I am now back in Eastern Oregon where this past weekend was "Chief Joseph Days," in the small nearby town of Joseph, Oregon. It was the 65th annual CJD, complete with "Grand Parade," Rodeo, Carnival and the various side-shows that attend this sort of thing.
 

It is the culture of white, small town America that is on display at CJD, and it certainly has a lot of admirable qualities. I couldn't help but think, however, just how much Sarah Palin does capture so much of it. The perkiness, the can-do, the cuteness, plus the combination of patriotism and Christianity. It is a culture that, while very much the mainstream here in the small town West, is decidedly not the predominant American mainstream, and these folks know it, which is also part of the appeal of a Sarah Palin.
 

On other matters, I have found myself thinking some about the word and concept of "ecumenical." For many years "ecumenical" meant church/ denominational mergers, alliances to transcend or overcome denominational tribalism and the like. Some refer to this as ecumenism that is about "organic union." For the most part, it generates little passion or even interest today.
 

But "ecumenical" is taking on a new and more promising meaning and form, which his nothing to do with church/ denominational mergers but everything to do with shared consensus around the Great Tradition of apostolic and patristic Christian teaching and confession. The kind of thing Irenaeus worked out with his early concept of the "Rule of Faith." I think this attempt to articulate a core of belief that is at the heart of ecumenical, orthodox Christianity is much more promising and relevant for today. I can get interested, even excited, about "ecumenical" in that sense whereas attempts to merge or unify denominations doesn't do much for me.
 

On the Congregational Leadership Network site, I've posted information about an October workshop I will lead on "Purpose and Vision" for congregations. I find growing numbers of congregations paying heed to my work (Changing the Conversation) and elsewhere on these concepts as levers for renewal. So I will do a Seattle area workshop for congregational leadership teams. Some are in the purpose/vision discernment process and may welcome coaching. Others are planning for doing this work and thinking about to best approach it. This workshop will be held on October 9, 8:30 to noon at Rainier Beach Presbyterian Church in Southeast Seattle. Rainier Beach is one of the congregations I have done some work with on this and which is working itself on discerning and articulating purpose and vision. For more go to www.clnorthwest.org and click on "Events and Seminars."
 

As I continue to read in the grab-bag Practical Theology area I am finding that many of the more interesting books are coming from publishers like InterVarsity, Baker Books and Brazos Press, all of whom are more in the evangelical Christianity world. Some very exciting stuff coming out of these houses.
 

Hope some exciting stuff is finding its way into your house and life these days. Blessings,
 

The new issue of Alban Institute's "Congregations" magazine has an article of mine, titled "Ten Observations About Leadership." That's the Spring 2010 issue of Congregations (which appeared in the summer not the spring, but whatever). The article is on pages 9 - 11. The editors appended a nice set of questions for reflection and discussion to the article.
 

Another recent article of mine appeared in new "Still Speaking" magazine of the UCC, the first issue of which came out in May or June. My article is entitled, "Still Listening?" There are two different schools of thought and interpretation with respect to the UCC "God Is Still Speaking" theme. One I would call "Progressive," the other "Reformed."
 

The Progressive interpretation argues that God's word evolves and changes. That what made sense or was true in one era may no longer be so today. So, "God is still speaking" in this sense means that God's word and will are evolving, developing and changing. The Reformed interpretation argues that the meaning of God is still speaking is that God is active, intervening, living and up to something in the world. Hence, "Are we listening?" I lean toward the latter or Reformed view. The Progressive interpretation allows or encourages us to take both God and Scripture less seriously and our own insights more seriously. The Reformed interpretation would lead us to take God and Scripture more seriously and ourselves less so.
 

Every now and then someone asks "Where are the Reinhold Niebuhr's of our day?" Or, to put it somewhat differently, "Who are the public theologians for our time?" Niebuhr graced the cover of Time magazine in his day and his thought influenced statesmen and politicians, academic and church culture alike. Is anyone doing that today? Some suggest names like Cornel West, Jim Wallis or Elie Wiesel. I've been pondering the idea that New York Times columnist, David Brooks, might be our best present public theologian. Of course, Brooks isn't a professional theologian at all, but a political journalist and essayist. But his writing does reflect a theological perspective, sometimes explicitly, more often implicitly.
 

Some of the theological themes that recur in Brook's writing include 1) a sense of human limits, finitude and contingency. He challenges claims to know too much or have just the right plan to fix everything in favor or more modest and limited efforts at change and reform. 2) He has a clear sense of human fallibility and sin. This leads him to cut some slack for stupid remarks made by a Stanley McCrystal, suggesting that there are some things best left unreported. It also leads him to doubt that the poor are all good and the rich all or and vice-versa. Sin infects all. And such a sense of sin leads to a third theological theme, 3) grace. Sometimes Brook's locates grace in the creative and optimistic spirit of America, sometimes in a sense of some kind of providence at work in, through and beyond our efforts, schemes and dreams.
 

Here's a book recommendation, "The Exception," by Danish writer, Christian Jungersen. Not exactly a mystery, although there are unexplained deaths and threats. Not quite a thriller, but it kept me reading avidly. The setting is a Danish Center for the Study of Genocide. As the staff works away at exposing human brutality and evil on the grand scale, they are participating in their own forms of brutality and evil in how they treat and dehumanize one another. Very provocative.