Dallas Emergent Cohort

Cohort Meeting in October, Tuesday Oct. 12th

2010-10-10T15:09:00.000-07:00

We will get together this month at Tin Star in Preston Center.

Kenton brought up an interesting topic for us to discuss this week.
"Is Baptism the new Circumcision?"

If you are intrigued with the discussion, or if you just want to join us because it's been a while, it will be good to see you.

As is typical, we'll meet at 7PM at Tin Star on Tuesday, October 12th.

September Cohort on Tuesday, the 14th at 7PM

2010-09-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 2:8-9

That’s the passage we will be discussing as we regather the cohort after our Summer break. Kenton will spearhead the discussion and is preloaded with Danielle's theory. (see, it won’t be all deconstruction!)

We will be back at our regular Tin Star location in Preston Center.
Hope to see you at 7PM Tuesday night as we get back into our regular 2nd Tuesday meetings.

Upcoming Conferences

2010-08-26T07:48:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone! We thought you all might be interested in knowing about these conferences coming up. Find out more information below!

Emergent Village Theological Conversation: November 1-3, 2010

The 2010 Emergent Village Theological Conversation will feature a global panel of theologians- Musa Dube of Botswana, Richard Twiss of the Lakota Sioux tribe, and Colin Greene of the UK. Engaging issues ranging from mission to postcolonialism to the AIDS epidemic, the Conversation is sure to be as rich as it is lively. Our panel of theologians will share stories and parables from their traditions, discuss their latest theological research, and challenge the Western American Church to engage and welcome voices from the margins.

Don't miss this opportunity to become more familiar with theologians doing remarkable work in their respective (and distinct!) contexts. We are certain it will be a landmark year in what has become Emergent Village's signature event. For more information and to register, go here.

New Testament Professor N.T. Wright will be speaking in Dallas on November 13, hosted by the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas. Register here.

The Center for Action and Contemplation is hosting an Emerging Christianity Conference December 3-4 in Ft. Worth. From their website: "Join three days of lively conversation about the “emerging” future of Christianity and Non-dualism, a foundational belief of emerging Christians throughout the world.
Featured Speakers: Richard Rohr, Suzanne Stabile, Tony Jones, Phyllis Tickle and Brian McLaren." Find more info here.

Cohort Meetings for June/July

2010-06-10T13:49:00.001-07:00

It has been typical to not meet in the summer months.
This will be true this summer as well in the months of June and July.
Feel free to write us with topic ideas as we plan to get back together after this break.

As we typically meet the 2nd Tuesday of every month August 10th would be our next time to meet.

May Cohort Meeting, May 11th

2010-05-11T05:57:00.000-07:00

I am late in posting this, but we will be getting together tonight. There have been a handful of ideas thrown around as topics for discussion, but no clear winner. So we will be happy to entertain your ideas for this evening. If nothing else, it will be good to see you and spend some time together.

As typical, we will meet at Tin Star restaurant in Preston Center at 7PM. The restaurant is right near the corner of Northwest Hwy and Preston Road.

April Cohort -Tuesday April 13

2010-04-12T08:27:00.000-07:00

We have had a few conversation and personal circumstances in the past few months that have prompted us to want to speak about Muslim/Christian relations at this months meeting. I hope you will plan to join us.

As is typical, we will meet at the Tin Star restaurant in Preston Center on Tuesday evening, April 13th, at 7PM.

March Cohort - Tuesday, March 9th, 7PM

2010-03-04T19:32:00.000-08:00

We are going to be jumping on the pop-culture band wagon this coming cohort meeting and taking time to discuss the movie, Avatar. If you haven't seen the movie yet, you are in good company. A few of us have seen it, however, and the rest of us have heard enough about the themes of the film to make it something worth talking about.

So, I hope you'll join us. As is typical, we will gather at Tin Star in the Preston Center shopping area. See you at 7PM.

By the way, we had decided we were going to discuss this even before Mr. Driscoll decided to pop off about the movie, but this came to our attention recently.

He thinks he has never been accused of being a fundamentalist??

February Cohort - Tuesday the 9th, 7PM

2010-01-26T11:23:00.000-08:00

We thought we would discuss a book, Dwight Friesen's new one Thy Kingdom Connected. It has been a little while since we have read and discussed a book, so I hope it's something you are up for. As always, don't be concerned about completing your "assignment" in order to participate in the conversation.

Here is Dwight's site and blog.
Here is a brief review of the book.

