Thank You

Hi to everyone, as this email reaches to you in the off-month for MYF where I can rest and reflect upon the joys of the past year. I thank God very much for what he has provided for the MYF group as well as for myself.




With that said, I wanted to share with you all this email as a letter of thanks. I am so grateful for what you all have done: the parents, the advisors, the church leadership, and congregation as a whole. Most of all, I would like to thank all of the MYFers for everything they have done for the group, the church, and for the future of MYF.



To the parents and congregation of the church, I would like to spend a moment to say thank you, as you are the guardian angels of the group as well as those whom watch over myself. I appreciate how much time and effort you have put into the MYF program, if that means chaperoning retreats, driving youth to events, help make food for fundraisers, and allowing me to be part of your youth's lives. I am very grateful for you all checking up on me and making sure I'm doing OK and asking if there is anything I needed help with.



To the youth, you have no idea how important you are in my own faith journey. Countless times I have been so proud of you, as you have stepped up in leadership, hard work, and effort throughout the year. You are all the reasons I need to work on lesson plans and events, because you were the reasons why I wanted to become a minister. I was considerably blessed to see you all showed your love and support for Mike in the worship service, the end of the year bonfire, and the worship service at Asian Camp. I believe that it is this love that keeps the MYF group strong and supportive of both youth and leaders.



I realize that there is no way that I would be able to run this ministry alone, and that it takes the combined effort of everyone to make the youth group such a strong presence. Thank you very much for all that you do. Thank you very much for the appreciation gift you gave me as well as the many other gifts throughout the year. Thank you for letting me into your lives and being part of your family.



I love you all and do not know what I would do without each and everyone of you.



Jonathan Visitacion

Mission Trip To New Orleans - Day 1 - traveling

Hey, sorry for not posting in FOREVER.  I can't sleep, as i'm in Slidell, Louisiana about to begin our mission trip 5 hours from now...

its 1am.

I'm just overwhelmed by everything right now, as I heard that the organization has lost its funding, and this will be the last year they will be able to serve the community. 

I was reading through Ecclesiastes ch 1 and 2, and listening to Jack Johnson's all at once, and it was just reiterating the spiritual "stress" that I'm trying to swallow on this mission trip.  It's hard to remember that you make a difference, but the world moves and doesn't stop.  God wants you here in this moment to do His (or Her for gender equality) work.  At the same time, funding stops when there's still houses to be built, people living in FEMA trailers, etc. 

If you are familiar with the starfish story...I just got to remember to save not all of the starfish...just this one and any others I can put my hands on. 

I ask for your prayers at this moment for the youth mission team, and just that God does not stop doing his work for those still struggling after Katrina...now 5 years later.

Blessings. -JV

How to Make a Micromovement

from the book, Tribes, by Seth Godin

You got something worth fighting for? Seth Godin says that you do. He believes you can change the industry with just an idea. Below are listed what it takes to create an online movement, adding my own thoughts to them. (103)

 

• Publish a manisfesto – Your idea must be bigger than you. You have to believe that your idea must be worth putting out into the open. It must be faithful to the cause, and faithful that others believe the same thing. Publishing does two things: creating visibility and begins interest. 
• Make it easy for your followers to connect with you – If your idea is good, people will want to know who made the idea. People want to understand who put this in front of the world. People want to make your a leader. Besides making sure you have contact information out into the world, people want to see if you embody the idea. People want to see if you have a vision, and a goal, and if they can join the cause. 
• Make it easy for your followers to connect with others – if you want movement, you need to create a body. A body does not move part by part. Rather, a body moves together as one. Make everyone meet each other and know their names. Let them learn how to get along with each other and work together.  
• Money is not the point of the movement – Money can corrupt an idea. Take for instance, a fundraiser. A fundraiser in itself is for a bigger idea. But so much effort can be put into the fundraiser that you can lose focus towards the idea itself. If you have a purely good idea, you don't need money. You need faith. 
• Track your progress – The only way you know that you have reached your goal is when you know how far you've gone. Seth says make your followers help you. I would go one step further and say make them part of the progress itself. Make them understand how far they've come in reaching a cause. Have them personalize it and own it.

Church And Dating Suck

I've been on hiatus for a while, but decided to put up post because Holy Week is now over.

So my girlfriend is mad at me for good reasons: I was an hour late picking her up from a night class. I was at a meeting at my church and time flew by. My phone was silent, but little did I know there was 2 voicemails, 5 missed calls, and 3 text messages waiting for me when I checked.

