most certainly least represented: average churchgoing Christians. Now, almost four years later, I'm holding in my hands the fruits of his labor: Coffeehouse Theology.

Ed posted a few comments of his own in this article on the emergent village website:

Having participated in the broader emerging church conversation on reimagining faith, culture, and practice in today's context, I noticed a need during my seminary days for a book that provided a synthesis of mission, culture, theology, and Christian living accessible for just about everyone in the church. Not only did I want to bring the ideas of various thinkers together in one place, showing how they related to one another, I also wanted this book to be accessible for a reader who wouldn't know a metanarrative if it hit him in the face-or marginalized his perspective for that matter.

As you may know, if you've been reading this site for any length of time - do I still have any regular readers out there? ;) - I have a deep interest in contextual theology and a driving conviction that all theology is contextual. That's a contentious statement for some, but for me it's incontrovertible. However, contextual theology isn't exactly a household term, even if it's getting a certain degree of buzz lately. So, if one is convinced both that everyone does theology and that all theology is contextual, what's the best approach to taking this conversation to the next level with the people with whom we serve and worship and live?

Early in the book, Ed has this to say:

In Coffeehouse Theology, I want us to think about culture in the broadest of terms: the values, language, and customs of a nation or people group. Within each nation, culture evolves over time, customs change, and people adopt different values...While subcultures exist, examining the larger features of our times will help us most as we seek to understand God in a particular time and place. (p. 55)

I could say a lot of things about this book, but perhaps the thing I like most about it is that it takes a conversation that began largely within a protest movement and reframes it so that it becomes inviting rather than threatening. Let's be honest - as someone who's been around the emerging church movement for quite some time now, it can be intimidating, particularly for folks who are a part of the movements being protested. Let me put it this way - if one's understanding of the gospel is something along the lines of the four spiritual laws and another comes along and critiques that, the natural reaction is going to be to assume that the gospel is being attacked - even if the critiques are valid. Contextual theology provides a framework for discussing the difference between our understanding of the gospel and the gospel itself. When done properly, it can be an invitation - both to understand one's own perspective better, and to be open to constructive critique of that perspective. And Coffeehouse Theology does just that - invites the reader into a conversation about context and culture, and how they shape and frame our theology. It's unassuming, it's warm, it's personal, and it's full of stuff that opens the door to discussions that I think are hugely important.

Mic Check

...Is this thing still on?

Trying to get back into the swing of things - it's been good to take time off. In honesty, I can't say I missed the blogosphere - not sure if the feeling's mutual. ;) I think I have over 2500 unread posts in my reader - if I missed a meme or two, it wasn't because I was avoiding anyone specifically. So why get back in the saddle? A few reasons - one, I've run across a few good resources that I want to discuss, and two, my appetite for theology is picking up again, largely due to a recent event at Biblical Seminary, details of which I'll share in the next few days. And what have I been doing with myself in the meantime? House hunting, gaming, family vacation, soccer, keeping up with maintenance at home, you know - life in general, nothing flashy or spectacular, just familiar and normal - and that's ok with me.

Blog Hiatus

The blog isn't dead, just really low on the priority list at the moment. We're in the process of selling our home (again) and a major project just wrapped up at work. I'm going to officially declare theopraxis on hiatus until October 1 - I'll be back then, hopefully with renewed energy and new thoughts brewing. (I'm also not reading blogs in the interim - I need a break anyway.) See you in October!

Bridging Connections and Suburban Isolation

It's been two months since I've posted anything about Bowling Alone, so let me point you to my previous posts which can all be found here. To get back into the groove, I want to reflect on an underlying dynamic that Putnam discusses at length - the distinction and relationship between bonding and bridging social capital:

Of all the dimensions along which forms of social capital vary, perhaps the most important is the distinction between bridging (or inclusive) and bonding (or exclusive). Some forms of social capital are, by choice or necessity, inward looking and tend to reinforce exclusive identities and homogeneous groups. Examples of bonding social capital include ethnic fraternal organizations, church-based women's reading groups, and fashionable country clubs. Other networks are outward looking and encompass people across divers social cleavages. Examples of bridging social capital include the civil rights movement, many youth service groups, and ecumenical religious organizations...Moreover, bridging social capital can generate broader identities and reciprocity, whereas bonding social capital bolsters our narrower selves...Bonding social capital provides a sort of sociological superglue, whereas bridging social capital provides a sociological WD-40. Bonding social capital, by creating strong in-group loyalty, may also create strong out-group antagonism, as Thomas Greene and his neighbors in New Bedford knew, and for that reason we might expect negative external effects to be more common with this form of social capital. Nevertheless, under many circumstances both bridging and bonding social capital can have powerfully positive social effects. (p. 22-23)

Putnam points out that it isn't necessarily easy to reconstruct data on these two types of social capital, that we can only really make inferences from the data that are available. Still, one is left with the impression that it is bridging capital that has suffered the most in recent years. And, in truth, that's intuitive - it makes a certain amount of sense that the social connections more easily lost are those that are more challenging to maintain. In addition, the venues for bridging connections in today's culture are most often those that are most transient - affiliation with a political party, for example.

