“This is the crux of our ministry to one another.”

People who aren’t preaching the cross should be more careful how they use the term crux.

“relationship building … mutually grow … understanding … nurture relationships … ”

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…

Chris, ENS also proudly trumpeted the release of the draft 27-page report on World Missions. The report was to consider the PB’s questions:

–What is the primary motivation for global mission?
–How do we practice global mission strategically in the 21st century?

I did a word search on the document for the words that follow. I’ll let your readers guess how many times they appear.

Jesus
Gospel
Great Commission
Salvation
Father
Son
Holy Spirit
Trinity
Disciple

Link to the aforementioned report here:

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/documents/DRAFTWorldMissionReport.pdf

If you turn off ‘whole words only’ on the search, you get several hits for ’son’. That’s something, I guess…

The feminiization of Christianity has made christianity culturally impotent. unfortunately, Islam’s attraction for many lies precisely in the fact it has a place for male traits and impulses.

Good observation, RomeA. The following do not occur either:
- verb “baptize” or “baptizing”
- “Save”
- “Lord”
- “Bible”
- “Scripture”
- “Convert”
- “Praise”
- “Preach”
- “Heal”
- “Soul”

However:
- “Development” - 15
- “Relationship” - 22
- “Share” - 2
- “Conference” - 4
-

Michael, thanks for adding to the list. After my short list didn’t show up, I gave up.

Given what TEC thinks “mission” is, I’m actually rather relieved they’re thinking of stopping their corruption of the word “missionary.” Because if this is mission, they have no missionaries.

And read carefully what the PB says about mission:

“Mission theology has changed and parts of the church are well aware of that. We are not in a colonial model–it’s no longer ‘we have the goods and you will receive them.’ It’s a partnership–we have gifts to offer and something to receive,” said Jefferts Schori, addressing the last two questions. “Mission partnerships expect a mutual relationship. It’s not just about spending money.”

Sure sounds to me like this is also a prelude to financially punishing Africans, since now mission has been reduced a matter of quid pro quo. “We have gifts to offer,” i.e., lucre, “and something to receive,” i.e., obedience to our dictates for the Communion.

Bad enough that “mission” has been stripped of any Gospel. But KJS manages to open the door to its being extortion in order to subvert the Gospel.

ENS story here: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81799_111608_ENG_HTM.htm

“I hope you pursue this with the same bravery and determination that the Knights Hospitallers displayed during the Siege of Malta and the Battle of Lepanto.”

The very reason I chose my nick!!!!!! The Mighty Sovereign Military Order of the Knights Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, still fulfiiling its mission as one of the most active Christian providers of aid and assistance to “our lords the poor and the sick” wherever the need arises.

RA, what to you mean by “prelude”? Anyone recall this? What’s that if not an attempt at ‘extortion in order to subvert the Gospel’?

Be sure to read Orombi’s reply in #4.

Smurf Breath,

You are of course correct. I should have written “prelude to financially punished Africans further.”

“…our differences are minute compared to the numerous ways in which we are similar.”

Mission Partner from TEO to Pagan in remote island jungle: “Christ is God, the Second Person of the Trinity and rose fromt the dead, plus homosexual acts and abortions are blessings.

Pagan in remote island jungle: “If you bow down to that stone idol by the big tree and sacrifice a goat, it will rain tomorrow.”

Mission Partner from TEO: “Why, Glory Be! You just said, basically, the same thing I said! Such “minute” differences between us!”

Pagan in remote island jungle: “If you bow down to that stone idol by the big tree and sacrifice a goat, it will rain tomorrow.”

ECUSA Priestess in Washington: “If you kill your child and sacrifice your TV, then global warming will stop (because it will rain tomorrow”

Don, your post isn’t a joke - it is exactly what ECUSA says and believes

and the pagan is closed to Christ, because he sacrifices only goats and bows down to stones, while ECUSAns sacrifice their children and bow down to flesh and blood.

Duh. closer. the pagan is CLOSER to Christ than anyone in ECUSA. Yes Kendall. Yes Mark.

