Canticles of the Unhomed
Thursday, March 10, 2005
The House
So I met with Bill Taylor, district superintendent of the Evangelical Free church. We talked about denominational affiliation for the House. This is important, I feel, since a denominational structure will provide us with much-needed accountability, oversight and credibility. At the same time we can add a new kind distinctiveness to their denomination. Previously, I would have been extremely worried about the theology of a denomination before I could ever be part of them, and that is still true to a certain extent, but I know Bill, I trust him, and I respect him, and after hearing about the House, he was excited, and he thought that we could really fit into the Free Church fold. A denomination having the correct theology just isn't as important to me as it once was, since I see that true community, and thus the heart of God, is much more INCLUSIVE rather than exclusive. This seems to be the focus of this denomination; inclusivity rather than getting people to sign off on complicated statements of beliefs or creeds. Don't get me wrong: Calvin was annointed of God, and... just kidding. :) Really, though theology is important, but only in as far as the essentials.
The Essentials:
1. Deity/Humanity of Christ
2. Inspiration of the Word of God (that is incredibly vague but I can't think of a better term for it)
3. The State of Humanity
4. The Atonement
Possible Non Essentials:
1. Trinity
2. Ecclesiology
3. Infallibility of Scripture
4. Eschatology
5. Orthodoxy
... I think. I don't think I can be totally definitive on much of that. Its good for discussion, anyway.
In any case, I would be totally comfortable in signing onto the Free Church denomination; for nothing else than their emphasis on community over education as a means of spiritual formation. This belief is actually quite progressive and not something that I would expect to see out of a denomination. In short, I was extrememly pleased and encouraged about my discussion with Bill, and expect to have several more in the future.
We are looking at another house tomorrow night for the House, and are having dinner with Paul and Debbie Seburn. (They are the owners of the house in question.) I am looking forward to this; they seem to be excited about the concept of the House, and think that their house will be ideal for our purposes... they might also be just saying that to sell their house... but I doubt it. In any case, I hope the house is good; I'm kind of getting tired of looking, and want to get on with things.
The Essentials:
1. Deity/Humanity of Christ
2. Inspiration of the Word of God (that is incredibly vague but I can't think of a better term for it)
3. The State of Humanity
4. The Atonement
Possible Non Essentials:
1. Trinity
2. Ecclesiology
3. Infallibility of Scripture
4. Eschatology
5. Orthodoxy
... I think. I don't think I can be totally definitive on much of that. Its good for discussion, anyway.
In any case, I would be totally comfortable in signing onto the Free Church denomination; for nothing else than their emphasis on community over education as a means of spiritual formation. This belief is actually quite progressive and not something that I would expect to see out of a denomination. In short, I was extrememly pleased and encouraged about my discussion with Bill, and expect to have several more in the future.
We are looking at another house tomorrow night for the House, and are having dinner with Paul and Debbie Seburn. (They are the owners of the house in question.) I am looking forward to this; they seem to be excited about the concept of the House, and think that their house will be ideal for our purposes... they might also be just saying that to sell their house... but I doubt it. In any case, I hope the house is good; I'm kind of getting tired of looking, and want to get on with things.
:: written by Matt Thompson, 4:25 PM