I think that this loss of bridging connections is connected to the decline of geography as a defining characteristic of a community. Think about it this way - my neighbors are the people in my social sphere with whom I am least likely to have commonality - the only thing that connects us is geography, and to a certain extent socioeconomic status. In my neighborhood are people of varying ethnicities, political persuasions, religious beliefs, interests, and life history. What do we have in common? Primarily that we live in a particular community (and to some extent that we can afford to live in a certain community). And, out of all of those neighbors, I know maybe half a dozen, and of those we are really connected with only one family in any real sense.

Our relationships have shifted to become more of a social network connected by shared interests or identity. In other words, the connections that I think most of us in suburban contexts hold are primarily bonding relationships - connections that are a result of commonality. I know and interact with people with whom I have much in common. And I rarely encounter those with whom I don't in any meaningful way.

What does this mean for a missional faith in suburbia? It means, primarily, that the most radical of missional imperatives - things like loving the enemy, showing hospitality to the stranger, and demonstrating unity in the cruciform love of Christ - are precisely the imperatives that are most difficult to practice in a suburban context.

Technorati Tags: Bowling Alone, suburbs

The Church & Suburbia Seminar w/ Al Hsu

Time to get off my duff and post something. My friend Todd is hosting a seminar with Al Hsu, author of The Suburban Christian as well as a thoughtful and interesting blog. The Suburban Christian is an excellent book that I recommend heartily - I'm very much looking forward to this event. More info and registration details can be found here.

Risk: Black Ops - Why Mine Won't Hit eBay

On a (thankfully) lighter note, I mentioned a while back that I'd scored a copy of Risk: Black Ops, a game that just oozes cool out of every one of its tiny cardboard pores. I had a chance to play it a few weeks ago, and I was suitably impressed. This game is engaging, fast, light, and fun. It still maintains the general mechanics of Risk that will be familiar to anyone who's ever turtled in Australia, but it puts some significant spins on those mechanics and adds a few new tweaks. The result is - well, frankly, it's excellent. What I've found interesting, though, is the small number of copies that have started to hit eBay. I've been following the auctions, mostly out of a sense of curiosity but perhaps with an eye towards persuasion - what price would copies of this command, given that there are a mere 1,000 in existence? And would it be enough to convincer me to part with mine? Well, I wasn't disappointed - the first round of auctions closed over the weekend, with each one ending over $500. Two months ago, if you'd have told me that I'd be holding in my hands a copy of Risk valued at over $500, I'd have probably laughed at you, but here we are.

Still, mine won't hit the auction block, at least not yet. I'm enough of a collector to know that if I dump this copy, then I can forget about ever getting my hands on one again. And I do think it's worth keeping, even if Risk has been long surpassed by others on my list of favorite games. This version is simply stunning visually - it has an ultra-modern, minimalist approach that just works.

Ok, so it looks fantastic - how does it play? As I've already mentioned, it's an overwhelming improvement over original recipe Risk. If you've ever played the game, you're probably familiar with some of Risk's characteristic problems - it's too random, it's too dependent on dropping cards for a big army, it's too easy to get eliminated, and overall, it's just too long. I'm happy to report that the new version fixes many of these flaws. The big changes:

• Objectives: Objectives are probably the biggest change. There are eight objectives available for each game, ranging from things like "Conquer North America" to "Control two of your opponent's capitals" to "Capture at least ten territories in one turn". Completing an objective will award you with a bonus, such as an extra die for attack or defense or a free movement during your turn. Also, completing three objectives wins the game.
• Capitals and Cities: Cities are placed randomly at the start of the game. When determining the number of troops that are drafted at the beginning of a turn, each city counts towards the total territories controlled (in other words, it's now territories plus cities instead of just territories). This essentially doubles the strategic value of territories with a city. Also, each capital adds one to your total (in other words, capitals count as three territories for determining number of troops). This means that every game will be different because the map changes by virtue of city and capital placement.
• Cards: Cards now show either one or two stars. No more collecting sets - you can trade cards in at any time, receiving an amount of troops proportional to the number of stars on the cards. This means that there's no longer a strategic advantage to being the last player to turn in cards.

The net effect of these changes is to make the game much more aggressive. Players will have to attack and take territories, and the rewards for doing so are significant. More aggressive play, plus the addition of the objectives, results in a much tighter, fast-paced game that can realistically be played in 60-90 minutes.

A new retail version will be published this summer using these same rules. If you're at all a fan of Risk, and especially if you've played and enjoyed any of the variants (2210, Star Wars, etc), then I recommend giving this one a try - even if you can't get your hands on the uber-cool Black Ops version. For my buddies and I, it's transformed Risk from a game that would always get preempted by something more meaty to something that can serve as a quite satisfying warmup to, say, War of the Ring. Risk is finally back in my rotation.

Technorati Tags: games, risk black ops

I'm back - what an insane couple of weeks. Thanks to everyone who shared thoughts and prayers - it was appreciated, even if I haven't been in the frame of mind to say so. We're starting to get back to normal, or at least a semblance thereof. I don't think that we'll ever quite be the same after this. Two weeks ago I had one of the worst experiences of my life, and I suppose that what's starting to happen is that I'm adapting my perception of normal.

Well, anyway - enough about that. We still have questions that need to be answered; we don't even know the baby's gender yet. Hopefully we'll have those in the next few weeks and gain at least some sense of closure around this whole mess. It's been utterly surreal - two weeks ago we were still trying to decide on names.