why do i feel like these guys are serious about saving the world?

i'm here in orlando, florida with the guys from the international mentoring network - alex (orlando, FL), eric (sacramento, CA), kevin (miami, FL), ryan (sheffield, UK), debbie (tampa, FL) and geoffrey (edinburgh, UK).  this is going to be an intense but incredibly spirit-awakening time.  i'm going to try to post some resonating thoughts each day as part of my 'session extractions', as this is going to be huge fuel for the work and trajectory of The Republic.

so here goes ... day one:

- if God is in a conversation with the world (not just the church, not just the religious, but with the entire world) ... what would it look like if we sought Him out wherever he was found? 

- many of the pastors and leaders that the church needs are right here - they're just not 'saved' yet.  what if we became talent scouts for God?

- most evangelicals argue for the authority of Scripture, and based on that move on to prove the resurrection of Jesus and the existence of God.  that's backwards - the Bible exists because Jesus was raised from the dead.

- closed sets are people groups defined by a particular criteria.  centered sets are people groups defined by individuated motion paths relative to the center (towards, or away?).  many many churches can be described as closed sets - but is that going to promote the expansion of the kingdom?

- Q:  in terms of your position in the universe, are you an orphan or adopted?

- the uniqueness of slavery in the west is its abolition (not out of some inherent character superiority, but the effect of the Gospel - it moves us toward a more human future)

- we can evaluate the quality of cultures not by comparing against each other, but against the Scriptures

- people can be wholehearted believers in God and attempt to obey the Scriptures but still not participate in creating the Kingdom come / human future

... more to follow tomorrow ...

why do i feel like these guys are serious about saving the world?