Almost inadvertently, I began a series examining the posts from the recent missional synchroblog in which I participated with a total of 50 bloggers (plus a few unofficial entries). Recalling my the missional series from last summer, I’m determined to wrap this one up in fewer words. In any event, we dive into the next batch of submissions for consideration.
Mark Petersen begins with a story, then explains why it is missional, which he defines in ten points:
I’ve written a fair bit on or relating to post-charismatic themes, dating back to early 2005 and based even then on conversation that reach back before that. I think it was the fall of 2004 that Rob McAlpine and I were comparing notes on each of our experiences, observations, and reflections… the ones that led us independently into what Rob began to call post-charismatic, or post-hype. Rob was at that time beginning a writing project on the subject, exploring the history of the charismatic movement and identifying some of the places where it had gone off the rails. I was very happy to receive each section of his work in my inbox as he completed them, and we began long dialogues via email as we each pushed back a little and shared additional observations or connections that helped further an understanding of some point or other. The conversation around each section could last for weeks as each of us would receive a set of replies, ponder, compose, and within a few hours or several days, send along a response. Despite having already reached the major conclusions myself, I learned a lot through reading Rob’s research and through the discussion that followed. Little by little, his project grew and took shape. By the time I read the third chapter, it seemed pretty apparent to me that somewhere along the line, it would be time to start thinking about a publisher. The series was originally published online and there was some good conversation around it, but as most people may know, it had to be removed pending publication.
Turns out I’m an “APTSE.”
To recap, this is in addition to the prior labels:
The October 2007 issue of Bill Dahl’s The Porpoise-Diving Life zine is out. Robbymac is the guest editor for this issue, and he selected the theme of Charis-Missional for this issue. He recruited me, Emerging Grace, and one other person to generate content for the issue, originally slated for publication in July. Our fourth had to drop out due to other circumstances, but Phil Wyman submitted a couple of pieces through Bill to tag himself in at the last minute. This one felt a bit awkward, for a few reasons. First, we rushed through June to complete the issue, but a computer crash around that time left Bill scrambling all summer so that he couldn’t update the site until late August, when the August issue went live and stayed up through September. By that time, Rob, Grace, and I were asking ourselves, “Maybe I should read what I wrote back in June to see if I still agree with it?” I didn’t re-read my pieces, but… no matter.
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