Every Sunday, we’ll be posting articles and links that are saying something important about church, culture, and mission. Here’s what resonated with us this week on the web:

Church & Theology

Sarah Bessey writes about the "right story" and holding darkness and light in tension:

The hard work of peace making takes place in the tension between both stories. I want to be a better listener, a both-and listener, because I believe that listening is an underestimated expression of love.

I don’t want to ignore those who are happy and settled, who are empowered and strong and thriving.

And I don’t want to ignore those who are angry and hurting, who are disempowered and marginalized and yearning.

David Fitch looks at the situation in Baltimore through the lens of the church as a reconciling presence:

The default modus operandi of Americans when working for racial reconciliation is to work for change in the government systems that mediate justice. We look to change laws, the racial composition of police forces, or school systems, etc. etc. All of this has its place. But the first move of the church is to open space for presence, where people come together face to face, listen, confess their sins, make things right, discern the future. In these local spaces of presence Jesus promises to be present. Here what is bound on earth is bound in heaven. Here the Kingdom authority of heaven bursts in and disrupts the antagonisms and violence of our day.

Beau Crosetto at Release The Ape starts a conversation about "apostolic confidence":

I know the first question many of you have reading this is, “How? How did they plant a church a day?” Or, “what did these churches look like?”

I will loop back and write another post on the principles I find about these churches, but for now I want us to be inspired by “apostolic confidence”.

News & Views

Ta-Nehisi Coates gives a speech at Johns Hopkins about growing up with the everyday violence in Baltimore:

But I have a problem when you begin the clock with the violence on Tuesday. Because the fact of the matter is that the lives of black people in this city, the lives of black people in this country have been violent for a long time. Violence is how enslavement actually happened. People will think of enslavement as like a summer camp, where you just have to work, where you just go and someone gives you food and lodging, but enslavement is violence, it is torture. Torture is how it was made possible. You can’t imagine enslavement without stripping away people’s kids and putting them up for sale. And the way you did that was, you threatened people with violence.

Rod Drehrer recaps the Q Conference conversations on religious liberty with Michael Lindsay and Andrew Sullivan:

Andrew Sullivan was next on the stage, and engaged in a conversation with Q leader Gabe Lyons. Andrew — who is far less frantic, and far more serene, than I’ve ever seen him; leaving the Internet was plainly good for his health — was visibly moved by Lindsay’s remarks.

“It’s inimical to me that any religious entity or organization should be compelled by government to compromise any jot or tittle of their doctrine,” Andrew said.

Jayson Bradley writes at Relevant about Christians acknowledging privilege:

Christians, just like everyone else, are sinful and can take advantage of corrupt systems of power. Yes, there were Christians who fought for women's suffrage, for Native Americans and against slavery, but there are also many Christians who have been on the wrong side of issues of privilege. It's no wonder that there are people who puzzle over whether the Jesus of modern Christianity cares about the issue of privilege at all.

Favorite Podcasts

Romal Tune and Tony Kriz live on the Seminary Dropout podcast.

Dr. Chris Green on the Newsworthy With Norsworthy podcast.

Partners & Resources

Broken and Burdened in Baltimore, by Biblical Seminary.

But is the Seminary Listening? by Scot McKnight & Northern Seminary.

An Update From Chris Backert, by Ecclesia Network.

6 Charges From the Guy Who Coined the Term Missional, by Fresh Expressions US.

 

On The Missio Blog

On the blog this week, we continued our ongoing series on the topic of #TrulyHuman:

A Different Kind Of Conversation: Why I AM Attending And Presenting At #TrulyHuman, by Dr. Charlie Self.

Being #TrulyHuman In Protest: The Icon Of The Trinity, by Ty Grigg and Ruthie Johnson.

#TrulyHuman: On Resurrecting My Love For Church, by Suzanne Burden.