And so, as I speed down the freeway in a 30 min commute, I reflect on how difficult it is to become a pastor and maintain a healthy relationship. I feel like that relationships between pastors and soon-to-be pastors do sacrifice and have that tension of balancing time.

It's hard.

It's tough.

It sucks. I don't want to sacrifice my relationship for my calling, nor do I want to put my vocation on hold either. Thank God that my girlfriend is so forgiving about these things, but even then she can only take so much, giving me the silent treatment on the way home. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger? Eh, I don't feel stronger, just guiltier.

Does anyone have stories about this!? I don't think it's just me, I just talked to a friend of mine who's starting to go into seminary...she told me that guys are kinda repelled by the notion of dating/marrying a pastor. I know I'm not alone on this...

I feel like as pastors we deal with it because it is the life we are called to live. But not really for our spouses, though they understand what it means to any full extent. So they're pulled along not necessarily because they're forced to, but because they're willing to sacrifice for their significant other. I try to hold onto my girlfriend whenever that realization of love comes into my mind, and I thank God not only for her presence, but for her willingness to forgive me when I do something stupid like being one hour late and not call.

So what should I do? I don't want to do this again in the near future. Shouldn't there be like Pastor-spouse counseling sessions or group therapy? or even a seminary class? A pamphlet that says, "so you're going to date a pastor..." or "A relationship between a spouse and pastor" would be helpful.

Today I want you to use both sides of your brain

So, I wanted to lift up a book to you this week called Flickering Pixels, by Shane Hipps. Two words: Awesome book.

Ok ok, two more words: thought-provoking...(would that make it one word?...nevermind)

I wanted to lift up some questions pertaining to the direction of Spirituality, Christianity, and Technology that have come up from reading this book. I would love to hear your response in the comments section or just link to your post. If you don't have the book, you can use one of the resources below:

• A group of bloggers from churchcrunch.com posted reviews of the book by chapter. Here's the first link to navigate your way around...fair warning, the chapters are not in any particular order...like numerical...yeah :)
• Jennifer Kay Smith posted some insightful blog posts a year ago, which are connected to the questions I'm about to ask. I suggest you read her posts on the brain, the telegraph, the changing of us through technology, and the transformation of community to individualism.
• Guy Williams added to the convo, adding some more interesting links you may like.
• Shane Hipps has his own blog, and his website. Take a look and if you would like, subscribe to his podcast.

So, here are my questions:

• Going forth into a new technological-christian frontier, we need to keep both eyes open to the past culture and the media shift of web 2.0 (here's a link to what i'm talking about, I realize I'm saying this a lot...), as there may be an erosion of memory, but an expansion of consciousness and overall good (20). What would be some benefits or concerns you would see as a pastor or church goer who would want to stay as a physical church body? What about a "virtual" church body? In what ways could we balance this?
• Video killed the radio star. The same could be said about moral relativism and traditional ways of evangelism due to the personalization and privatization of faith/christianity (on p.64-65, but in other words, there is no absolute Truth, but individualized non-congruent truths). What is Evangelism 2.0? --> How would you talk about your faith to another person about Christianity? Would the overarching goal be to convert the other person? Do you believe that the world is not trying to find an absolute and unifying Truth and if so, what are people trying to find?
• I feel that Hipps is making a concern on the pages leading up to p.71 about Christianity: Christianity with Web 2.0 can put out the information about the religion faster, but that does not mean they will understand it better. "Christians 2.0" may get a bombardment of religious information they will ever need, but have no understanding nor the wisdom to do something with it, calling it a perpetual puberty of Christianity (72). How do we train/create leaders to bring understanding to the faith in social networks, blogs, etc.? How do we help Christians sift through this knowledge to get the linkage between a virtual faith and a physical praxis (acting AND reflecting on their faith)? How do we help as religious leaders the wisdom of living their life according to their faith?
• Left Brain, Right Brain. The left side controls the deep understanding of the Bible while the right side controls the deep reflection of the Bible. With the dawn Web 2.0 and the mass usage of images and light-reading, the right brain is more emphasized and the left brain is more downplayed (143-147). Hipps thinks this is an issue. Should this be a concern? How can we change it?

I would love to hear from any of you. But most importantly, I would love to hear if I'm asking the wrong questions. What questions should I be asking when it comes to Christianity and Technology?

