Graham Ward on the Politics of Discipleship and Liquid Church

Paul writes – Two things caught my attention as I had a quick look and random read through Graham Ward’s latest offering – The Politics of Discipleship: Becoming Postmaterial Citizens (just out from the publishers (Sept. 1, 2009) and looking like it’ll be a great read – although typically of Ward, it’ll be heavy going in parts, but overall should be a more accessible entry into Ward’s thinking. It’s a bigger book (in terms of pages) than others in the series, weighing in as it does with 316 pages (including index).

 

Publishers description of the book here, including an excerpt – PDF – which includes Jamie Smith’s excellent “Series Editor’s foreword”). Here’s an excerpt from this foreword. It resonates with a great conversation I had with fellow wayfarers on Sunday around mystery and uncharted territory:

 

“What do we do now? This might be the first question of discipleship. It is the question asked by the disciples at the foot of the cross: The Messiah is dead. What do we do now? It is the question asked by the same disciples after the resurrection: He’s alive! What do we do now? And it is the question asked by these same Jesus followers after the ascension: The King has left us.

 

 

What do we do now? If this is the first question of discipleship, it is also a perennial question of discipleship…”

 

“…This is not merely an intellectual program or a vision for a new Christian empire; rather, it is a mission pursued in “the micropractices of Christian living” (166). At stake here is action. To ask “What do we do now?” is to consider the shape of our action…”

 

Stanley Hauerwas describes the book as “Extraordinary! ... Perhaps even more significant is his theological proposal for the difference the church can make in the world so described [by Ward]…”

 

Firstly, a niggle (and Canadian’s will understand this, and Kiwi’s will just get it!) – Note to publishers if it’s reprinted at some point – Peter Jackson is NOT an “Australian film director” (p. 23). He’s a New Zealander, and we’re damn proud of that fact!

 

Secondly, a great statement from Ward (a footnote on pages 203 & 204). I like it a lot, and think he’s right:

 

“…To some extent, this ecclesiology [what Graham Ward describes as “the theatre of (and workshop for) political discipleship] maps onto to what Pete Ward,

Liquid Church ( Carlisle: Paternoster, 2002), describes as the “liquid church.” I [Graham Ward] agree with his suggestion that “there are different and more cultural expressions of what this corporate body of Christ might look like,” and my own ecclesial description affirm his “idea of church [a]s being constantly reformed, transformed, shaped, and reshaped. Relationships, groups, and communication are fundamental, for through the connections made between people the church is formed “(38). But I differ in seeing the networked body of Christ as nothing new. It is the nature of the church as it has always been. And therefore there is no need to develop new formed of church along the lines of consumerist flows [note – he’s not saying there’s no need for new forms of church. He’s saying there’s no need for them to be formed around consumerism! Paul].

Such networks and flows must be rooted in the tradition of being church. There always remains the need for discipline, catechism, discernment, and belonging that is transgenerational and historical. The institutional church plays an important role not only in encouraging the development of the body of Christ well beyond its borders but regulating such development. The production of good theology is important in this” [Emphasis throughout is mine – Paul].

Comments

[adhunt]

Baker Academic sent me the first three in the Series for review and I have thought them all very good. Especially for their size.