Posted 6 days ago
What A.S.Tatum from North Carolina, USA has to say about The New Conspirators
(**Note this is not a review but, rather, the first in a series of personal engagements with The New Conspirators by Tom Sine. My observations may not cover all points of interest along the journey but I hope you’ll share your experiences nonetheless). I’ve been absent from blogging lately. The summer has been busy and, honestly, even since I began blogging here, I’ve been a little disenchanted with what Sine calls the “emerging edge” of the church throughout the world. I bought this book (or was it given to me, I don’t remember) months ago and, unfortunately, it ended up sitting on my shelf collecting dust.So far, I’m thankful I decided to dust off my copy. What I’ve discovered in Tom Sine (a person previously unknown to me) is a fresh and humble voice that is able to cut through the fog of conflict and antagonism that often accompanies conversations about what is needed for the church to truly be the church in the 21st century.
The first chapter is a highly charitable yet clear-headed overview of the various “streams” of the emerging edge in contemporary Christianity: the emerging, the missional, the mosaic and the monastic. While I’ve been mildly familiar with most of these streams, I must say that Sine’s engagement is able to provide the necessary overview thereof without much fluff (an approach that I can appreciate).
Although I was mildly familiar with the various streams, I must say that it was the Mosaic stream as characterized by Sine that was the least familiar and most challenging. Having grown up primarily in Rural North Carolina, I can say that I have lived a pretty sheltered life when it comes to substantive and authentic engagement with people of different ethnic and/or cultural backgrounds.
Let’s just be honest here, I’ve not had very many friends in my life who weren’t white, middle class protestants. My awareness of and desire to engage with people who might look, think and view the world differently than I do has, fortunately, expanded in recent years with my growing passion for the study of Christianity and the American civil rights movement. Authors of the movement such as James Baldwin and Howard Thurman have been incredibly challenging and formative with regard to the way I view both my own personhood as well as the ways that both I and “my people” relate to and engage with people who, for better or worse, have been “the other” for me. Other diverse thinkers such as John Hope Franklin, Tim Tyson (a teacher and friend), and Charles Marsh (among others) continue to force me to re-evaluate my complicity in racial and cultural discrimination and marginalization.
It is for these reasons that the Mosaic stream has been both encouraging and challenging. I currently live in a small rural community with a population of a little under 4,000 people. A large percentage of those who live around me are Hispanic and Latino. I am a minister in a predominately white church which is part of a predominately white denomination. Because I live in the south, I can say that racism and ethnocentrism are alive and well. In short, a large percentage of the people who live, work and spend their lives in the community in which I live are viewed by my brothers and sisters as less than human.
And while I’ve long been sheltered with regard to sharing life with those from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds, I’ve also always possessed a deep sense that the monolithic whiteness of Sunday mornings was not what God intended for the church. And the hard part is that – at least from my vantage point – this is what church has looked like for my entire life. Reading The New Conspirators has lighted a fire in me to work for racial & cultural reconciliation in my own community. I’m not sure whether it’s lack of creativity, lack of desire or simply lack of faith that has kept the church separated in the South. I do know (and so does Sine) that the wretched legacy of slavery and racial oppression is one large factor but I also know that the God that I worship is bigger than my ancestors’ sins. In The New Conspirators, I recognize the call for a multicultural church as the call to all people but especially the call to those of us who have the legacy of racial hatred and oppression running in our veins. And this is an urgent call. Sine writes,
By 2060 the United States will become the first non-European Western nation – a nation of Latinos, African Americans and Asians. Those of us from European roots will just be another group. Our churches need to help people prepare not only to live in this future, but to receive and celebrate the gifts from other cultures. (The New Conspirators, 45).
While this book isn’t only about the Mosaic stream of the emerging edge of the church, I clearly needed to hear God speak through Sine regarding the work that’s going on to build God’s multi-cultural, multi-gifted kingdom, not on some far-off future but in the here and now. In the lives of ordinary people living out humility and faithfulness by receiving and rejoicing in the gifts that God has given our neighbors.
