Trajectory

Over the past couple days I read through most of the entries at my old blogs (here, here, and here). As I was reading I was struck by how you can trace a trajectory of my thoughts on church. Of course you can also tell a lot of changes in my ideas about faith, etc, but I was particularly interested in the evolution of my view of church. Here’s a sketch of what the trajectory looks like. I’m sure this is more for myself than any readers of this blog.

September 2006 - Conversation with a Baylor student who was looking for a church where she would be welcome. The problem was, as she put it, she was “a flamin’ liberal who doesn’t believe Jesus is God.” For whatever reason, this conversation was hugely important for me. From then on, I was interested in finding/creating a church/space where she would be welcome. A church where she didn’t feel welcome no longer seemed relevant to me.

October 2006 - Soon after the conversation above, I was thinking about what a church where she would be welcome would look like.  I called it “a church that’s not a church.” That’s the language I’ve been using ever since. And ultimately, that led to the creation of VOID more than two years later.

December 2006 - I read Emerging Churches and was exposed to the many emerging forms of church that were beginning to take shape around the world. This book gave me hope that “a church that’s not a church” was possible. Ikon and Peter Rollins were mentioned in this book, but I had know idea who they were. I had no idea they would influence me so much over the next couple years. I further explored the ideas in Emerging Churches in a couple additional posts (here and here). I can’t overstate how important this book was for me. It launched my imagination into so many new directions.

January 2007 - I read How (Not) to Speak of God as my real introduction to Peter Rollins and Ikon. I read the book in one sitting and it blew me away. Particularly the second half of the book, which detailed ten Ikon services. I just couldn’t believe Ikon existed. They were doing “a church that’s not a church” in a way I had never heard of anywhere else. After reading it, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I still haven’t stopped thinking about it. I blogged extensively about the book, and was changed in the process (see the series of posts).

March 2007 - Reflections on giving up Christianity. Inspired by How (Not) to Speak of God, I began to seriously consider that Christianity was merely a hindrance to Christianity. Peter Rollins went on to write his next book on this very topic that influenced me so much in his first book. Again, I was looking beyond Christianity, beyond the church, as a way to be faithful to Christianity and the true nature of hte church. This is still my desire. (see also a follow-up post on this topic)

June 2007 - Frederick Buechner on church: “Maybe [the church has] had its day, and God will never die; God will always make himself known one way or the other — maybe not in the church at all, but who knows how? I’ve often said in churches [that] the best thing that could happen is if the church burned down…”

August 2007 - Moving beyond Christian and non-Christian, just like Paul moved beyond circumcised and uncircumcised.

October 2007 - Read UnChristian and was reminded that Christians are often complete idiots. Losing interest in Christianity, and fast.

October 2007 - I met and spent some time with Mark Scandrette. He gave me a swift kick in the ass, encouraging me to stop talking and start doing. At this point I started talking to everyone I could find about doing something. It took awhile to find some partners (in fact, I’m still talking to everyone I can find, looking for more and more partners), but this time with Mark was instrumental in getting me to move toward action on a number of levels.

February 2008 - I read and thoroughly immersed myself in Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Letters and Papers from Prison. The concept of religionless Christianity in Bonhoeffer’s prison writings seemed to come to me at just the right time.

March 2008 - I was increasingly unable to handle Evangelicalism, particularly Evangelical Worship, which I ripped in this blog entry.

March 2008 - Losing confidence in Christianity and church, I proposed that perhaps we needed a new Jesus. And I meant it.

May 2008 - Read Peter Rollins’ The Fidelity of Betrayal and liked it even more than How (Not) to Speak of God. This book was convicting for me. More and more a call to action and change. I couldn’t turn back. I blogged a whole series on this book as well (here).

June 2008 - Brooke and I went on a Franciscan Retreat with Gordon Atkinson (Real Live Preacher) at Covenant Baptist Church. This experience introduced me to a church community embracing many of Rollins’ ideas within a more traditional church setting. I’ve been considering it ever since. I love Gordon Atkinson. He is a hero of mine.

August 2008 - Going to the Minnekon conference with Peter Rollins and others from Ikon was really the culmination of the previous two years. I left knowing I had to act. And soon. I blogged extensively about the workshop/conference (here).

January 2009 - After recruiting and planning for five months, VOID officially began. Peter Rollins’ visit to Waco the previous November and his return in February were instrumental. He helped us launch the first event when he was in Waco in February.

June 2009 - After three VOID events, I start to think more specifically about what role I might play within the church. How can what I’ve been learning and thinking about over the past few years play out in a more church-like setting (whereas VOID is something more clearly outside of the church. Though I don’t think these lines are so clear, or important). At the same time VOID is still moving forward and I am more excited about it than ever.

July 2009 - Poets, Prophets, & Preachers conference. Thinking more and more about VOID and my role within the church, etc. After the conference I am inspired and ready for the next step, whatever that might be.

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Of course all of the above is only a partial sketch, there are so many people, experiences, books, movies, songs, that have also influenced me and brought me to where I am right now. But I do think this outline speaks volumes about where I have been and where I am going. It should be interesting to come back to again in a couple more years.