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(The following is a reprint of our press release – but since space is filling up fast at this event, we thought we should get something up right away!)

Multnomah Biblical Seminary’s Institute for the Theology of Culture: New Wine, New Wineskins will hold two seminars to promote unity in the church and outreach to the poor on April 9th and 10th, respectively. Together, these seminars make up the annual Spring conference that New Wine puts on in the community.

People often think caring for the poor in the analogy of giving a poor man fish to eat or teaching him to fish so he can eat forever. Neither approach moves beyond charity, which keeps the poor dependant and demeans their humanity. Instead, Christians must help the poor become entrepreneurs so that they can own the pond together.

An Evening of Inspiration, April 9th

At the introductory seminar, “An Evening of Inspiration: breaking down barriers”, Dr. Paul Louis Metzger will discuss how the white church has historically failed to build a relationship with the black church. Together, Dr. Metzger and Dr. John M. Perkins will urge the church to long for unity and will lay the foundation of what “owning the pond together” means.

Owning the Pond Together, April 10th

The second seminar, “Owning the Pond Together: developing communities through entrepreneurship”, suggests that community development involves partnering with the poor by thinking creatively and fostering micro-enterprise. The seminar stresses the importance for Christians to move beyond charity and toward cultivating community through effective business practices. In this way can Christians and the poor own the pond together and protect the community from being sold out to the highest bidder.

Perkins, Metzger, and Pastor Eric Bahme will present the importance of partnering with the poor and how to put “owning the pond” principles into practice.

Church Partnership

Following Perkins and Bahme’s lead, churches can help form local enterprises that meet local needs and employ indigenous people by partnering with the poor, sharing skills and economic resources and investing capital so the poor will have ownership in the community. Churches can also become partners to foster business ownership among the local people.

Registration

• An Evening of Inspiration
  Free to the public
  Friday, April 9, 7p.m., at Emmanuel Temple Church (1033 N. Sumner).

• Owning the Pond
  Registration and fee required
  Saturday, April 10, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at Eastside Church (9727 NE Sandy Blvd.)
  Register for the seminar at https://www.multnomah.edu/newwine/register/.

(Just in case you don’t want to read our bloviating below, you can go straight to the source at the New Wine, New Wineskins Blog.)

Christian Faith and “The Big Game”

Just in time for the Superbowl this Sunday, February 7th many media outlets are gearing up by publishing stories ranging from Christian faith in sports to pro-life ads during half-time.

As has become the case in recent years, the Seminary’s very own Dr. Paul Louis Metzger was called on to be an expert for the writer of the latest article from the Religion News Service titled: “God and the Gridiron; Some are Crying Foul.”

Keeping the Context

As is usually necessary, much of the value in what Dr. Metzger had to say gets stripped out for the sake of the writer’s needs within the story. This typically results in only a portion of the quote being used, thereby leaving much to the imagination. In this particular article, Dr. Metzger’s quote deals with the issue of a famous Christian football player named Tim Tebow who is featured in an ad (produced by Focus on the Family), espousing the positive results from a pro-life choice made by his mother. This ad will be featured during the Superbowl this year and it has raised the ire of many groups who call it “anti-abortion” and the like.

The Quote

“It could very well be a great message, but is it a good venue?” asked Paul Louis Metzger, who teaches theology and culture at Multnomah Biblical Seminary in Portland, Ore. “Is it helpful to the discussion, or does it up the volume, so to speak, on the culture war rhetoric?”

What Dr. Metzger Wants Us To Know

Check out his post at the New Wine, New Wineskins Blog for further thoughts that we think you’ll all like to ponder as we head in to this most holy of sports holidays!

USA Today referenced Dr. Paul Louis Metzger and M.Div alum Tony Kriz in today’s opinion blog. The article, written by Tom Krattenmaker, is titled:

“You Can’t Buy The Real Gifts Of Christmas”

A Metzger Quote

Here’s our favorite quote from the story:

“Many thriving prosperity-gospel churches appear to have thoroughly embraced the American ideal of upward mobility and material well-being,” Metzger says. “It makes one wonder if these churches’ leaders think Jesus was a savvy entrepreneur on the rise, who would have become rich had his career not been cut short.”

The Book

Learn more about Consuming Jesus - the book that was the context for Metzger being quoted

This morning, we ran across a post at the very good Out of Ur blog that was authored by Dr. Paul Louis Metzger as a follow-up to his recent Article in Leadership magazine.

“One in Christ or Coffee?”

(Note: it’s OK to drink coffee while reading the above article!)

By “Theology of Space”, we don’t mean the “Force” of Star Wars, or the logic of the Vulcans we mean something more akin to how churches and Christian communities use their spatial resources.

Our very own Dr. Paul Louis Metzger has been busy (for proof, read this). Never one to shy away from tough questions, he attempts to tackle the “Theology of Space” in his latest article published in the November 2009 issue of Leadership magazine.

What’s So Special About Space?

Maybe a couple of memorable quotes will help:

The coffee bar has replaced the Lord’s Table as the place where real community happens.

or

I wonder—are we thinking as intentionally about the design of our ministry spaces as retailers are about the way they design their stores?