Jon

Opening up the conversation

I am just amazed by the powerhouse theologians tonight at the TAG conference. Prof. Phillip Clayton started off the night to show that theology means in an age of Google. But it should be brought to the point that the internet will revolutionize and evolutionize Christianity just like the printing press has. No longer will we be evangelistic. No longer will we be progressive. There will be no lines. Just connections.


Callid Keefe-Perry closed off the night rocking the house, inviting everyone to come and be open to the conversation. Even heretics/heretic-hunters like Ken Silva who has been bashing this conference left and right.

So I pose a question for all to join the conversation...

I literally just saw this commercial on TV, but understood it as traditional Christian theology. Traditional theology has failed you. But I ask you: how will you participate in building a theology that builds community rather than divide it? How will you join in the conversation rather than denounce it?

If you have time, try to watch the live stream of the conference or the twub feed here. we would all love to hear from you while we're in the conference.

Jon

Theology After Google

One of the reasons why I started this blog was for a class requirement. As the class has progressed, so has my understanding of the influence and interaction between our evolving culture and our everlasting Christian theology.

Something must change.

Here's how.

The class I'm in is part of a conference that I hope that you can attend. It is called Theology After Google. There's no need to link to it, because there's a huge link to the right of this blog. Click on it, and you will see a lot of people both in the emergent Christianity realm and in the emerging technology/networking realm.

It will cover ideas and thoughts about:

• Having the church catch up in a social-networking, blogging, and tweeting world
• Emergent theology for mainliners
• Blogging Basics
• Emergence through biology and theology
• One word spiritual reflection
• Energizing your church with social media
• Film making from a theological standpoint
• Web 3.0: the human evolution of technology and theology
• Podcasting 101

Be there or be here listening to the streamed version on March 10-12!

Jon

Reflecting on Brian Mclaren and Small Business School

I received a comment from Small Business School in response to Brian McLaren's new book, A New Kind of Christianity. It made me think about the image of the church in terms of continuity, symmetry, and harmony. I've tried processing what this person was trying to describe as he writes about the relationship of perfection and business that incorporates religion.

After one week, I've tried to reflect upon it here. Thank you Small Business School for your comment and your article.

I want to say that I did like your article. It was certain that the boundaries that was set within McLaren's book does not pertain to the whole in terms of philosophy, theology...Christianity. It disrupts continuity in the sense that it feels like a step backward in the evolution of Christianity. It looks unsymmetrical in its relationship, and creates a form of chaos that does not reflect the harmony of Christianity.

An initial observation from a religious stance is that the three factors of religion that you describe is very Buddhist in its nature. Which is fine, but the argument that you put against McLaren seems to be just as restricting when you describe religion in three purposes. It is as if a Muslim argued against a Christian for not thinking past the Bible, but then uses the Koran for their argument. I don't think it promotes the best dialogue because I there needs to be an understanding that both come from different paradigms. Be as it may, I wanted to try to interact with the three factors that Small Business School had mentioned in their article.

• Continuity - I would like to say that the history of Christianity has always shown and promoted times of discontinuity. In the Bible, if Moses conformed with what he was given, would he have ever freed the Jews? Jesus' life is based upon defying those who were the religious leaders of his day, and if he were to have continued that life there would have been no such thing as Christianity. In a more tangible sense, Martin Luther's life was criticized for going against the Christian norms, but in many ways, he along with many others including John Wesley led to the creation of protestantism. a few centuries later, a man by the name of Martin Luther King Jr. will also defy millions of Christians to fight racism. On a bird's eye view, Christianity has evolved and been continuous towards perfecting life. It is also certain to say that life is not perfect. At all. Therefore, there will be a need for those within Christianity to show various insights of the world - some will look radical and will cause an uproar like McLaren's book. There can also be an argument that perfection in a continuous sense is subject to the paradigm/viewpoint it was formed within; as we move towards a deeper sense of perfection, there is more difficulty to bring everyone together. I don't expect everyone to be on-board with McLaren, and if it is not to succeed then I will let God make that call. Rather, using his book as a springboard into the issues for today's Christians will give those dividing answers of what people really believe what perfection is. I believe what McLaren is trying to do is simply to show us where the problems/"forks in the road" where Christians do not agree with each other.
• Symmetry - A symmetrical relationship in terms of religion seems to be the most confusing, as I was not sure if it was meant in terms of vertical relationship between God and person, person-to-person, or in other relationships with church and God, church and people, etc. Truth is, we live in a society where relationships are becoming...something not traditional? I'm confused too. I think that there's a point to Small Business School where symmetrical relationships are important. To add onto that, I want to say this: how do Christians define a symmetrical relationship to God, the church, and to the world? I personally think that many Christians do not understand their relationship with the other OR the relationship has been unsymmetrical and always biased towards one side.
• Harmony. My first sermon was based upon a story of Jesus where he describes himself not to come down to this earth to bring peace, but to divide nations (here's the best way I can describe this). I concluded that this may also deal with the creation of paradigms. You can create harmony, but it is always contained within the paradigm itself. Paradigms shift when this harmony is conflicted, either with the problems associated with the paradigmatic viewpoints, or with the solutions associated with the problems. I believe that Brian McLaren's book was not meant to bring peace to Christians...but to just think of what issues the world has to offer. A person may his/her answer in the Bible; others may find it in community of Christians, or in the relationship with nature, science, culture, society, or in prayer. It reaffirms the paradigm they are within, or it sparks a new paradigm, creating that continuity that religions provide, but the beginnings of a harmonious relationship that needs to be more clearly defined both in reflective understanding and practice of faith.
  