The posture of reception and celebration of the gifts of our neighbors must, if we take Sine seriously, include also a posture of humility with regard to our use of language to communicate with one another. As an American of European descent, I can say that I’ve not given much thought to why my Asian, African & Hispanic/Latino brothers and sisters in Seminary are required to learn English. For now, at least, practical concerns regarding the transmission of information are likely at the forefront of those who develop curriculum guidelines for the Association of Theological Schools. HOWEVER, if what Sine tells us is true, Seminaries and Churches need to take seriously the possibility that English may not always be the “official” language of the Western Church.
In other words, Western (and particularly American) Christians need to learn to receive the gifts of others with a humility that is willing to learn how to hear them in their indigenous language. This, of course, becomes uncomfortable for some because it hits close to home with regard to the immigration debates that rage constantly in the South. And all of this makes the work of the church more difficult because of the ridiculous entanglements in which we find ourselves with regard to patriotism and discipleship. Should white American Christians pledge allegiance to the flag of (white) America or do we give our full allegiance to the kingdom of God without borders? These are hard questions and I don’t have the answers but I am thankful for Tom Sine and for The New Conspirators for forcing me to deal prayerfully with them and I look forward to the rest of the journey (This is, after all, only the first chapter). Please share your thoughts and your life in this space. Converse, create and imagine with me what God’s kingdom can be…
Posted 6 days ago
Mark Your Calendar - Living Simply with Kids Workshop
This will the the first in a series of workshops and conversations related to homegrown revolution, alternative living, sustainability, cultural awareness, social justice and other holy mischievous act of resistance and creativity.
For those of us trying to live an intentional Christian life kids can be both and inspiration and a frustration. We want to live out an alternate script from what society has written for us but it often seems like when it comes to our kids we’re on our own and have to start from scratch (which of course we don’t have time for, we’re parents!)
In this conversation we will be exploring together simplicity, sustainibility, whole-life faith, justice, life-long learning, and healthy parenting. And discovering how these issues affect the way we live with our kids and in the greater community.
Facilitated by Ricci Kilmer & Eliacín Rosario-Cruz
Hosted by Mustard Seed Associates and Mustard Seed House
- When? October 11th, 2008 | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- $10 Donation | Register online
- Soup and bread lunch provided.
- Please come and bring a snack to share and your own drinks.
- Where? The Mustard Seed House
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Posted 7 days ago
What Sam Andress from California has to say about The New Conspirators
The New Conspirators: Creating the Future One Mustard See at a Time, by Tom Sine and published by InterVarsity Press is a great read. It is an important read for those in the church and perhaps outside the church trying to get a grasp on not only the world we live in today, but the one which is being created now and into the future! Tom does an excellent job bringing together the four major streams of new activity in the church. Streams which will chart the course ahead for faithfulness to Jesus Christ. These four streams are: Monastic, Mosaic, Missional Church, and Emerging Church. The most defining reality found in each of these movements, Sine notes, is there move away from an inward or an attractional “come-to-us” approach. Instead it is noted that all these streams have recovered a robust Gospel understanding that recognizes the cosmic proportions of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. This theological recovery/shift has seen droves of younger Christians shift from a individualistic boomer focus of personal achievement and advancement to discerning the missional activity of God in the world and then joining God in that activity to bring about healing and wholeness in the world, God’s world. Because of its thorough and wide ranging analysis, of the many wonderful books written on this subject, this is the one-stop book I recommend for church study groups and leaders.
Sam Andres, Pasadena Ca, USA
Posted 8 days ago
What Andre Means from Chicago has to say about The New Conspirators
just finished reading The New Conspirators by Tom Sine (author of The Mustard Seed Conspiracy) this morning. The book discusses 4 trends within the church today; the missional, mosaic, monastic, and emerging. Sine does a great job of summarizing each of the 4 movements and giving examples of how God is moving in each one.He also lays out some of the challenges and opportunities that will be facing the church over the coming decade. And one of the things I really like that he does is that often time the challenges and opportunities are two sides of the same coin. So for example he talks about the rising cost of housing being a challenge that Christians need to prepare themselves for, but that it also provides us the opportunity to explore what it might look like to live in community together.I was really impressed with The New Conspirators and thinks Tom Sine does an excellent job of giving an overview of those 4 movements as well as providing an inspiring view of what the church and Christians could be like.
