Don't worry...Oprah and Dr. Phil will tell us how to think, right?

So, yesterday at school, my students and I discussed an interesting and unfortunate phenomenon. We talked about the fact that we live in a nonliterate society. All that means is that our society is actually literate (people can read and write), but we choose not to read or write. We choose instead to learn via images. We allow ourselves to be educated by our television sets and computer screens. We also learn from the spoken word via the radio. While there are certainly advantages to these types of learning, what are the problems that come from a society that is nonliterate? Answer the question in two ways. First, answer the question in a general way. What effect does this have on society on general? What are the positive or negative effects of nonliteracy on society? Second, answer the question with regard to the church. Why would it be good or bad to have a nonliterate congregation?

Posting Assignments

Since most of you agreed to the assigned week for posting idea, I've put together our weekly assignments. Remember, if it is your week then you must post something for us to discuss sometime during that week. Here goes:

9/25 Charlie Wallace

10/2 Ben Hames

10/9 Ross Parker

10/16 Michael Estes

10/23 Drew Jones

I'm looking forward to some good discussion!

Prayer Request

Guys,

Please be in prayer for my wife and I. My wife, Julie, is very pregnant. In fact, she is six days overdue and MISERABLE. Well, yesterday, we were told that they wouldn't be able to induce until Wednesday because there were so many people having babies. This would be fine except for Julie is having some serious comfort issue. Her overall health and the health of the baby boy are not in question. In fact, they are doing well, but she is having real problems sleeping and even moving. So, I guess pray for her comfort and my ability to minister to her. Also, pray for her mom and dad as they are traveling up here Saturday evening and Sunday. Thanks.

Congratulations Charlie & Emily

Isn't he beautiful? Congratulations to Charlie and Emily on the birth of their first...child. Emily was in labor for 945 hours before they got this child out, when the doctors decided to smoke him out. All is well. Dad is nervous, Mom is afraid of her child, and little Jackson is plucking the hairs out of his unibrow. Congratulations again!

The Missional Church

Okay, gentlemen, I'll go first. The buzzword in emerging and non-emerging circles lately has been defining what it means to be missional as a church within culture. Being missional simply means that the church must take a step back and re-evaluate the cultural stories, values, and mannerisms of the community in which God has assigned them to minister, and act as a missionary to their community. Being missional is distinct from both being evangelistic or being "seeker-friendly." Two well-known "missional" churches are Mars Hill Church in Seattle (Mark Driscoll) and Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan (Tim Keller).

Here is a quote from Breaking the Missional Code by Ed Stetzer and David Putnam:

We are convinced that you can be equally called, gifted, and passionate and yet experience different levels of success due to the model of ministry being used. In other words, the way you do things does impact your ability to reach your community effectively. (p.2)

Are Stetzer & Putnam correct? What role, if any, should the culture play in determining ministry focus and methodology? Is a large-scale shift in church culture necessary to reach a culture that is growing more secular?

Question...

Should we dissolve the blog? Not trying to step on any toes or anything like that, but just wanted to ask. What do you think?