I think a more systemic issue pertaining to the contributions of the article for business that relates to religion is that religion is a business. I think you can find some pastors who would admit that administratively, the church is a business that provides an exchange of services. My argument is that the church should have never adopted this understanding. There is a need for the church to provide services in order to stay afloat. It makes the church safe and comfortable. Keep in mind that I have no background in business. But I would hope just like in business, for the church to take risks in order to achieve greater continuity, symmetry, and harmony.

I hope this spurs all Christians and non-Christians to comment on this post. Thank you very much.

Let Brian McLaren's voice be heard again!

This is the second part of trying to uncover what Brian McLaren has done in his book, A New Kind of Christianity. This post goes into depth the last 5 questions that his book covers. Before that, please

Question 6: What do we do about the church? – My classmate Min Ho did an awesome job about writing on this question from the book, which you can read here. For those who would call themselves Mainline Protestant, I suggest you read some of the comments on that post. Min Ho’s blog just puts it bluntly: how do we turn our presently broken churches into a house of Christ-like love?

Question 7: Can we find a way to Address Human Sexuality? Simple, have classmate Bob Rhodes blog about it here. I won’t lie, the first page or two of these chapters will catch you offguard, but how can you not like this: “Fundasexuality is rooted not in faith, but in an orientation of fear” (175). Why not put the two most personal things together in dialogue within the church: God and Sex.

Question 8: Can We Find a Better Way of Viewing the Future? I hope so. In simple terms, I can’t see Jesus and the rapture being the “way to go” in 2012. Rather, can we understand that God and the universe are in relationship with us. Mclaren, have you ever heard of process theology and John Cobb Jr.? You get hints of it from the first chapters, but there is this line that I think you hit the nail on the head: “God is like a parent guiding a child with a will of her own.” (196)… “The future is open, because the compassion and care of God are unconstricted, open wide for us to turn and find a better life than we’re now experiencing by taking a better path than we’re now walking.” (203)

Question 9: I think my classmate Jan Thomas can give the best perspective, because she is an advocate for inter-religion and unity. There’s a book written by Paul F. Knitter who describes how Christians have/will relate to other religions. I suggest you read it so that you can at least identify where you are. But like McLaren, interacting with other religions has more than just religious importance (208). I personally have came to my own conclusions through my own family: although I may not fully understand or agree with those who are not Christian or a derivation of it, I know that they are family (both personal and under the umbrella of “human family”) and will love them indefinitely.

Question 10: How Can We Translate Our Quest Into Action? Classmate Angelina Duells’s blog posts describe the how Brian McLaren writes about the different quests of Christianity. Please take a look at her rainbow diagram, which by the way, is awesome J. What I liked most is what she quoted: “When the head, heart and hand come together...then faith, reason and tradition will come together too, and personal and social holiness will be for us two expressions of one great love.” (227)

Angelina made one last blog post about this book, commenting that this book doesn’t really bring a new Christianity. To some extent, I agree: we still use the same tools of Christianity we were given before. However, I would like to add that Brian is redefining a new relationship: something that is in the process and will never finish unless we (as people, religious leaders, and Christian shepherds/pastors/leaders) actually engage in it. Maybe McLaren is not posing something new about Christianity, but something new in relationship to Christianity: redefining our relationship with God, Jesus, the Bible, with Christians and other religions, with ourselves, with our worship, with life. He started the book saying that we are Christians living in a “comfortable captivity” (31). I think its time for all Christians to start engaging in dialogue: not one-sided or gender/racially/socially-biased, but to bring to light what the rest of the world has been feeling for years. The kingdom of God is near: let us all bring a new relationship of Christ into full light. Amen.

