Sunday, April 23, 2006

Liquid - Culture, Spirituality & Justice

I attended the Liquid workshop last Friday. It aimed to integrate Justice, Culture and Spirituality. These three major areas are integral to the practice of Christian mission: (1) Justice: compassionate living & social justice. (2) Culture - engaging culture & community (3) Spirituality: spiritual formation & discipleship.

Many missional events focus on just one of these areas without showing how all three are integral. Other events may dip into a couple without addressing the relationships between them. Yet, one or two of these areas alone does not create a faith framework capable of sustaining people into Christian maturity.

Liquid is a missional training event presented by several agencies, organisations and churches who want to encourage a more holistic approach to mission and discipleship in Australia. By uniting these diverse groups with their unique gifts and experience, we can emphasis all three areas and increase our capacity to significantly shape the practice of Christianity.

There were more than 20 electives that participants could choose from, and I found the workshops and experiential worships very thought-provoking, challenging and inspiring, and helped me to grabble with these three important aspects of mission.

So which out of culture, spirituality and justice can you identify with most? And how? Do you agree that all three are very important in mission?

8 comments:

Matthew Celestine said...

I do not see social justice as a part of mission.

Culture is a little vague. Introducing a Biblical worldview should result in cultural change.

Spirituality involves Gospel proclamation, training in discipleship and church-planting.

Every Blessing in Christ

Matthew

Unknown said...

Hi Kitty, you are tagged. Hop over to The Trad Pad at http://tradpad.blogspot.com for the details. It is all about simple pleasures.

The Conference sounds great. What a different attitude is abroad in the church in this talk of an integrated gospel. How many sermons did I sit through years ago that used to condemn the social gospel. As for me, I have always held that there is only one gospel lived in spirit, word and deed.

Blessings and bliss

Kc said...

I can appreciate the neccesity for social justice within the faith community. I think that need is scripturally established as we are not to have respect of persons. I think that social activism is a civic responsibility and not a responsibility of the faith community. I would say that Paul illustrated the need to address the culture in that he became all things to all men that by some means he may save some. It's needed in order to be able to relate but it doesn't follow that culture should necessarily be adopted by the faith community does it? Shouldn't those areas remain distinct and culturally independant? Now concerning spiritual formation and descipleship, do you have a few years to spare? (grin)

The liquid blog is kewl and it seems like a grand event. ;-)

Kitty Cheng said...

Matthew, I wish you were in the liquid workshop with me. I think you would have enjoyed the discussion.

Kitty Cheng said...

Hi Miss Eagle, your tag sounds interesting. I will find sometime to do it soon.

I agree with you that integrated gospel is so important, and that gospel should be lived in spirit, word and deed. That's in a nutshell what the conference was all about.

Kitty Cheng said...

Haha you are so right in all you say here Kc...concerning spiritual formation and descipleship, I think I have the rest of my life to spare to learn about them. (grin)

Yes the liquid blog is kewl and I enjoy the interaction with like-minded people in the workshop too.

audrey` said...

May the peace of God be with you, Kitty :)

Kitty Cheng said...

Thanks Audrey, and same to you :)