I ask my students to make observations about the use of space at clothing stores they visit. Two design elements are frequently reported: lots of mirrors and no clocks.

Check It Out Now

I don’t know about you, but it’s enough to make me want to check out “Walls Do Talk”.

Oh yeah, Dr. Metzger teaches a full slate of classes too…

Come attend New Wine’s fall conference, Lifestyle Evangelism in the 21st Century: Building Bridges to Neighbors and Neighborhoods! It will highlight the profound evangelistic and missional approach generated by Dr. Joe Aldrich’s classic book Lifestyle Evangelism and what lifestyle evangelism looks like in the 21st century.

The conference will feature presentations, workshops, and panels by Paul Louis Metzger, John Morehead, Rusty Pritchard, Mike Abbate, Clark Blakeman, Tony Kriz, Caleb Rosado, Gary Tribbett, Brad Harper, David Greenidge, Roger Trautmann, Rachel O’Brien and more!

When and Where Is It?

• Saturday, September 26
• 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Mosaic Church: 1832 NE 39th Ave. Portland, OR 97212

How Much Does it Cost?

• Students: $10
• MU staff, faculty & alumni: $20
• General public: $25

How Do I Register?

Download, fill out, and e-mail your registration form to newwine@multnomah.edu.

More Information

• To view the conference schedule and a list of workshop offerings, check out New Wine’s website.
• For other information, contact New Wine at 503.251.6767

Once again, another Multnomah faculty-authored book is proving to be worth the effort it took to write it and important enough for more organizations not  named “Multnomah” to promote its merits!

Read the official press release about Exploring Ecclesiology: An Evangelical and Ecumenical Introduction

Huge National Spread

Christianity Today magazine gave it a fantastic treatment when they condensed it down into a 4-page article with custom artwork in their August 2009 issue. This isn’t just a book review – it is actually part of the book with Dr. Paul Louis Metzger of the Seminary and Dr. Brad Harper of the Bible College credited as the authors.

PDF of the issue here

Not Just a Textbook

Even though the book is accessible to anyone who wants to read it – and you should if you can – it is also going to be used in the classroom at other institutions. So, it’s kind of making an impact.

To wit:  http://mikewittmer.wordpress.com/2009/08/02/evangelical-ecclesiology/

It seems everywhere I turn these days I see and hear someone talking about this extremely popular book by Paul Young titled: “The Shack”

A Faculty Response
It seems to have stirred both raving fans and controversy. Recently, Seminary professor Dr. Paul Louis Metzger was interviewed by Zach Dundas of Portland Monthly magazine for what I will call his “evangelically informed theological take” on this book in the November 2008 issue.

Read it for yourself here

However, As Great As That Is
Our very own President, Dr. Daniel R. Lockwood, was on the cutting edge months ago when he wrote his review of the book for the Summer 2008 issue of Multnomah Magazine – (if you’re not a subscriber, then do it, because it’s free and worth every penny! Drop a line at magazine@multnomah.edu).

Here is the 2-page PDF for your ease.

We might get one more post up before Thanksgiving Break (hooray for Higher Ed holiday schedules!) – so check back again – otherwise, we’ll see you on Monday or Tuesday with fresh fodder.

Seminary professor Dr. Paul Louis Metzger’s latest book, Consuming Jesus, continues to pick up steam as it moves through the world-wide blogosphere and key print media.

This book award is kind of a big deal – big enough that Leadership Journal called it one of the “Ten Most Important Books of 2008″ – and the only one to warrant a full page review and podcast interview series.

Read our full press release here.

The Goods

The “Top Ten” Books

The Full-Page Review

© 2008 Christianity Today International, used by permission of Leadership journal.

Download the mp3

Learn more about Out of Ur

© 2008 Christianity Today International, used by permission of Leadership journal.

Oh yeah, if these things get you going, then don’t forget about the upcoming Drum Majors for Love, Truth, and Justice event!
drum-majors-event-details

On 10/30/2008, Multnomah teamed up with North Portland Bible College to discuss the issues surrounding Black Liberation Theology with the Georgene Rice Radio Show.

Why?
With the unique election season we’ve been in, the subject has been brought into the mainstream media. Georgene Rice and Multnomah thought that providing accurate information about Black Liberation Theology would be a helpful antidote to the cursory (and sometimes wrong) descriptions that have peppered media broadcasts in the past months.

Listen to the Recording

Download the mp3

Special Thanks

• Georgene Rice for her willingness to educate the Portland and Seattle Metro areas
• Dr. LeRoy Haynes, President of North Portland Bible College for providing his perspective
• Drs. Brad Harper and Paul Louis Metzger for being willing to discuss the issues of the day

Note:
I’m so grateful for the diversity of thought and academic freedom that is evident in Christian Higher Education. I truly enjoy seeing the different views and debates from differing perspectives on campus. Furthermore, the fact that Multnomah, as an institution, takes no stand on political subjects or candidates seems to really free up the individuals here to discuss freely – and that’s a good thing.

Multnomah’s Perspective:
Read our Doctrinal Statement to know our official word on theological subjects. We are a community with many different voices – but the one that ultimately represents MU can be found in this very useful document.