McLaren's Book...two more chapters online!

Brian McLaren's new book has 2 more chapters you can download! go here

http://www.brianmclaren.net/archives/blog/a-new-kind-of-christianity.html

Let Brian McLaren's Voice Be Heard!

Hmm… There’s no way in which I can write all my thoughts about Brian McLaren’s new book, A New Kind of Christianity. In what has began as a class project, I would like to speak on behalf of someone who supports what Brian McLaren is proposing in his book. Type McLaren’s name into Google and you will find that this pastor and his book has been described as a “heretic” from the right side and repetitive from the left. I hope that through this post (and the next…) you would feel compelled to read this book. This post will try to expose your mind to the first 5 questions, with insight from my classmates and other bloggers.

Question 1: What is the storyline of the Bible? What we have come to understand is that the way we see the Bible has been interpreted over and over, largely in part towards Greco-Roman influence and superiority. If we strip away what we have understood as the six-lined narrative, we can see God and the purpose of Jesus in a new light. We are a product of 2000 years of being shaped into Christianity, emphasizing all the “good” and ignoring/killing/excommunicating the “bad”, “indifferent”, and “marginalized”. I suggest you watch McLaren’s answer. Chad Holtz gives an insightful perspective of what McLaren is trying to do in the first couple of chapters and in this first question here. Scroll down halfway.

Question 2: How should the Bible be understood? McLaren suggests that scripture could be, and has been used to defend and advocate any position like constitutional law (78-79). Rather, think of the Bible as an “inspired library” that has kept track these conversations so that we can continue them (83). My classmate, James Kang, takes a different direction in his blog, asking, “when will BIBLE 2.0 come out?” Chad Holtz explains his take as well.

Question 3: Is God violent? Depending on what chapter, verse, or book in the Bible can give you a range of depictions of God. You could potentially choose who you would like to pray for, as McLaren mentions Ricky Bobby as a sad example (first 2-3 mins). McLaren poses that the negative images of God need to be understood as the best depictions that our Christian ancestors could describe with words (103) and that the full image description of God has been in constant transformation to something that is culminated into what we know and to believe is Jesus.

Question 4: Who is Jesus and why is he important? McLaren is so focused on the issue that Christianity has heavy Greco-Roman influences because Jesus’ life was based upon moving away from the Greco-Roman life (126). Using the book of John, McLaren describes Jesus as the new Adam bringing a new Genesis to the world (135).

Question 5: What is the Gospel? McLaren uses Romans as the moving point: to understand the gospel that Paul preached, we have to understand the gospel that Jesus preached, which in its most raw form, it is to know that the Kingdom is at hand (138). This Kingdom, as McLaren brings to life through Romans shows that it is the presence of everyone and everything being encompassed underneath God. The Kingdom is now.

I will leave you with this until next time. Mike Morrell wrote a blog in defense of what McLaren is trying to do, which McLaren appreciates as well as I. Here is a few things of what he said:

…From my vantage point, Brian is now doing what many wish Obama would do: Grow a pair and say “You know, my message isn’t for everybody. I’ve been very diplomatic for years, but that hasn’t gotten me very far with those who continue to loathe me and my message. So now I’m going to speak plainly to those who like these kinds of conversations, which can still be all kinds of people. Except for those who, by general disposition, are inclined to (yes) ask “Is it acceptable to my religious/ideological community or belief system?” before they ask “Is it possibly true, valuable, and worth exploring?”…

Like Mike Morrell, McLaren is not above criticism. In fact I believe he wants constructive criticism. That’s the whole point. Lets actually talk about the things that we put our entire faith into.

I have no idea what Generation We're in Now...

Before doing any homework assignment, I do what I (and what I believe anyone younger than I) would normally do: look for anything that I can find about it online. We were asked to read Tom Beaudoin’s book, Virtual Faith, where Beaudoin explores Christian theology from the standpoint of GenXers. A very brief review of the book can be found here, as well as an article of Beaudoin can be found here. Currently, Beaudoin is teaching as a practical theology professor at Santa Clara University.