Funny how sensitive TEO is about the word “missionary,” since they consider THOSE PEOPLE to be nothing but superstitious savages, mindlessly adhering to some words they found in the Bible, while dancing around the gay mission partner in the boiling cauldron, shaking their colorful shields.

After having somehow read this particular comment by “Sinner,” I must say: rem acu tetigisti.

This is of course why they’ve started using “missional” as an adjective. “Missionary” is bad in their world.

If this were merely an attempt to improve relationships with the local church in places where ECUSA has missionary connections, it would be okay. Missionaries did indeed sometimes have a “we’re better than you” approach, although I doubt that too many people who are serious believers and go into mission work today take this attitude, or even that most previous missionaries did. But it was there sometimes.

But that’s not what this is. Excellent work on the word analysis! They don’t have the Gospel to preach, so they’re trying to figure out why the heck they’re going in the first place.

“close”. to Christ. Typo.

The pagan is close to Christ, because he sacrifices only goats and bows down to stones, while ECUSAns are lost forever, because they sacrifice their children and bow down to flesh and blood.

Daniel Muller, I completely agree — Sinner has nailed it.

And Daniel, dare I ask: Do I detect the presence here of a fellow Wodehouse fanatic?

And Daniel, dare I ask: Do I detect the presence here of a fellow Wodehouse fanatic?

Anyone who has a copy of The English Hymnal and studied Shakespeare and Latin might be so accused. As for myself, I could not possibly comment, Madam.

“–How do we practice global mission strategically in the 21st century?”

Anyone who uses the words “strategically” and “Mission” in the same sentence is probably way off the mark.

“Mission” is nothing if not hands-on: personal. one-on-one. “Tactical” if you must use a military term.

Churches which fixate on “strategy” as TEc does, do so because they lack a vision and are hoping that the strategy will somehow produce the vision or compensate for its lack.

Visions are simple things writ large.
Bill Gates wanted to sell his operating system. His Vision became to sell it to everyone with a computer.
The missionary wants to bring a soul to Christ. The Vision is to “Spread the Gospel of Christ to all the world”.

OK, Now that we have a VISION (a “Mission” in military terms), we can begin to draft a “Strategy”, “Operational” level goals and a “Tactical” plan to get us there.

But you can’t “strategize” about going somewhere if you don’t know where you’re going.

As for myself, I could not possibly comment, Madam.

LOL…I think you just did.

consitent with the notion that the ECUSA is more focused on the UN’s MDG’s than anything else and thus is a political/social activist entity…

Dave,
They do have a vision. Everyone in the world living a comfortable, diverse, multicultural, pseudo-intellectual, upper middle class lifestyle, and nobody forced or pressured to restrain their sexual impulses in any way. In other words, everyone in the world a Anglican/Episcopalian bishop!

Not that it has anything to do with Christ, but it is a vision.

ECUSA to Abandon Missionary Position.

You missed your perfect headline, Chris.

CRUSADE to change - great one, Chris.

“…They don’t have the Gospel to preach, so they’re trying to figure out why the heck they’re going in the first place.

Is it possible that this is the opening salvo in an attempt to divert funds budgeted for mission (or in some instances monies left in wills as allocated funds?) Once they substantially change the definition of “mission” it will eventually mean “money to be used to sue people for the gold fillings in their teeth.” Ta Da! Mission accomplished.

I cannot remember right off hand, but it seems to me that there was a verse about “For lack of a vision, the people perish,” somewhere in the OT.

This is just TEC publicizing its deadly lack of a vision. What I want to know is just what KJS thinks she needs to learn from the pagans in the poorest parts of Africa?

Allen Lewis: Her Diversityness would probably learn “the fear of the Lord” from them, if she really listened, even though they see “as through a glass darkly” until they have been preached the Gospel of Christ. As Sinner said above, the pagans in “darkest Africa” are most likely closer to Christ than the pagans in the TEO

It’s no wonder TEO wants to adopt the phrase “mission partner”…they don’t want to be missionaries, they want to be eco-tourists.