Sunday, May 26, 2002

I will pursue ordination. I will do it with a strong sense of personal direction, rather than being directed in the process. Instead of submitting to a predetermined list of things I have to know, I will propose the process myself, and then submit to the directives I'm given. In any ordination process I've heard of, the primary component has to do with systematic theology. I plan to reinvent that. I'm not sure theology is even a biblical word. I've thought about it and determined that a better approach is integrational doctrine. I know that doctrine is a biblical construct and it's important that I be able to answer well and teach well when called upon. Systematic theology is just too, well, systematic. It's linear and brings to mind stupid thoughts like, "If I put everything down on paper in an outline or chart, I can understand God." The fact of the matter is that I will never understand God or His ways . . . at least not in this life. Integrational doctrine, on the other hand, is something that by definition must be lived in. It's not enough for me to say that I believe in the doctrine of the Trinity. If that belief is worth a flip to me, it needs to applied and grappled with as I eat my cereal, as I drive my car, as I talk with students, as I prepare a sermon. The fact that I believe in the Holy Spirit will be of no value to me if I don't rely on the Holy Spirit for direction. Another aspect of integrational doctrine is that if it is a lived experience, then it is necessarily evolutionary. This does not mean that it's watered down or shallow - but the fact is that because of how I have watched God work in my life, I have a different perspective now than I did ten years ago. Shouldn't my doctrine reflect that? If not, it's not integrational.

That's all.

posted by Steve at 6:22 AM
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spirit farmer data

I'm Steve Lewis. This used to be my blogging home. My online home is now at SpiritFarmer.com. When this blog was my active online home, I lived in Seattle. Now I live in London, UK. I follow Jesus (poorly most of the time), worship simply, read a lot, watch culture, go to school, listen to music, write, enjoy art, and drink a lot of coffee.
e-mail me: spiritfarmer@gmail.com
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seattle spots

victrola coffee
zoka coffee
university of washington
church of the apostles
quest church
sanctuary church
shoreline vineyard


sites i visit

off the map
theooze
next-wave
metacritic
nt wright



a few of the blogs in the feedreader

tallskinnykiwi
jason evans
joe boyd
kevin rains
alan creech
chris marshall
bill bean
eugene cho
jordon cooper
dwight friesen
john chandler
amy palmer
ryan bolger
rudy carrasco
ryan sharp
sings in the sunshine
rick bennett
scot mcknight
karen ward
alan hirsch
dan kimball
petey crowder



i'm reading it

colossians remixed
africa unchained



i finished reading it - 2007

generation me
jesus and the restoration of israel
god's continent
glocalization
globalizing theology
gustavo gutierrez: essential writings
jesus and the eyewitnesses
garlands of grace
twenty poems to nourish your soul
the black swan
dancing in the streets
made to stick
signs in contemporary culture
hit the bullseye
revolution
the politics of jesus
readings in christian ethics
toward old testament ethics
the kite runner
principles of conduct
velvet elvis
the irresistable revolution
they like jesus, but not the church
the great omission
ishmael
charisma: the gift of grace, and how it has been taken from us
the starfish and the spider
a perfect mess
the world cafe
the new faces of christianity
leaving church
journeying in faith
the creed
creators
transforming mission
metaphors we live by
foolishness to the greeks
personal knowledge



states i've spent time: 2007

washington
texas
british columbia
oregon
california
georgia
oh yeah, denmark, too



i wrote it

managing conflict in the 'new world'
music review: over the rhine
film review: bonhoeffer
music review: fighting jacks
film review: the passion of the christ
how reality tv changes lives
the best tv article you've ever read
corks & caps: a wine lover's story of change
america's idols
random, disorganized thoughts about life after the katrina disaster
missional . . . plain and simple
on becoming post-gnostic



i blogged it

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