"Contextualizing Learning Experiences from Rhodes' Blog," Or "What to Do With All Your Spare Time When We're Not Blogging Because We're At the World Cup," Or Maybe Even "Holler for the Home Town Boys"

So Wednesday Rebecca and I will head to South Africa to watch the U.S. of A. beat the tar out of England, Slovenia, and Algeria at the World Cup. We're traveling with our good friends Abby Wismer and Michael Shaw, and will meet the indominatable Jonathan Wilson down there for games 2 and 3.

Among other things, this blog has been an attempt at community learning across continents, an invitation to join in on the conversation that we're having about God's kingdom, and its intersection with economies, race relations, etc. So while we're AWOL down South, check out some of these podcasts from folks who are applying kingdom theology to life lived in urban America. Maybe you'll find these helpful, as we have, as we try to learn just what Micah meant when he said that what is required of us is to do justice and love mercy and walk with God.

First and foremost, check out two sermons from two pastors from my hometown church. I love tuning in and finding out that Second Pres is preaching the gospel for the poor back home in ways that challenge and encourage us here!

Richard Rieves: Richard is planting a church in the neighborhood near Advance where Rebecca and I used to work. This is an incredible sermon on how God calls us to diversity . . . for our own sake! http://www.2pc.org/media/amen.xml


Sandy Wilson: Warning! This will knock your socks off. Here's an excerpt-“Most in this city are simply trying to figure out where they can get their half-acre, 500,000 dollar home, with their wall, and their gate, locked, so that nobody can get in and steal their stuff.  They’re not thinking about, “How do I get down there where people don’t even have a half of a half of an acre, and don’t have anything to put in their house and give something to them?!” I’m telling you, that is WICKED! IT’S MORE WICKED THAN THE STRIP JOINTS IN OUR CITY! “And most of the rest of the people are just complicit partners, who want to claim that by being passive, they haven’t done anything evil. If you are passive, you WILL do evil! Because we’re seeing here [in this passage], with this light shed on the world order, IT IS EVIL! IT’S ALWAYS BEEN EVIL!    http://www.2pc.org/resources/audio/?customshow=1&find=series&series=revelation&series_name=Revelation

Now for one not so close to home: Tim Keller on Jonah. This is probably one of the best sermons I've ever heard about our responsibility to the city . . . any city! http://sermons2.redeemer.com/sites/sermons2.redeemer.com/files/RSS_Feeds/Timothy_Keller_Podcasts.xml


Finally, here's extra credit. One of the most damaging theological errors of our recent history is the fundamentalist Zionist belief that the nation state of Israel is the literal fulfillment of the Bible's prophesies about God fulfilling His covenant. This misguided belief has led Christians to support violence, violation of human rights, and an increased racial divide between Israelis and Palestinians. Moreover, it has damaged the gospel work in Palestine amongst Palestinians, as proved by the large Christian population present at the time of the initial Israeli war, a popluation that has been decreasing dangerously and dramatically ever since. If you don't believe me, or want to learn more, why not listen to the opening talk from a conference put on by evangelicals from Palestine (by Rev. Alex Awad)? And if that whets your appetite, why not listen to the rest? I'm working my way through right now! http://www.christatthecheckpoint.com/lectures.html

Peace,
Michael