tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-335062822008-05-12T23:27:45.740-04:00Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comBlogger182125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-86426610012402078032008-05-11T13:39:00.010-04:002008-05-11T14:58:42.152-04:00

Happy Pentecost! As I prepare to receive the mission team from Hendrix College this evening, I wanted to share some more information about the activities of the team that flew back to the U.S. late last week. The team consisted of a diverse collection of folks from quite a number of different locations. The people included: -- Andrew and Emily Thompson, Lynn Cross, Nathan Kilbourne, and

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-56640566452646679102008-05-09T11:38:00.003-04:002008-05-09T12:24:08.892-04:00

Okay, so I'm in Lima now with a little more time to write and let you know just what the heck I'm doing in Peru. Most of you probably remember the terrible earthquakes that Peru suffered in August of last year. Those quakes struck the very area where I've been working through nearly-annual trips since 2001. The epicenter of the quakes was in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the Department

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-92056437251659063132008-05-04T18:33:00.002-04:002008-05-04T18:47:54.593-04:00

We've been in Chincha since late Thursday night ... Hard to write a lot because of the Spanish-language keyboard and the crowded conditions in the Internet cafe. This has been a wonderful trip, different in some significant ways than trips I have taken to Peru in the past. Because of the large number of seminary students and young pastors on this trip, we have been focusing heavily on forming

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-25803640811028028632008-05-01T00:21:00.003-04:002008-05-01T00:31:09.463-04:00

Well, the last 24 hours of my life have been crazy. I'm in Nashville, ready to fly to Lima, Peru, very, very early tomorrow morning with a mission team I'm leading to work with a community in Chincha Alta. This is the same community I've visited several times before, and it is led by Pastor Pedro Uchuya, who is a friend, Christian brother, and spiritual hero to me. The last day of my life has

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-19394280069875372832008-04-28T11:43:00.003-04:002008-04-28T11:50:20.963-04:00

As we enter into this second week of General Conference, I wanted to share some thoughts on what I think General Conference can and cannot do. I do so in my current UM Reporter column, where I approach the issue as one of form vs. content in ministry. That is, General Conference has the ability to make changes in the form of the church, which (hopefully) will make the church a place more

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-41648420398781460592008-04-25T15:23:00.003-04:002008-04-25T22:02:21.704-04:00

J. Richard Peck of the United Methodist News Service has two summaries of the first few days of GC the first one here and the second one here. Here's a highlight of some of the notable happenings: -- The Episcopal address, given by Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher. Bishop Christopher suggested that membership decline in the U.S. branch of the church is at least partially attributable to

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-78757890859834484532008-04-24T23:57:00.003-04:002008-04-25T00:01:15.719-04:00

The 2004 General Conference created the Division on Ministries with Young People, within the General Board of Discipleship. Now the 2008 General Conference has heard the first ever Young People's Address, before the whole gathered body. United Methodist News Service reports on today's address in this news story. It sounds like the 6 teenagers and young adults represented a diverse

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-21247080643058423932008-04-23T10:39:00.008-04:002008-04-23T11:22:47.456-04:00

Tom Arthur, a student at Duke Divinity School, is proposing a new order for clergy, which would be called the Order of St. James. You can see his post about it here. As a way to respond to the rampant materialism of our age, this order would covenant around the practices of simplicity and hospitality. The group Tom is gathering has devoted an entire blog to their ongoing conversations, and

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-1374960444653942082008-04-21T23:06:00.004-04:002008-04-22T00:05:17.510-04:00

This is an important post. My friend and Arkansas Conference colleague Eric Van Meter continues his series of columns in the United Methodist Reporter this week. You can access his first, second, and third articles in the Reporter's archive. In his current installment, Eric looks at the issue of itineracy. He centers on the problem that itineracy creates in the church being able to fulfill

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-22310431681035389662008-04-19T12:43:00.003-04:002008-04-19T13:22:16.518-04:00

When I first started reading blogs a lot a few years ago, one of the blogs I visited most regularly was Generous Orthodoxy Think Tank. I appreciated its mission of trying to transcend the typical liberal/conservative divide in the church, and doing so within a broadly orthodox framework. But the Think Tank has been sputtering for a long time now. There have only been 7 posts since the

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-39636439505047032282008-04-16T09:47:00.008-04:002008-04-16T10:49:50.104-04:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, the General Conference of the United Methodist Church is just one week away! (audible groans ... nervous chuckles ... looks of fear). I thought I'd pass along a few things you might find interesting as the quadrennial event approaches. Let me say first of all that my outlook on GC has swung back and forth from great optimism to near despair as I have read various related

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-74880499497612406742008-04-15T23:45:00.006-04:002008-04-16T00:11:43.933-04:00

This is one of the most fascinating blog posts I've read in awhile, even if I am one of the butts of the joke. I knew nothing of Jeremy Smith's relatively new blog until John the Methodist pointed me to it, but you can bet I'll be checking it out in the future. I thought about comparing the mission statements of the various UM seminaries when I wrote that last post about Claremont. Well Jeremy

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-76618600942685125072008-04-14T21:59:00.003-04:002008-04-15T07:26:32.561-04:00

