The Cymbrogi, the Didache, and Postmodern Followers of the Way

I wanted to share the following excerpt from "The Teaching of the Twelve: Believing & Practicing the Primitive Christianity of the Ancient Didache Community" by Tony Jones. It loosely describes what we have been doing here in Santa Fe. I am not sure how many of us have read this book if any, but this selection stood out to me as a modern example or model for communities like ours.

I have not yet finished the book, but I highly recommend it based on what I have read so far. I recommend reading and/or watching all of Tony Jones' materials. He is very relevant to a postmodern Christianity (whatever that means).

Here are a couple reviews of Jones' book

http://erb.kingdomnow.org/featured-the-teaching-of-the-twelve-tony-jones-vol-3-2/

http://taddelay.com/2009/12/16/the-didache-tony-jones-introduces-the-teaching-of-the-twelve/

and an online version of the Didache

http://reluctant-messenger.com/didache.htm

What in the World is Postmodernism?

Postmodernism thus is not relativism or scepticism, as its uncomprehending critics almost daily charge, but minutely close attention to detail, a sense for the complexity and multiplicity of things, for close readings, for detailed histories, for sensitivity to differences. The postmodernists think the devil is in the details, but they also have reason to hope that none of this will antagonize God. For are not the modernists rather like the Shemites, furiously at work on the tower of Babel, on the “system,” as Kierkegaard would say with biting irony, and are not the postmodernists following the lead of God, who in deconstructing the tower clearly favors a multiplicity of languages, frameworks, paradigms, perspectives, angles? From a religious point of view, does not postmodernism argue that God’s point of view is reserved for God, while the human standpoint is immersed in the multiplicity of angles? (pp. 49-50)

– John D. Caputo, Philosophy and Theology

Welcome!

The Grace Collective blog grew out of the Emergent Santa Fe facebook Community Page. A small group of us has formed around sharing our experiences of the Emergent movement's ideas on following the Way of Jesus ("Where two or more are gathered . . ."). We're people in the Santa Fe area who find value in having a dialogue around emergent movement writers and concepts. We're excited about exploring what it means and what it looks like to be a follower of Christ in the 21st Century. Our intention is to create a safe place to ask questions and converse about faith, spirituality, social justice, the environment, and fair trade, among other things.

If you are not yet familiar with the Emergent phenomena, keep checking back to see our experience as we document it in this blog.

In other words, "Come and See!" And if you like the ideas and experiences that we share here, contact us either through this blog or our facebook page. That way you can join us in person and share with us.