Andre Means, Chicago Il, USA
Posted 9 days ago
Emergence among Episcopalians
Here is a brief summary/reflection by episcopalian practitioner Tim Mathis of a meeting of radical episcopalians that happened this past weekend (Aug. 14-16) in Church of the Apostles in Seattle in which MSA collaborated by facilitating several conversations about culture change and creative expression of church.
Relatively Faithful: Its all who you know…This weekend in Seattle there was a gathering of the Emerging Coordinating Team ECG-TEC—a self-appointed, and hopefully soon internationally recognized, network of individuals in the Episcopal Church focused on visioning and supporting emerging ministries in TEC. In attendance were Episcelebrities Phyllis Tickle, Sara Miles, Karen Ward, Eliacin Rosario-Cruz, Tom and Christine Sine, some important national church types, folks who are doing exciting things on the ground, and for about half the time, me—the interloper/token young dude. You could have watched as well, b/c it was simulcast. Thanks for the invite Karen. Heres what we talked about.
Posted 11 days ago
What Jon Hallewell from the United Kingdom has to say about The New Conspirators
The book is in many ways a follow on from MSvMW (Mustard Seed vs. McWorld). It accounts for the changes in the world and for the changes in the way many people are being and doing church. The New Conspirators is an invitation. There are no blue prints or models to follow, but stories that invite you to creative imagination and to bold experimentation. These are seasoned with some simple suggestions to help you begin or continue your journey.
Tom’s research and analysis is excellent. His findings are disturbing however, especially when examining the challenges we are facing now, challenges which will only increase whilst the world continues on it current trajectory. Whilst surprising and sometimes alarming, we will all recognise the economic and environmental picture of the world that Tom paints.
In the midst of our present reality Tom calls us back to the future, to the hope of the homecoming of God’s Kingdom. In one very personal and moving section Tom refashions and paraphrases ancient biblical images of the coming of God’s kingdom. Tom reminds us and calls followers of Jesus back to the mission of planting the seeds from which this Kingdom will come to fruition. Whilst we need to be able to critique the world in which we live, we are called to be a living prophetic demonstration of the alternative way of life, a community that inspires hope.
Eternal life is not merely about living forever, but about cultivating that future reality here and now. Tom calls us to a creative faith that fills every aspect of our being, flowing out from our every activity: be it family life, or decisions about our spending, housing, vocation, giving or our use of time. I wonder, how many of us really meant it when we sang: “I surrender all” on a Sunday morning? This book subtly asks that question.
The remainder of the book is full of plentiful practical ideas of how we live this way of life. These are not theoretical sound bites, but true and living examples that are grounded in the pioneering practices of those who are already taking up the mustard seed challenge. These examples give me hope and fill me with excitement for the future.
Whilst this book is titled: the new conspirators, it is an advertisement for co-conspirators. For Lyn and I, as we hopefully head for New Brunswick in the fall, co-conspirators are exactly what we are on the lookout for.
Jon Hallewell, United Kingdom
Posted 13 days ago
What Ian Matthews from UK has to say about The New Conspirators
The first section is a superb overview of what is happening – mainly in the United States and the United Kingdom, but also including some interesting stuff in other commonwealth countries, from inner city churches, social action projects to new forms of community. The stories are inspiring and really practical – a refreshing change from what you often see (heavy on theory, lacking on how to actually do it!).
The next three sections are all analysis of where we actually are as western culture – from religion through to commerce and society. The sections on the global village, the global mall (a phrase I first heard in the wonderful Colossians Remixed) and the imbalanced lifestyle of the west are helpful and provoking. After this, when discussing global poverty it starts to get a bit bogged down in detail and loses some of the inspirational impact.The final section, Taking our Imaginations seriously, is far better, and much more engaging. It allowed me to feel the breadth of opportunity and possibility that exists when the messages of our culture are no longer limiting the way we might live and the impact we can have.
Overall a great book that is a useful addition to the whole discussion of where the church is going and what it can do.
Posted 14 days ago
Update - Live Streaming
We want to apologize for the confusion about the live streaming event with the Emerging Coordinating Group for The Episcopal Church (ECG-TEC).
The broadcast will not go live on this blog and we are sorry for that.
