Curtis A. Bronzan

The study and practice of evangelistic mission and ministry in postmodern, postcolonial, post-Christian contexts has resulted in a great deal of resources throughout the past decade, including both the emerging and missional church conversations. While such publications, conventions, podcasts, and blogs may be helpful in examining the macro effects of major shifts in Western cultural perceptions, they can also – rather ironically – undermine their purpose, since such resources seek to “point the way forward” while asserting the dissolution of a homogeneous culture and uncovering the reality of our deeply fragmented society.

When this occurs, it reveals that these well-meaning leaders have fallen into the trap of those who seek to provide a modernist, catchall solution to particular situations, many of whom are deeply informed by “the McDonaldization process which finds its home in Purpose-Driven and Seeker-Oriented churches.” (Gibbs, Eddie and Ryan K. Bolger. Postmodern Forms of the Church in Krabill, Sawatsky, and Van Engen, Evangelical, Ecumenical, and Anabaptist Missiologies in Conversation, 188)

Gibbs and Bolger go on to define this problem as linearity:

[t]he problem with linearity is that it is but one perspective on reality and has the potential for oppression by the one voice or one structure. In contrast, with nonlinearity, multiple messages are communicated through appropriate media. As more voices are heard in multiple ways, the probability for oppression decreases.

In the following posts, then, I will seek to outline postmodernity, pluralism, anthropology, Scripture, and ecclesiology in their relationship to missiology in contemporary culture. (Photo credit: Jonny Baker)

Grades were due for the fall quarter at Fuller today, which means that after a couple busy weeks of grading 50+ final papers, I’m now able to return to some of my own research interests. I won’t begin actually writing my ThM thesis until this summer (after a required integration course in the spring), though this quarter I have the opportunity for another directed study with Barry Taylor, a professor who has significantly shaped my thinking in past courses as well as a previous directed study.

The first section of my ThM thesis will specifically examine Jesus’ action in the temple through detailed exegetical work. From there, however, I’m not exactly sure how best to proceed in arguing for a (post)modern de(con)struction of (our) temples that remain faithful to Jesus’ prophetic action.

As such, this quarter I’ll be examining the theological impact of a few different thinkers, some of whom I’m somewhat familiar with (Derrida, Vattimo, and Girard) and others of whom I’m not (Nietzsche, Rorty, and Foucault). Creating the reading list was rather difficult, especially considering T&T Clark’s recent “_____ and Theology” series as well as Baker’s Church and Postmodern Culture series. Ultimately, however, I’m excited about how it ended up – and am looking forward to conversations with Barry regarding the subject matter.

I was reminded of these videos created as a final project for a course last fall with Ryan Bolger – Church in Contemporary Culture – when someone made a comment on them via YouTube. Watching them again is like reading an old paper or listening to an old sermon, remembering where I was at and what I was reading back then.

Grades are due for the summer quarter at Fuller today, which means the seemingly endless reading and grading that has filled the past two weeks is (nearly) over. Due to some shifts of office locations on campus, there are still some papers missing that I’m trying to track down, and, as such, will still need to look through.

Thus, my posting has been a bit sparse, but keep your eyes peeled, I’ll be posting some recent writing here soon.

This fall, I again have the distinguished opportunity to do a directed study with Ryan Bolger, which comprises another 4 units en route to Fuller’s ThM degree in the School of Intercultural Studies.

I’ve previously been able to fill units (and even meet requirements) by studying missional ecclesiology with Ryan and postmodern philosophy/culture with Barry Taylor.

This quarter, however, I’ll be delving into the religious and social setting of the first century. Ultimately, my hope is that all three streams come together for my thesis, tentatively titled The De(con)struction of the Church: An(other) Attempt at Religion (Without Religion).

A while back, I sat down with Ryan Bolger and Aaron Klinefelter for an episode of the Praxis Podcast, which is now available.

Check it out here.

This summer, in the midst of a flurry of activity at the church, I’ve had the opportunity to work as a Teaching Assistant in Fuller’s School of Intecultural Studies under Ryan Bolger.

Throughout August and September, I’ll be doing an Independent Study with him looking at recent (and some not so recent) literature engaging the missional conversation. While it’s a departure from the more philosophical reading I worked through previously with another professor, thus far it’s proven a nice change of pace – and may ultimately be of some help for my ThM research and thesis.

I stopped by the Fuller Bookstore before a class I’m taking / TAing with my ThM advisor, Ryan Bolger to pick up In Name Only: Tackling the Problem of Nominal Christianity upon which the course, Evangelizing Nominal Christians, was originally based. The material for the course has since shifted toward engaging the emerging / missional conversation, though I wanted to become acquainted with In Name Only as well, since Gibbs’ other works – including his recent ChurchMorph – are epic.

Stopping by the Fuller Bookstore is extremely helpful, but also exceedingly problematic – at least for my bank account.

Today, before even finding Gibbs’ In Name Only, I encountered James K.A. Smith’s Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview and Cultural Formation (which, along with Derrida and Theology, was on the same Amazon order as In Name Only, that wasn’t due to ship for another couple of weeks!). But I also ran across Graham Ward’s The Politics of Discipleship: Becoming Postmaterial Christians and Merold Westphal’s Whose Community, Which Interpretation?: Philosophical Hermeneutics for the Church, both of which aren’t due out until October 1st!

Needless to say, I picked both up, as well as Hegel and Theology.