Youth in Mission 1

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Thanks for you thoughts on mission. Very helpful.

I'm not too sure if you have seen or read my book, Mission Now, but I deal with similar things there. One aspect we need to constantly focus on is HOW - in practical terms - we get the Church and those involved in mission to begin a dialogue: or in your terms adults and young people.

I'm not too convinced that we should see them as being too separate or apart. Such thinking only illustrates more of the 'them and us' mentality which destroys unity and conversation. (We Evangelicals speak too much of 'them & us', being 'in or out'...of separation. Quite frankly is it not helpful and only leads us to the place of siding with one or the other. Life is not all black and white; grey is a colour too!)

But returning to the issue...we need to also keep in mind (and appreciate) the philosohical worldview differences between us. Some of the 'generational' ideas (Gen X etc) permeating from the USA simply do not find fulfilment in Europe. Our philosophical base or foundation is different. Rather than from a generational foundation we are more communal. This is not to say that there is truth in the generational thinking which can be applied to Europe: and the converse is true also - there are truths in the European worldview which the USA needs to take hold of and understand too. No, what I am saying is we need to contextualise the teaching and understanding in order to see what and if it fits within our context.

Now, having briefly said this and raised more questions I'll stop, but there is more we need to discuss...
Truth: what is it: whose truth?
How is postmodernity in affecting mission?

But that's for later