MSA will still be part of the gathering facilitating some of the conversation on culture change, creative expressions of church and an Imagine That! Creative Workshop.
We are very sorry for the inconvenience.
Posted 16 days ago
Back from Celtic Prayer Retreat 08
By Christine Sine
We had a great retreat on Camano Island in site of the rain. On 32 adults, 12 kids and 2 dogs gathered for a time of worship, prayer, scripture and reflection. We walked the prayer trails and the labyrinth. We ate meals together and swapped recipes of all the wonderful salads. We BBQued everything from vegetarian burgers to gourmet steaks. Saturday night a record 4 families and 4 singles camped overnight enjoying morning prayers and evening vespers together. We soaked in the beauty of God’s creation and shared our vision for the development of a Celtic Monastic centre that could provide a more permanent place for people to come for retreat and renewal.
I took lots of photos but please bear with me – I managed to upload them with the last ones first so you start with the tear down photos first. Will try to re upload them later today.
Our theme for the year was Living into the Kingdom of God. I wrote a number of new prayers for the event. here is one that I wrote as a centring prayer at the beginning of the retreat.
Breathe in the breath of God,
Breathe out your cares and concerns,
Breathe in the love of God,
Breathe our your doubts and despairs,
Breathe in the life of God,
Breathe out your fears and frustrations.
We sit quietly before the One who gives life and love to all creation,
We sit in awe of the One who formed us in our mother’s wombs,
We sit at peace surrounded by the One who fills every fiber of our being.
Breathe in the breath of God,
Breathe out your tensions and turmoil,
Breathe in the love of God,
Breathe out your haste and hurry,
Breathe in the life of God,
Breathe our your work and worries,
We sit quietly before the One who gives life and love to all creation,
We sit in awe of the One who formed us in our mother’s wombs,
We sit at peace surrounded by the One who fills every fiber of our being.
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Posted 16 days ago
What Byron Borger from Hearts and Minds Bookstore has to say About The New Conspirators
Tom is well acquainted with the increasingly progressive stream within the (post?) evangelical world and his sympathies are clearly with our emergent friends. A few of the chapters in his book are actually a tremendous intro to that movement. Still, I wonder how much more helpful it may be to offer some critique or concern about the foibles of that movement? Certainly there are those who don’t think that movement will offer much of substance for the long haul… And does the shift from “post-modern to post-colonial” that Brian McLaren so powerfully discusses in The Emerging Manifesto of Hope indicate a trend? It is one that Tom is perfectly positioned to not only document but to guide.Lastly, I might have wished for more direct discussion of the fate of the mainline churches. Are they sidelined? Are they still viable? Can our historic liberal denominations live into the new practices that they are themselves writing about, being shaped by deeper worship, teaching contemplative, going missional, and more faithfully guided by their best doctrinal traditions?
The New Conspirators is not at all irrelevant to mainline churches, even if many of the stories are not of your typical Lutheran or Presbyterian or Methodist parishes. Many of his illustrations are, in fact, from mainline settings (including his good knowledge of Anglican ministry in the U. K.) if admittedly from some of the more innovative and experimental congregations. Again, this is a part of his own heart, and he and Christine speak often for traditional mainline denominations, so I would have wished for just a small bit more about that as a context for forming new conspirators and how that might be encouraged.
These are just minor quibbles though, and I invite you to consider getting this, for all of the good reasons named above. The New Conspirators: Creating the Future One Mustard Seed at a Time is perhaps Tom Sine’s crowning work, or, as Alan Hirsch puts it, “vintage Tom Sine.” He does his social analysis, does social visionary thing, he tells tons of inspiring stories, he documents new trends and invites us to be aware of the (perhaps) strategic influences of several new streams within the broader Body of Christ, even as we live out the implications of these in fresh ways contextualized to the contemporary world and its ways and needs. He has tons of interesting foonotes and a great sample of on-line resources. Sine invites you and me, readers, to become friends, well-aware and awake, networked and involved, in spiritual renewal of the sort that is, indeed, “whole life discipleship”—-living it up, finding our purpose, taking discipleship seriously, living in a world “between Mustard Seed and McWorld.” Yes, through his whole body of work, and now in this new masterpiece, he invites us to “imagine the future that is already here.”
