oratory could be the means by which the barbarian was transformed. The claims
of this thesis are not as bold, and yet they are significant. The nudge of a
sceptic towards the way of Jesus, rather than a transformation of the
barbarian, has been the focus. It has been established that there is a role for intrigue in the
communication with sceptics.
mere words and images. The intriguing communication must flow from intriguing
communities, living distinctive lives with distinction. Good words operate best
when they are in unison with good works. A pluralist society offers the
opportunity to step forward, rather than to step back, to be more outgoing, not
less. To initiate a community-wide conversation through billboards which
intrigue is one such way to step forward.
more than mere human skills. It will require a sustained, prayerful dependence
upon God, the one who opens eyes and softens hearts. The blindness and the
hardness in the sceptic are real but this can change under the influence of the
Spirit of God. To design a series of billboards which intrigue is to supply the
Spirit with some tools with which he may choose to go to work.
who is more than a mere project. The sceptic is to be respected, to be
understood and loved. Disputes can be delayed, preferring to loiter to
intrigue, rather than rushing to persuade. Of Timothy Keller it is observed
that he offers the sceptic the same respect he offers to a member of his
church [see here]. Kinnaman and Lyons conclude that followers of Jesus must respond to people the
way he did [see UnChristian, 213, 217]. These are the examples to follow.
thesis is a mission one. There are large numbers of ‘skeptics, critics, and
cynics’ and hostile UnChristians who resist what the Christian community
represents. Are they to be left alone, just ignored? No. The small nudge of
intrigue may lead to the big change of entanglement in the way of Jesus.”
nice chatting
Paul
About Me
the art of unpacking
After a childhood in India, a theological training in the USA and a pastoral ministry in Southland (New Zealand), I spent twenty years in theological education in New Zealand — first at Laidlaw College and then at Carey Baptist College, where I served as principal. In 2009 I began working with Langham Partnership and since 2013 I have been the Programme Director (Langham Preaching). Through it all I've cherished the experience of the 'gracious hand of God upon me' and I've relished the opportunity to 'unpack', or exegete, all that I encounter in my walk through life with Jesus.
Recent Posts
It was my very first training seminar with Langham Preaching. April 2009. We were based at the OMF Guest House in Chiangmai, Thailand. As I wandered the property, I came across this striking quotation on one of the walls: So striking, in fact, that I stopped to take its photo! But is it really true?…
Ten years ago, Ode to Georgetown was my response to being surprised by grief when the only church I had ever pastored closed its doors. Last week brought the news that the theological college which I attended, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS), was to close most of its Chicagoland campus. I have been feeling a…
I am neither painter nor poet, musician nor actor. With Art and Music and Drama classes at school, I was present in body—but absent in spirit and skill. However, as a teacher, there has been the occasional flare of creativity in the crafting of assignments. One of my favourites is one of my first ones.…
John Stott was the first one to help me see the tension in Jesus’ teaching on salt and light. They are pictures for how his disciples are to live in society. Salt pulls them in, keeping them involved. Light holds them back, keeping them distinctive. Being light responds to ‘the danger of worldliness’, while being…
Beautiful. Now we just need to get this out to the "Jesus is the rizzle in the sizzle" signwriters.