As we reflect on his book, which was published over 10 years ago, my classmates are divided by their opinions. My classmate and friend, James, finds that this book may be too late for those who are post-GenX, where another classmate and friend, Angelina, writes about the validity of the book for GenXers but brings to life the pop-culture that is immersed within it.

I write to you not about to write a review, as I have not read a majority of the book. I do want to post midway into reading to engage my thoughts and my peers. In this case, I carry more of a stance with James’ opinions, but receptive to the ideas that Beaudoin brings to the table with his book and with his life.

Although this book has nothing to do with my generation, I believe there are many things to note:

• Generation-defined culture is only one genre of culture. It’s safe to say that the world is multi-cultural by age, ethnicity, gender, geography, social/economic status, etc. As future religious leaders, we should be aware of the various cultures associated with GenX to engage in a more effective ministry. Furthermore, there is a need to understand the relationship between cultures. In this case, there may be a need to understand where GenXers came to be from the Baby Boomers, as Bedouin goes into detail of the origins of GenX. There should also be an equal need to understand where the next generation is being pushed by those who come from GenX.
• Relative to any form of reading, it is important to make the world relative to your frame of view – in this case, your cultural identity. I realize that I am not part of the GenXers, but the struggle to identify the differences between the theology from the Baby Boomers and the GenXers is something to reflect upon my own generation and the generation prior.
• Technology extends our senses. In a recent blog video posted by Callid Keefe-Perry for our class expresses the writings of Marshall McLuhan, explaining that “the medium is the message.” GenXers as described by Beaudoin do not see the world the same way as the generation before them. Pop culture has been their viewing window into the world. They have been witnesses of a generation of good leaders who were assassinated, and they kept their sadness in. I bring all of this in because the culmination of technology of that time period gave them this view. MTV was a major influence upon the GenX culture. I Googled/wiki’d what other factors defined GenX: home computing, internet, video games, and birth-control pills, to name a few. To believe that all of these things had no effect on GenXer views of Christianity is to hide underneath a veil of unconsciousness. I think there may be some usefulness to describe how technology extends our theology, which is the core belief of Beaudoin’s book.
• I am very aware that culture does affect the frame reference of Christianity, whether it is intentional or not. Agreed, Christianity has this built-in understanding that we can change the world through the transformation of the Holy Spirit. These two articles (one written by my professor, Phillip Clayton, and the other written by Pastor Chad Holtz) dialogue on the emphasis of Christianity on culture or visa-versa. It is my understanding that Christianity from a missionary point of view was most effective by adapting and emerging from the native culture. Many countries have been assimilated into Christianity with this method. If that is the case however, the world will always change because of Christianity, and Christianity will always need to acclimate to whatever culture it is immersed in to be effective. Yes, another chicken and the egg routine similar to James’ blog comments, but also promotes the need of new age theologians who can incorporate new technology and new culture.

I hope that Christianity is affected by technology, because Christianity needs to be more influential in the technology used today. I do not mean this in any evangelistic notion or anything, but rather, to ask how modern technology has affected Christianity so that we as Christians can develop theologies and theological practices for emerging generations/cultures, whether physical or virtual. Here are some weird notions you can all play around with:

• What are the latest technologies that have been made or exploded in popularity within the last 10 years? Do they have any relevance to the changes/trends on Christianity or religion in general?
• Some things to consider: cell phones, laptop/touchpad computers, ipod and other MP3 players, Kindle readers, Toyota Prius (Gen. 2 and 3), multi-core computer processors, digital cameras, Wikipedia and Urban Dictionary, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
• More random things to consider: YouTube, Farmville, Xbox 360, Wii, doppelganger week, etc. (also, the emergence of nanotechnology in the various fields of science. History goes back as far as 1960’s but has been more mainstream within the last 10 years.)
• There have been people who have emerged in amazing popularity within the last 10 years who have played a role in our culture and Christianity as well. They may have also affected Christianity in more ways than none: Barack Obama, Taylor Swift, Star Wars Kid, Beyonce Knowles, Osama Bin Ladin, Miley Cyrus, Dave Chappelle, Manny Pacquiao, Sarah Palin.

• Technology now seems to be in a place where new technology does not extend the senses farther, but extends the senses faster. What does that mean to Christianity?

