Mark Scandrette

I recently finished reading my friend Alan Hirsch’s excellent book, The Forgotten Ways. Hirsch offers a missiological reading of many of the major themes in the emerging church conversation (including the kingdom of God, Jesus as Rabbi, experience and action-based spirituality, etc). This book is especially helpful for those who may feel uneasy about emerging theological explorations yet passionate about the opportunity to rethink mission in the 21st century. This well annotated and illustrative work explores the dynamic interactions between the essential message of Jesus, the historical church and emerging culture.I will be recommending it to people as a helpful introduction to the missiological motivations of many contemporary experimental practitioners.

We had the most amazing concert experience yesterday at the stern grove festival featuring Anoushka Shankar & Karsh Kale. Most people know that I love traditional hindi and punjabi music combined with techno rhythms. This concert was a real treat. Sitar player Anoushka Shankar is the half sister of Nora Jones and daughter of Ravi Shankar. At the mid afternoon concert as we were bobbing our heads to the complex tabla beats and crazy sitar solos,a friend turned to me and said, “This music takes me to another level. If this is how worship was in a church or synogogue, I would go every week– but maybe this experience is wordless worship– because it makes us aware of transcendent realities.”  This music deserves to be heard by a wider Western audience.