tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77797029177237546232024-02-07T06:04:36.519-08:00LABI SANGER: Theology of the City/ Urban MinistryThe course website for the Sept 10/11, 2010 weekend class/seminar, "Theology of the City and Urban Ministry"..<a href="http://labi.edu/">Latin American Bible Institute</a>'s <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sanger-CA/Latin-American-Bible-Institute-FresnoSanger-Extension/188231397219?ref=ts">Fresno/Sanger Extension</a>.. Join us, auditors welcome, Info: leave a comment here, call Diana at (559) 876-2213 or info@topchristiancenter.comdavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135992921485306480noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779702917723754623.post-29598142878048183212010-07-21T18:30:00.000-07:002010-09-08T18:27:52.088-07:00casting shadows on the city<b>I remember saying it</b> as I stood atop the World Trade Center in New York<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdyPGZ83DJjfUG0guuALiHarE9UmNUFRfxXGNJvi8cYles6B2u6R2wGX09GbDVFno-WCIxDkOsPSwbFYLZYYSOCT-Q9xNvGBH1PKCRcrPiXEmXmtYDe0faKfx3qHhlVlyxV_lQcJz1M_u/s1600/city6173244_669508244_3705713_861776_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496537522775896354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdyPGZ83DJjfUG0guuALiHarE9UmNUFRfxXGNJvi8cYles6B2u6R2wGX09GbDVFno-WCIxDkOsPSwbFYLZYYSOCT-Q9xNvGBH1PKCRcrPiXEmXmtYDe0faKfx3qHhlVlyxV_lQcJz1M_u/s400/city6173244_669508244_3705713_861776_n.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 302px;" /></a> City (obviously pre-9/11), breathless at the massive <a href="http://www.atu2.com/lyrics/songinfo.src?SID=190">"towers of steel,"</a> and the masses of people in my cinemascope view.<br />
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<b>I remember thinking i</b>t as I stood on a hill overlooking Asuncion, Paraguay<br />
(overshadowed by a satanic statue, see that story:<a href="http://davewainscott.blogspot.com/2009/07/u2-can-be-pastor-to-city.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> "</span>You too can pastor the city</a>").<br />
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<b>I can't forget praying i</b>t in downtown Lima, Peru, where (after two harrowing taxi rides across endless urban landscape),we were invited to co-host a meeting with a senator on urban awakenings, and into an AIDs victims home to pray for his healing (<a href="http://davewainscott.blogspot.com/2009/09/peru-2004.html">video</a>).<br />
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<b>I recall proclaiming it</b> from the literal Mt.Zion, as I took in the hushed and holy city of Jerusalem on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur">Yom Kippur</a><br />
(<a href="http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=1507881E041DC49B">video</a>).<br />
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The phrase seems to involuntarily arise within me until I have to make it official by vocalizing it:<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">"I love the city!"</span></b><br />
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More importantly, God loves the city.<br />
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<div><div>Whether you imagine your future ministry in a city of millions, or in an unincorporated village...there is untold value in learning all you can about</div><div>God's heart for the city, and building a theology of the city, and of urban ministry.<br />
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This photo of me was taken in my own city of half a million: Fresno, California.<br />
The cityscape behind me is fake, but the shadow you see me casting on the city is a symbol of something quite real.<br />
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We all cast shadows of the Spirit's influence on our city.<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">(see this post and video: </span><a href="http://davewainscott.blogspot.com/2010/03/casting-shadows-on-city.html" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>"City Shadows"</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span>)<br />
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But we don't always take time to work out a theology of how we do so.<br />
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Thus this weekend class, and website :<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
"Theology of the City/Theology of Urban Ministry.</span>"<br />
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About that title...don't worry: It won't be all theological/theoretical.<br />
We will have a time interacting with practical practitioners and prophetic pioneers of urban ministry.<br />
We might even venture deeper into the city than our rather rural campus allows us.<br />
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Actually, all theology is practical..if done well.<br />
Or, as<a href="http://davewainscott.blogspot.com/2008/01/organic-and-organized-hymns-in.html"> someone</a> has said,<br />
"Nothing is more practical than theory, and nothing is more theoretical than practice."</div><div><br />
</div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Congratulations</span> on those of you who are taking this as their last class before graduation!</div><div>This is also a good course to take as your first LABI class, or to invite your fiends to audit.</div>.<br />
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</div><div>I invite you be inspired by reading/watching <a href="http://davewainscott.blogspot.com/2010/05/bishara-awad-video-palestinian.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">here</span></a> about one exciting urban ministry I love to visit, Bethlehem Bible College<br />
(yes, <b>that</b> Bethlehem, that's why--as you can see here, they have bullet holes in their sign).<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496537514200067714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6MsuCSq3klEihlaWg1ZheIFwmGmRjEEWKDSbXL3BTHfUmLIGIY6i_UbuqIdI-aIWMDA0_Zul-9KfQJQg8AZEF1yF1x8Rs7X3zcccsf6-DpuStwm5o3UPYfz8MM1nhT5-0nBMxJGL2cO-/s400/BBCsign.gif" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 148px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 188px;" /></div><div><br />
</div><div>I will be adding resources to this website soon, but for now, see the </div><div>pre-class assignments at right, and be praying for God to use our class...and our cities...for Kingdom purposes.<br />
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In the meantime here is video of our textbook author, making his case for<br />
the importance of cities. Ray Bakke is a prophetic pioneer in urban ministry...he casts a large shadow, in other words.<br />
Rest in its shade for ten minutes, and you'll be ready for class:<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-style: italic;">Casting shadows,</span></div><div style="font-family: lucida grande; font-style: italic;"><br />
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</div><div><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-style: italic;">Dave</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ba0080; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; line-height: 21px;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340918314171800114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7X8v3p5c2M1E7iqtlu_3Lwi24OClF6lRyplaTj8aJqMlRFm_GJvLplKk_6WyEkBIcXfl8nabEdo_BftVegIHYzXp52kTHRPpCySE3T1UHkNCRt85SUMS8O8x6TpEgokmNRYH1CnAYvc/s400/hhn669508244_1570115_9866.jpg" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(90, 240, 122); cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 266px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; padding: 5px; position: relative; width: 400px;" /></span></span><br />
<div><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ba0080; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; line-height: 21px;"><br />
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</u><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdyPGZ83DJjfUG0guuALiHarE9UmNUFRfxXGNJvi8cYles6B2u6R2wGX09GbDVFno-WCIxDkOsPSwbFYLZYYSOCT-Q9xNvGBH1PKCRcrPiXEmXmtYDe0faKfx3qHhlVlyxV_lQcJz1M_u/s1600/city6173244_669508244_3705713_861776_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br />
</a></div></div></div>davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135992921485306480noreply@blogger.com0