• Can Christianity be just as effective in virtual communities like Facebook, twitter, Myspace, blog communities, and other virtual environments like instant messaging, chat rooms, etc.? This is the big question to where my TAG class revolves around, but I mean it is worth noting if a person could take all the various aspects of Christianity and create a theology that is relative to the current generation, maintains a level of practicality, and has the capacity to hold onto past theological doctrines/commitments.

I’m done :)

-Jon

Claremont School of Theology And The United Methodist Church Parting Ways?

Yesterday, I received an email from my school that said the following:

“The administration of Claremont School of Theology learned last week that the University Senate of The United Methodist Church placed the School on Public Warning and embargoed denominational funds for the remainder of the School's fiscal year…”

Not the best email to read right before you go to bed…

As I continued to read, the email writes for that this will NOT affect my ordination process into the United Methodist Church. I have been dwelling over the news while I slept to reflect on my attendance at Claremont School of Theology (CST).

I entered into CST in the fall of 2008. I had been aware of some of the issues pertaining to the school, but I still decided on attending. As I continued my first year at the school, I realized that the school was making positive efforts to have the school receive its full accreditation status. I believed at that moment that attending this school was a good decision.

Reading the news release being placed on the school, as well as comments and responses, I do not know what to exactly think of the vision and direction of the school. The school has always held ecumenical openness in high regard and has pushed towards the respect of all religions ever since I have attended classes. This has allowed me to be more respectful and culturally sensitive to persons of other religions, as it has been my own personal pet peeve when people from other cultures naïvely step on my toes. On my own behalf, CST has been able to show me that culture has been the key to inviting others to Christ, whether that means by reflecting on the historical Christian missions or through the community presence of Christ. However, CST’s new vision and direction has placed the “golden child” of the UMC on the “naughty list.”

One of the reasons why I wanted to attend was because this used to be one of the prized seminaries of the UMC, but the direction of CST places the school in tension with the UMC organization. Some pastors like Talbot Davis believe that the vision of the seminary looks like a form syncretism due to the absence of Jesus Christ or Christianity (which I must add, I too did believe this when I first heard of the new vision of CST back in September). It would seem that way unless you hear CST president Jerry Campbell speak of the overall vision of CST becoming even more inter-religious than before. This would allow other religions to come to an academic institution to study their own faith while interacting with others. Financially speaking, it's a smart move because it allows the school to pull in a larger pool of students. On another note, it would help those from other religions to become leaders through an academic setting that they may not have had the opportunity to before. More importantly, I believe that it is true that an inter-religious seminary to have the potential of strengthening Christians because they are more aware of the world around them, and can affirm their own faith against a religiously/ethnically diverse school. After all, I have been here for almost two years and still believe in the salvation of Christ and the presence of God's love in the world.

Jerry Campbell, the president of CST, assures that this will be cleared in the next few months, just in time to have a worry-free summer. Until then, I will keep my faith that the issues between CST and the UMC will be clarified. CST has not failed me, as it has supported me in many different ways, one of which was affirming my calling into ministry. To not have the support of the UMC would be a disappointment to me as well as many other pastors and CST students/alumni.

Please let me know your thoughts and prayers. God bless!

Jon

My call into ministry through the story of Moses

The story of my call looks like the story of Moses. Moses started out with a very lucky life, growing up Egyptian but knowing he was Hebrew. Following who he was, and standing up for what he believed was right, he had to run away from his Egyptian life. While climbing a mountain, he was startled by a talking burning bush, which told him he was to free the Hebrews. Moses laughed and made up as many excuses as he could: no one would believe me because I can’t talk good. No one will listen to me because I don’t have special powers. God handed him a stick and said, “just wiggle this stick a little, it will look like a snake and get everyone scared.” Moses finally takes God's word and frees the Israelites.

For me, my own story starts out following a life that was leading up towards another career. I had been studying Computer Engineering for four years, graduated with honors, went to UCLA and started failing. Wasn’t exactly sure why, but I started to realize that my identity did not fully lay in the engineering field. After toiling with this sense of failure for two years, I started hearing a call that made me and my family laugh. God gave me the call to serve his people, but I at first laughed, and told God, “my mouth is very dirty, I can’t say two sentences without saying f-this or a-that.” I told God, “I don’t like speaking in public” but God told me that’s why I put you in public speaking classes. I told God that I don’t look at the Bible in similar eyes, I don’t study it like other “good Christians”, and God told me, “I never wanted you to look at the Bible the same way as anyone else.” Every illogical reason I had to not become a minister, God had either previously prepared me in one form or another, or used logic to calm them. And so I’m now walking the path that God has put forth in front of me, but if he makes me carry stone tablets, I’m going to be so mad.

