Anabaptist reading group (Glasgow) restarting on Tuesday 2nd September at Tinderbox Ingram Street at 7.30. If you want to come along and not received an email from me message me and - it can be so.
We will be reading and discussing this book which contains a series of articles by the late John Howard Yoder
and which hopefully makes his thinking more accessible to a variety of readers others than those of an academic bent.
The goal for me will be to move beyond showing our knowledge of Yoder (if we have any) and discussing what he writes to the 'practical' concern of what this 'witness' based on Scripture and centred on Christ means for our own discipleship. If we fail to get there on a night we will have ended up discussing Yoder, the book, and even discipleship but may have failed to allow this witness to 'analysis' and 'discuss' us in the light of what it means to follow Jesus. Oh to be sure there will be the many tangents, moments of nonsense, rants that cannnot be spoken elsewhere than in a safe group, and disagreements but...
In the introduction to the book we are told:
'Where churches have become self-focussed and sheltered, Yoder calls us to be creative and mission-minded. He also challenges us to witness to Christ in every aspect of our lives. Where churches have become judgemental, Yoder calls us to be truly evangelistic, proclaiming the good news of God's offer of abundant life. Where churches have become conversion-focussed, Yoder calls us to be disciple-focussed, being and making followers of the way of Jesus. Where churches have become too political, Yoder calls for a new kind of politics in the body of Christ, embracing forgiveness instead of a finger pointing, conflict resolution instead of a polarized patisanship, and unity in Christ instead of competing interest groups. Finally, where churches have become hypocritical, Yoder calls us to radical Christian discipleship, shunning legalism and self righteousness and relying on the power of the Holy Spirit as we take up the cross and follow Jesus. Yoder's challenge to the church not only addresses surface issues of image, but tackles core issues of substance. He helps us ask again, who is Jesus? And who are we called to be as his followers?'
To be sure these latter issues require to be explored with tough thinking and deep feeling but if they are considered apart from concrete doing - discipleship will once more have been emptied of its substantial content which only exists in embodied lifestyle.
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