Missio Dei - in the crisis of Christianity by Fred Peatross

Reviewed by Jim Henderson

I don’t read much about the missional church, because apart from Shaping of Things to Come by Frost and Hirsch I find much of the writing/thinking to be overly theological/philosophical. I prefer stories of real people. Another thing is this; most books are too long and too fascinated with them self. They lack awareness of the reader. This may be because many are written by teachers who major in information rather than by practitioners who focus on formation. Fred Peatross crosses this divide and gives us the best handbook on missional church on the market. Read the rest of this entry »

An Interview with Dr Jon Sharpe
By Jim Henderson

Jon Sharpe is the Director of the Center for Global Urban Leadership. He and I have been friends and colleagues for over 30 years. He is planning a trip to Ireland this fall and I wanted to ask him a few questions about it. He will also be joined by Colonel John Michel, a board member of Off The Map

Where did we first meet? I was at Bellevue Community College near Seattle and had an org. we called Christian World Liberation Front ( we didn’t have any idea what it really meant other than it sounded radical to us) and we talked the college into giving us funds to have concerts. So, we looked for the wildest Christian band we could find to come play in the center of the campus. People told me about “the Justice”, a group that had recently gone Christian (sort of a U2 kind of deal) so we had them come play. They were wild and they were good! Jim Henderson led the group and we became friends… Our next group was Andre Crouch and the Disciples! It must have been about 1970.

You have been a pastor and led several ministries over the past 30 years plus. Tell us about a few of those experiences Well, my brother once said, “you can always tell the leader with spear front and rear.” Read the rest of this entry »

An Interview with Pastor Phil Wyman

with Pam Hogeweide

A prolific blogger, Phil is currently writing a book about his experiences as a pastor who loves witches. This May, The Salem Gathering is hosting a conference called God for People Who Hate Church. Featured speakers include Jay Bakker of One Punk Under God fame, Tony Jones of Emergent, and our very own Jim Henderson.
Phil Wyman lives in Salem, MA with his wife, Bev. You can read more about their dream to befriend pagans here.

Pam Hogeweide is a contributing writer for Off the Map. She has written about her friendship with witches at her blog, How God Messed Up My Religion. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two kids and is a self-employed cleaner, though she dreams of eventually being a full-time writer.

I love witches and pagans. I used to be freaked out about them, thinking they were all blood-drinking fiends who stayed up all night cursing Christians and sacrificing cats in the woods. Under a full moon. Naked. But then I found out a couple of friends of mine were into Wicca, a popular form of neo-paganism (and witchcraft) that some claim is one of the fastest growing spiritualities in America. As I researched their beliefs, trying to get my head and heart around their worldview, I soon discovered that I had a very inaccurate understanding of modern witchcraft. Most practitioners, like my friends, are peaceful people who deeply crave a connection to the Divine. They certainly aren’t drinking blood. (“That would be the Catholics,” jokes my witchy friend Michelle.)

So I am thrilled to introduce you to someone who is not only another Christian who loves witches and pagans, but he’s also a pastor. (Please don’t hold that against him.) He’s not your average stuck-behind-the-church-walls kind of spiritual leader. This man chooses to not only hang out with neo-pagans, but he and his wife, along with another family, uprooted from their California home to start a church in the witchiest city in America. Read the rest of this entry »