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In This Issue
- New EP Endorsers
- Newly Published by EP Endorsers
- New on bLOGOS
- Meet the New Endorsers
- Christian Seasons Calendar
- Gathering 2013
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Visit the
Ekklesia Project Website
the Ekklesia Project
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A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.
Mark 12:42-43
From the Lectionary Gospel Reading
for the 24th Sunday After Pentecost
and the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
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New EP Endorsers:
Again this month, we are listing the names of those who have endorsed The Ekklesia Project in the last month. If you don't know what endorsing signifies, read the Declaration and Invitation of EP, or its summary as a fourfold claim.
The new Endorsers are:
Michael Burdge (British Columbia)
David Scott (Memphis)
Craig Katzenmiller (Tennessee)
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Newly Published by EP Endorsers
Attending to the Wounds on Christ's Body by Beth Newman
The disunity of the church is a social and theological scandal for it betrays the prayer of Jesus that we "will be one . . . so that the world will believe" (John 17:21). As a Baptist whose academic background focused on the Orthodox Church and whose teaching has included Catholic and Protestant contexts, this division is for Elizabeth Newman personal and professional. Attending to the Wounds on Christ's Body rests on the conviction that the broad tradition of Christianity already contains resources to heal the church, namely the saints of the church. Newman examines  especially how Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) speaks to the whole church today in the midst of political, economic, and ecclesial brokenness. Teresa's reliance upon three scriptural figures--dwellings, marriage, and pilgrimage--helps make sense of an ecclesial way of life that is inherently unitive, a unity that stands in contrast to that of the nation-state or the global market. Teresa's scriptural journey offers an alternative at once liturgical, political, and economic. This Doctor of the Church provides "medicine" that can repair wounds of division that separate brothers and sisters in Christ.
Read More or Order the Book Here
iPod, Youtube, Wii Play: Theological Engagements with Entertainment by D. Brent Laythem
Should Christians w00t or wail about the scope and power of modern entertainment? Maybe both. But first, Christians should think theologically about our  human passion to be entertained as it relates to the popular culture that entertains us. Avoiding the one-size-fits-all celebrations and condemnations that characterize the current fad of pop culture analyses, this book engages entertainments case by case, uncovering the imaginative patterns and shaping power of our amusements. Individual chapters weave together analyses of entertainment forms, formats, technologies, trends, contents, and audiences to display entertainment as a multifaceted formational ecology.
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New on bLOGOS:
 Christian history teaches us many lessons, chief among them that the church has an on-again, off-again relationship with economic justice and the prophetic proclamation of Jubilee. The church does justice in fits and starts, it seems. We started off particularly strong, with the Messiah coming onto the scene and announcing the Reign of God, a world-order marked by mutual self-giving and a reversal of first-century patronage politics. But lest I be called a naïve restorationist with a rose-colored rearview mirror, it should be noted that even the glory days of economic justice and mercy showcased in the Gospels and Acts were apparently short-lived, or at the least not universal to all churches throughout the empire (cf. 1 Cor 11:22; Philemon). With the forward march of history and the diversification of the churches came a certain forgetfulness with regard to the politics, economics, and faithful concern that is, at a foundational level, wrapped up in the confession that "Jesus Christ is Lord." Read More
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MEET THE NEW EP ENDORSERS: MATTHIEU BÖSIGER
Well, my name is Matthieu and I have a lovely wife whose name is Marie Eve. I was an engineer working in an intellectual property office and my wife was a dietician. For one year, we are both involved in a training process so as to become Salvation Army officers in France.
For this training, we have been appointed by the Salvation Army in Mazamet which is a small town in the south of France, near Toulouse. During our training, we spend 3 days a week in theological studies (distance learning) and 3 days serving the community (preaching, teaching, leading and administration). It's a community of about 30 people (which is not so small for a protestant congregation in France).
I heard about the EP because I'm interested in Hauerwas' work and I read once that he was involved in the EP, so I read more about the project and I followed lectionary reflections each week. I have to say that I feel in communion with EP convictions.
As for my heroes, ... difficult question. Today, I have two main heroes :
- Commissioner Francy Cachelin : He was a great officer of the Salvation Army, a true man of God and a brilliant soul winner (including mine)
- Karl Barth : It is probably a too easy answer... but reading his work has definitely changed my Gospel comprehension. |
Christian Seasons Calendar for 2012-13 Available Now
Again this year our friend Ed Searcy and University Hill Congregation in Vancouver offer to focus our year with their stunning calendar which tells the story of the gospel through the narrative of scripture and the imagery of art. Peruse or order the calendar here. For several years, many of us in The Ekklesia Project have traced our journey through the Christian year on the pages of this wonderful calendar. |
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Gathering 2013:
Practicing the Peace of Christ in Church, Neighborhood, and Country
"Jesus' followers are called to peace. When Jesus called them, they found their peace. Jesus is their peace. Now they are not only to have peace, but they are to make peace." Dietrich Bonhoeffer's words serve to remind the church that peace is not extraneous to our life together; the Peace of Jesus Christ is our common life. Peace is the call we have received, the gift we have been given, the good news that has been preserved for us in the lives of countless saints.
And yet, violence seems to reign. From the various microaggressions that plague our parishes, to gun violence and domestic abuse that fills our neighborhoods, to the seemingly endless military conflict that now defines the "market-state"-the world of which we are a part is truly more skilled at practicing violence than practicing peace. At this year's Gathering, we will examine concrete ways to make peace in our churches, neighborhoods, country, and across the globe. For, as Bonhoeffer reminds us, the Peace of Christ must be practiced, or it is no peace at all.
Plenary Conversation between Mike Budde and Stanley Hauerwas on "the abolition of war" has been confirmed.
Dates are not confirmed, but we have requested July 11-13.
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