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Episode 415: Compromise & Conviction with Jon Tyson



The church in North America has more money and resources than ever before, so why is it increasingly ineffective? Pastor and author, Jon Tyson, is back to talk about his latest book, “Beautiful Resistance: The Joy of Conviction in a Culture of Compromise.” Tyson says “mammon” is the central idol in America today, and that much of the church worships it as well. But what is mammon?


And why does Tyson think prayer and fasting is a path for the church to find real power again? He also shares what happened when his entire family contracted COVID19. Also this week, the crew discusses a Twitter thread about the implications or rooting Christian mission in the Great Commission (Matthew 28) rather than creation (Genesis 1-2), and why resistance to social change is foundational to evangelical theology. Finally, what can we learn from the 10 principles of Catholic social teaching?


Links:

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/1998/10/31/10-building-blocks-catholic-social-teaching



12 Comments


Phil Vischer
Phil Vischer
Aug 05, 2020

Hi Paul - I agree that what you've detailed here are the extreme forms of CRT and intersectionality - where they can end up. I just don't think that's where those ideas begin, and I want to resist defining ideas by the more extreme permutations.


Intersectionality, at it's most basic level, is simply saying that the experience of a woman in our society is different than the experience of a man, and the experience of a black American is different than the experience of a white American, (or a disabled person, or an LGBT person, etc.) so the intersection of those various characteristics creates further differentiation. To be a black woman is different than being a white woman or …


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pauljr
Aug 04, 2020

Come on, Skye and Phil! Of course it is easy to define Critical Theory. Here, I will take a stab at it: 1) Critical theory holds that all of society is divided into two groups: oppressors and oppressed.


2) For traditional Marxists, the categories are economic: bourgeois = oppressors, proletariat = oppressed.


3) For cultrural (Gramscian) Marxists, the categories are

racial: white= oppressors, minority= oppressed,

gender: male = oppressors, female = oppressed,

SOGI: straight = oppressors, LGBT = oppressed.


4) Intersectionality is the combination of groups a person is part of, so a white, straight male is three times an oppressor.


5) Whether you are an oppressor or not is based on the group(s) you are part of rather than your…

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Clayton
Aug 03, 2020

Great discussion as always. Phil, Christian, or Skye -- I don't know if any of you are likely to see this comment since this post is a couple days old already, but I wanted to make a guest suggestion for a future podcast episode. Mark Charles is a Navajo Native American man and a 2020 independent candidate for President of the United States. Here is his campaign website: https://www.markcharles2020.com. He is also a former evangelical pastor at the Christian Indian Center (Christian Reformed Church denomination) in New Mexico.


Last year, IVP published a book called "Unsettling Truths" that Charles co-authored with North Park Professor Soong-Chan Rah (who is friends with Skye). The book (https://www.ivpress.com/unsettling-truths) deals with the Doctrine of Discovery,…


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lee.vandixhorn
Aug 02, 2020

Great discussion on evangelicalism and a challenge to better articulate our involvement with society. We, as evangelicals, don't have as clear a theology as Catholic doctrine, but I'd point to the Lausanne Movement, that grew out Billy Graham's work. For decades, evangelicals around the world have been thinking and writing about evangelism and social responsibility in a biblical, thoughtful way.


https://www.lausanne.org/content/lop/lop-21


One of the leaders, C. Rene Padilla helped shape John Stott's understanding which led to a greater role of "wholistic mission" in his teaching. This type of teaching may not be widely taught in the US, but it shouldn't be ignored.

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Rick Durrance
Rick Durrance
Aug 01, 2020

Outstanding interview with Jon Tyson! Really appreciate his thinking and insights! Buying his book!!

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