Planting Churches Among the City's Poor - Volume 2

298 • P LANTING C HURCHES AMONG THE C ITY ’ S P OOR : V OLUME 2

V. Complimentary Concepts in Urban Church Planting Movements

No category gives us a kind of metaphysically ultimate analysis of the world. Nothing will change the fact that we are creatures with limited knowledge and with a variety of possible perspectives. In speaking of a category or theme, I have in mind not only biblical themes such as “covenant,” “revelation,” “prophet,” “king,” and “priest” but also terminology coming from other sources, such as the normative, situational, and personal perspectives on ethics, or philosophical terminology such as “being,” “infinite,” “necessary,” “logical,” “reason,” “existence,” and “mind.” I claim that no single category, theme, or concept and no system of categories can furnish us with an infinitely deep analysis of the world. No category gives an analysis that is innately more penetrating than any other could be. Moreover, no category is capable of being formed that allows human beings to separate the world or any aspect of the world neatly into two parts, leaving no residue or disagreement about possible intermediate cases. No category, whether from philosophy, theology, natural science, or any other discipline, gives us the essence of a particular group of things.

~ Vern Sheridan Poythress. Symphonic Theology: The Validity of Multiple Perspectives in Theology . Grand Rapids: Academie Books, 1987, p. 82.

1 Thess. 5.21 – But test everything; hold fast what is good.

A. Complimentary Concept One: Individual “revolutionary” commitment alongside congregational spirituality

1. Key text : 1 Pet. 2.9-10 – But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession , that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 2. Definition of the pair : We must strive to see that individuals are strengthened in their faith, while at the same time, develop disciples spiritually in the context of congregational shared spirituality that is vital and regular. 3. Description of the problem : The tendency to focus either on the growth of individuals alone or envision all spirituality as merely communal seeking after God.