Drew

“Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and singing celebrate the story that created the community and continues to unite it. Although one may not dismiss the evangelistic dimension of worship or the effect of worship on the outsider, the primary challenge of worship is to contribute to the transformation of the entire community.”
― James W. Thompson, Pastoral Ministry according to Paul: A Biblical Vision

“It seems as if many church people have been living in Plato’s cave. They think the church enterprise is about “me.” What is at stake is my salvation. The me-and-my-salvation individual “does church” by making a fair exchange of time and money for eternal assurances. But the effect of teaching the fate of the individual soul downplays the beginning of God’s restoration now. It teaches that the important stuff comes later and that “going to heaven” is the benchmark of Christian life. Yet, the Christian life is so much more than any one person’s long-term survival. It is about the world’s future; it is about our hope turning our heads and hearts toward the world.”
― Peter L Steinke, A Door Set Open: Grounding Change in Mission and Hope

“Evangelism is not mere initiation into a relationship with God but the formation of a community within a narrative that is not yet complete.”
― James W. Thompson, Pastoral Ministry according to Paul: A Biblical Vision

“To believe is therefore not only to come into the faith but to be conformed to the image of the crucified Christ. To be baptized is to share the existence of the crucified one.”
― James W. Thompson, Pastoral Ministry according to Paul: A Biblical Vision