I have a googlely dream…

I’m reading this book called What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis, who writes the about the phenomenal business “rules” of Google. As a class assignment, we were to read the book and post our thoughts.

I only have read about 1/3 of the book, but I have read what has been posted online about this book. Jarvis challenges the reader to see what was said about your company, so it seemed fitting to see the google-juice that has been posted about this book (which our TA-instructor Trip Fuller has graciously collaborated!). I will try to summarize my thoughts below:

1. It is quite remarkable to see many things come to life as I read them in the book and what is happening on-line. Not only do I see a post from Trip Fuller, but I see a reply from Jeff Jarvis (and btw, I wish you were here in the class). The connection of the internet under the “google-rules” seems to be that there is literally nothing in the way between me the writer and you the reader; everyone and everything is at your fingertips.
2. What makes the transformation of the world so powerful is the effect of multiplicity. It has been theologized in Christianity/Bible (“When two or more are gathered…”) as well as been incorporated into many other religions, but has also been used as an effective business tool by Google and other companies. Donations to Haiti have sky-rocketed due to the effects of multiplicity, having common people like you and me donate $10 every time I send a text message to Red-Cross. Multiplicity gives power back to the people in an institution. Multiplicity gives control back to the people.
3. What would Jesus do in a Generation-G world? Jesus lived a private and a public life. He liked to pray by himself and he also liked to teach people and heal others of sickness. In a modern context, he represents a facebook page where he can set his identity both private and public. As Christians we are to live a life like Christ, spreading the Word of God and transforming the world with love. I feel like the internet gives that platform to do just that. As Christians we can “surf” into uncharted territories, we can give our opinions, and we can help the world in much simpler ways than ever before.
4. What would I do in a Generation-G world? Everyone has at least one picture they were happy to not get posted online, and usually at least one picture they wished they could take offline. How do I stay public to the world around me and maintain an identity that keeps me pastorally above reproach? The answer to me is simple: be a human that filled with flaws but sincere to the love in Jesus Christ, publicly displaying your identity in Christ to show a spiritual journey that you had to take to get to this point in your life.
5. I wonder what kind of business the church would be described. It’s not a big wonder to consider the church as a business: there are consumers who pay for services, and the church provides necessary services to the consumer in the form of worship services, pastoral care, blessings, etc. I’m not saying that this is Christianity (I hope this is not Christianity) but what a business model would look like if it was overlapped with it. However, as Jarvis makes us ask the question: what business is the church in? It definitely cares and serves the people. It brings the presence and love of Christ. It serves the community on any platform or context. We bring faith and hope to those who have lost their way. The church thrives of the generosity of the community that gives back.
6. I think there is some truth to the polar opposites of Apple and Google when compared to Christianity. Historically speaking, there is a built-in hierarchy in Christianity that we cannot ignore; certainly having a “Google-Christianity” would mean that the people themselves would be the source of the power. The church is built on 2000 years of tradition; the internet is anything but tradition. Then again, doesn’t the church function because of the laity? Doesn’t the transformation of the world begin with the people? The love of Christ comes from top-to-bottom but also from bottom-to-top.
7. Pastor Stu’s Blog is something to highly consider. The church is in decline, sad to say. We are trying to lure people into our church instead of going out and providing services to them. The internet provides all of the resources for us as clergy/theologians because it provides the people with the problems and the people with the opinions/criticisms/affirmations/hope that life will get better.

I think that’s all I will blog for now, I still want to finish the book! Peace and love, Amen.

The first post...

So this is my first post on this blog... what to say... People try to write something epic for their first post, try to entice and persuade. Few things come to mind however as I try to write this. Well, let me try to describe myself. My name is Jon Visitacion, I go to Claremont School of Theology. I'm in the process of becoming a minister, and life in itself can be described in three words: "exciting", "stressful", and "hungry". Exciting because I chose a life in ministry and haven't looked back, Stressful because I've never read or wrote this much in my life, and Hungry because I haven't ate dinner yet. More to come soon, thanks for reading! -jv