Proper confidence in the gospel: The theology of Lesslie Newbigin by Jon Kuhrt This month marks the hundredth anniversary since the birth of the great missionary theologian Lesslie Newbigin. There have been few people who have reflected more deeply on the missionary task of the Church and grappled with its challenges than Newbigin. I believe … Continue Reading
Sudan at the Crossroads Fulcrum Newsletter, December 2009 co-published, with permission, with Comment is free belief, The Guardian online 10 December 2009 by Graham Kings, Bishop of Sherborne History leapt to life for me a couple of weeks ago, while I was sitting under a tree in Rumbek, Southern Sudan. I was reading about the … Continue Reading
Mission Thoughts By John Martin Christians care Ruth Coggan, daughter of Donald Coggan, a former Archbishop of Canterbury, spent nearly 30 years working as a CMS missionary doctor on the northwest frontier in the Afghan border region of Pakistan. One day, while travelling on a local bus, she suddenly realised she’d forgotten to pay the … Continue Reading
FX, EC and the DNA of HUP Homogeneity and heterogeneity in emerging churches: a problem explored by Tim Dean The Church of England’s 2004 report, Mission-shaped Church, is a seminal document in the multi-denominational quest to create fresh expressions of church (FX) and emerging churches (EC), as it participates in the missio Dei. The Report … Continue Reading
Christology, Messianism and Jewish-Christian relations by Tim Dean For Christians down the ages, the foundational Christological idea that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah has determined the Church’s attitudes to Judaism and Jews. Jewish expectation of the coming of the Messiah proceeds unabated since the birth of Christianity. In Jewish prayer books and recited regularly … Continue Reading
A pioneering mission and ministry resource pack for mission-shaped poultry keepers … Background A recent General Synod report on clergy vocational fulfilment and ministry development has this important insight. ‘There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution here because keeping poultry, walking on the moors, line dancing and driving steam trains may be just as valuable as… a diocesan … Continue Reading
In the Desert, Prepare the Way of the Lord Retreat address given to Sheffield Diocese Ministry Team Quiet Day 29 January, 2009 by David Runcorn Mark 1:9-13 The gospel of Mark opens with a missionary call – ‘Prepare the way of Lord’. And as a team involved in developing ministry and mission that makes for … Continue Reading
Families Valued by Jon Kuhrt republished, with permission, from Third Way, December 2008 It is almost impossible to speak about the family without being accused of launching a moral crusade, blaming the victim, or hitting at the most vulnerable – as if what was at stake were the self esteem of the parents, instead of … Continue Reading
Fulcrum Book Review of Doug Pagitt’s A Christianity Worth Believing Jossey-Bass, 2008 ISBN 978-0-7879-9812-7 by James Mercer Doug Pagitt is the pastor of Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis, a fellowship self-styled as ‘an holistic, missional Christian community’. Pagitt is one of the founders of Emergent Village, a social network of Christian leaders around the world (www.emergentvillage.com). … Continue Reading
Evangelical Alliance New General Director: Steve Clifford Fulcrum is delighted with the news that Steve Clifford is to be the next General Director of the Evangelical Alliance. Steve Clifford worked as a teacher in the 1980s before taking up full-time church leadership in 1985. He has been long been involved in church planting, running leadership … Continue Reading