A friend alerted me to changes that have been made recently to the mission statement of Claremont School of Theology in Claremont, CA. Claremont is a seminary of the United Methodist Church, which means that it is one of the 13 official UM seminaries responsible for training UM clergy. So imagine my surprise when I read the mission statement and saw that there is no reference to God, Jesus

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-83940022978744549592008-04-12T11:54:00.004-04:002008-04-13T09:44:48.538-04:00

Memory, that is. David Brooks has a humorous column in the New York Times that suggests digital media is robbing us of our memory. He says that the 21st century will become known as the "Bad Memory Century," as we realize that our reliance on technology is coming at the expense of reliance on the original computer - our brains. "As it becomes clear that a constant stream of blog posts and

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-83657270644663488712008-04-09T12:07:00.006-04:002008-04-09T12:52:06.995-04:00

Shannon Vowell has a remarkable article in the United Methodist Reporter this week where she calls the church to reappraise its teaching (or lack thereof) on sex and sexuality to its youth. She writes, "The bottom line on teenage sexual practice as far as our church is concerned is this: We've failed them by copping out on Scriptural teaching about sex, both institutionally and individually."

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-502754972923352942008-04-06T20:33:00.002-04:002008-04-06T21:13:09.647-04:00

A few days ago, I posted about Lovett Weems and Ann Michel's new book, The Crisis of Younger Clergy. In addition to the related UMR column I wrote, I also did a book review on it for the Reporter which has now been posted online. You also might be interested in this interview with Bishop Will Willimon, who leads the church's North Alabama Conference. The interview mostly covers Bishop

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-76959865261915935732008-04-03T17:48:00.007-04:002008-04-03T18:22:14.342-04:00

Last month, I posted on an ongoing lecture series here at Duke where professors are invited to speak on various aspects of what constitutes "Duke theology". This afternoon it was Stanley Hauerwas' turn, and he did not disappoint. Dr. Hauerwas is currently on sabbatical, and one project he is working on during that time is a planned memoir. He read for about 35-40 minutes from the manuscript of

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-58519291493488675252008-04-01T10:14:00.005-04:002008-04-01T10:28:57.712-04:00

Is there one talent out there that you'd like to have but don't? One thing you wish you could do really well but never had the time or ability to learn? For me, that talent would be knowing languages well - how to speak, understand, write, and read them. I have at different times studied French, Spanish, and Latin, and I made one abortive attempt to learn Greek. And the thing is, I love

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-21568117797521899242008-03-28T21:10:00.003-04:002008-03-29T09:08:27.343-04:00

Lovett Weems and Ann Michel think they know. They have a new book out from Abingdon, entitled, The Crisis of Younger Clergy, that analyzes the results of the 2006 survey conducted by the Lewis Center for Church Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary on clergy demographics in the United Methodist Church. In 1985, there were over 3,200 ordained elders in the UMC under the age of 35. Today

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-75773091350019273542008-03-26T11:21:00.010-04:002008-04-05T13:35:50.984-04:00

Taylor Burton-Edwards has a provocative piece in the United Methodist Reporter this week. He comments on a paper presented by Dr. Randy Maddox during a retreat at Lake Junaluska, NC, last winter that brought together bishops and district superintendents from all over the connection. The paper, which is entitled, "The United Methodist Way," looks at Methodism's origin as a flexible, Holy

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-54550938354164259872008-03-23T17:11:00.004-04:002008-03-23T17:23:49.583-04:00

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-76090082819255870722008-03-21T19:13:00.003-04:002008-03-21T19:17:28.373-04:00

O Love divine, what has thou done! The immortal God hath died for me! The Father's co-eternal Son bore all my sins upon the tree. Th'immortal God for me hath died: My Lord, my Love, is crucified! Is crucified for me and you, to bring us rebels back to God. Believe, believe the record true, ye all are bought with Jesus' blood. Pardon for all flows from his side: My Lord, my Love, is crucified!

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-79979180144955055602008-03-20T20:58:00.003-04:002008-03-20T21:21:31.876-04:00

Like countless other children, I grew up hearing the term "Maundy Thursday" during the Lenten season and just assumed that the grown-ups around me were saying "Monday Thursday." I knew Easter was a special time, so I just assumed that this "Monday Thursday" thing was part of the deal. If Jesus could come out of the tomb on Easter morning, why couldn't we have Monday and Thursday on the same

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-82482656011816448342008-03-19T11:28:00.002-04:002008-03-19T12:01:00.496-04:00

Last week, I cited the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life's new study on the religious landscape in the United States. I want to highlight what I think is a very insightful analysis of that study from David Steinmetz, who teaches church history at Duke Divinity School. Dr. Steinmetz contributes op-ed columns to the Orlando Sentinel, and a few days ago he wrote this article looking at the

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33506282.post-62014310028770018832008-03-14T15:25:00.003-04:002008-03-14T17:11:50.911-04:00

My friend Eric Van Meter, campus minister at Arkansas State University, continues his series on the church in this week's United Methodist Reporter. In his current column, Eric says that he has always had a desire to work along "the borders of the church." He uses the image of an old, rusty barbed wire fence that is meant to mark off territory but stands largely forgotten. Those familiar with

Andrew C. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219444874913518106noreply@blogger.com