Christianity 21 - A Celebration of Church

God Has Died... And He Has a Wonderful Plan for Your Life

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/tonyjones/2014/01/10/god-has-died-and-he-has-a-wonderful-plan-for-your-life/

by Tony Jones

January 10, 2014

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Engaging great content at Christianity21. (Courtney Perry)

I’m at Christianity21 this week, a gathering produced by Doug Pagitt, Sarah Cunningham, and Your Favorite Blogger. We’re one day in, and it’s been awesome. One of the great things about this event is that there’s no theme, and there are 21 gifted speakers, so we never really know what magic will happen in the chemistry between the talks.

They don’t all agree, but they do tend to dovetail with one another. Yesterday, Jonathan Merritt led off the opening session with a challenge to follow God’s call and listen to the unlikely ways that God speaks. Paul Raushenbush went next with a call for conservatives and liberals to rediscover the social gospel. Noel Castellanos told us five things we can do to engage with people and the gospel. And Nadia Bolz-Weber told us ten things she’s learned about being a pastor and church planter.

In the next session, Kent Dobson gave an amazing reflection on the absence of God, Sarah Lefton challenged us to engage Christians in biblical literacy in the way that she has challenged Jews, Mike Foster reminded us how everyone needs to be loved, and Romal Tune told us that the church needs to compete with gangs for the youth of LA.

In between, we had a couple dozen 7-minute talks by attendees from around the country. Today more talks. And tomorrow, even more, including my call to recover apocalyptic language for the church. Check back here for updates.

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The JoPa Group

Christianity21 is a ground-breaking gathering of leaders who want to fashion

the future of the Christian faith. 21 Talks, 21 Big Ideas, 21 Minutes Each.

Plus, over forty 7-21 Talks by amazing people just like you.

Join us in Denver, Colorado, January 9-11.

FAQS

Q: Are all the presenters for Christianity 21 women?

A: No. One of the first years, we did present an all women roster, which was a great success. But this year, both male and female presenters will join us.

Q: Does Christianity 21 have specific themes? Will everyone be presenting on the same topic?

A: No. We have presented Christianity 21 as a theme-specific event in the past, but have come to appreciate the flexibility and diversity produced when influencers are given free reign to share their biggest and best ideas, regardless of subject. We’re asking presenters to share one big idea this year, which will result in 21 big ideas.

Q: Are there opportunities to share ideas too?

A: Yes, you can go here to suggest yourself or someone else as a presenter or discussion leader.

We will be accepting suggestions until October 1st with a goal of responding with the team’s selections by October 15th. We appreciate your patience until then.

Q: Can I make changes to my tickets?

A: We try to be flexible so some changes are possible. For example, up until 7 days prior to the event, you can transfer your registration to another person, or you can bank your registration fee for a future JoPa Group event. In order to keep all of our events and conferences affordable, The JoPa Group works efficiently. We have a small staff, and we try to keep overhead (like credit card transaction fees) to a minimum. For that reason, we cannot offer refunds for canceled registrations.

History

Birthed in 2009, Christianity21 invites attenders to live a 21st century Christianity with 21 speakers who deliver 21 big ideas in 21 minutes each.

It’s difficult to describe the atmosphere that is created when energized people from across the Christian spectrum come together to imagine a healthier, better faith for the future. But if you didn’t have the chance to join us for the original event, we hope this highlights video produced by Don Heatley will help you get a taste of what happens in this sort of “come together” event.

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21 Voices…Plus Yours.

We work hard to fill the stage with some of the sharpest and most unique voices of the Christian faith.  But this event isn’t just about their voices. It’s about yours as well.

Whether it’s sharing ideas with those seated in your row, around the dinner table, or in your social networks, there are plenty of ways to share your perspective on the content presented. If you’re comfortable facilitating a small group discussion on a favorite topic or getting up in front of people to present a good idea of your own, please feel free to submit yourself as a possible discussion leader or presenter. We’re trying to make room for as many voices as possible!

2014 Presenters

http://thejopagroup.com/

... for information on coming events,
retreats, conferences, and workshops
go to this link here.

An Ikonoclast - For Those Desiring Eden

 

http://peterrollins.net/?p=3888

by Peter Rollins

August 30, 2012

 

I remember a good friend calling me many years ago, having just read How (Not) to Speak of God. As the conversation went on he said, “Pete, those gatherings you write about in the second part of the book were so inspiring. I loved them! They were so much better than when I was at them!”

 

This can help us understand Immanuel Kant’s distinction between the harsh realities of the French Revolution (with its terror and violence) and the inspiration birthed by the French Revolution (inspiring far-reaching political and social upheaval). In short, his insight that a problematic material reality can provide the ground for the birth of an ideal that instigates wide-ranging transformation.

 

With the creation of ikon (along with The Last Supper, The Evangelism Project, The Omega Course and Atheism for Lent) a group of people in Belfast embarked on a grand and ridiculous project of rethinking the event of Christianity. In the course of setting up and running it, a new and inspiring vision of faith appeared to grow. Yet the on the ground reality was often difficult (lack of resources, equipment that failed, bad ideas, conflicts, misunderstandings etc. etc.) The dirt out of which the idea grew was, well… dirty.

 

Knowing all of this another friend recently asked me if I would be willing to put myself through it all again. Whether I would want to get my hands dirty with a new project that would no doubt be full of difficulties and conflicts. The answer was a simple one: absolutely!

 

I’m no gardener, but I guess that one of the best bits is the work of digging into the manure and planting seeds that might grow into something beautiful. The only thing holding me back has been the time it takes to find people to work with and the effort needed to really understand the landscape that will be worked on. But the time of preparing is over.

 

A small, but growing, band of people have come together. A group who are, in fear and trembling, embarking on a new one-year project with me starting on the 9^th September in Brooklyn. I have no illusions that this will be a difficult journey as we strive to present a radically different vision of faith, one that overturns what is taken for granted by so much of the actually existing church. It will no doubt involve conflicts, boredom, confusion and annoyance at different times among different people. Some things will hopefully work beautifully and others will no doubt fall flat on their face. We will risk and we will fail… not once, but time and again.

 

So do I think that something wonderful will arise out of the dirt? I honestly don’t know, but we’ve got to try.

 

In truth, if you pack a few things and come along with us on this dissident journey there will be times when you’ll regret it and be disappointed. Because of that, if you want to be involved I would dissuade you from coming, there are other more brightly lit paths to walk. But if you need to come, if you feel that you must throw yourself in to this cauldron and see what happens, then do what you need to in order to be there.

 

Also sign up to the Pyrotheology facebook page to be kept up to date with future events.

 

 

Dystopia | Deity Nightclub | Brooklyn | 7pm | 9th September