In addition Danielle be at the conference with Pete Rollins in Arkansas as well as Chris Haw (co-wrote Jesus for President). Maybe she will "throw out one of their newfangled crazy ideas but it will be cutting it close- conference ends the Sunday before cohort."

On a side note...

NT Wright is going to be in town later this year. His website mentions "Nov 12-14, Stanton Lectures, Dallas, TX" which is an Episcopal Diocese of Dallas. The last time it was in this series it was at St. Matthew's downtown, so this one may be there too.

January Cohort, Tin Star at 7PM on the 12th

2010-01-05T12:25:00.000-08:00

After taking December off, we will be getting back together next Tuesday, January 12th, for our monthly cohort meeting. Hope you will join us at Tin Star in Preston Center at 7PM.

If this will be your first time to join us, just look for the folks who don't seem to be married or dating. The restaurant isn't so large you couldn't find us. Some of us order food, others of us have already eaten, no pressure to do one or the other, but I'm sure Tin Star would appreciate the business.

This months topic will be around some of the online buzz that has been created by folks who have some of these question that our friend Kenton has submitted here...

What is the future of "emergent?" I know we've talked on this not too long ago, but there seem to be more stories floating about calling the Emergent Church "dead" as of 2009. Probably none of us think it really is, but perhaps now the anti-emergent crowd is wielding their most damaging weapon: ignoring it. What needs to happen in response? Dan Kimball and others have dropped the association. The holy trinity (Brian, Tony & Doug) seem to have all "gone political." Is it time to start a post-mortem analysis? (Even if you disagree that it has died?) What has emergent accomplished? What did we miss? Why? How important were those things? If it is still alive what should we still try to accomplish next?

We aren't limited to this topic, we often let the conversation go wherever it wants, but this is what will get us started.

Hope to see you!

No December Cohort

2009-12-07T09:24:00.000-08:00

As is typical for us, we will be skipping the December cohort gathering this year.
See you next year!
We'll plan to see you the 2nd Tuesday of January!

November 17th, Cohort Meeting

2009-11-16T06:02:00.000-08:00

Normally we would be meeting on the 2nd Tuesday of the month, but as mentioned in the last post, it is moved to the 3rd Tuesday for the month of November.

There has been several things on the schedule in the last 7-10 days that we will probably discuss this evening. Last week was filled with Danielle Shroyer's release party, Brian Mclaren's visit to the area, the Justice revival took place over three days, and Rob Bell swung through the DFW area over the weekend as well.

We look forward to seeing you at Tin Star at Preston Center, at 7PM, where is typical for us to meet.

Release Party and Cohort Schedule Change

2009-10-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

Book Release Party for our own, Danielle Shroyer.
Hope you can make it.
Here are the Details

By the way, the regular cohort meeting time (2nd Tuesday) will be pushed back one week due to all kinds of events already planned for that week.
We will see you for the November Cohort meeting on the 17th!

October 13th, Very Exciting Meeting of the Cohort!

2009-09-28T21:17:00.001-07:00

It's always good to see everyone, along with new faces, each second Tuesday. October's meeting will be extra special because we will be celebriscussing Danielle's newly published book.
You can see Danielle's write up about it here and you can order it from Amazon here.

If you get yourself a copy before we meet in October, I can promise you she'll sign it as we take time to discuss it together (with the author!!) that evening.

Like usual, we will be meeting at 7pm at Tin Star in Preston Center (Northwest Hwy and Preston Road) in Dallas.

September Cohort- Date Change

2009-08-11T20:12:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Great discussion tonight on Scripture, hermeneutics and faith! Thanks for all who came out to be part of the conversation.

We wanted to give you sufficient notice that next month's meeting we will deviate from our usual 2nd Tuesday of the month and meet on Tuesday, September 1st instead. We'll be talking about the theology of Jurgen Moltmann, since the Emergent Theological Conversation will be hosting him the following week in Chicago. If you're interested in attending or getting more information, find it here.

Some of you asked for a book recommendation and I mentioned this small, more recent book as a good place to start. It is called "In the End, the Beginning" and it's a great primer on Moltmann's eschatology. As always, though, don't feel like you need to have read this or any Moltmann book to join our discussion.

We hope to see you there- Tuesday, September 1st at 7pm at Tin Star (NW Hwy and Preston).

August Cohort Meeting - Tuesday, August 11

2009-08-04T06:06:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, August 11, 7PM

We will be meeting at the Tin Star in Preston Center.

Don't feel like you have to complete any required reading to come be part of the discussion, but we will be taking time to talk about the book, Blue Parakeet by Scot McKnight. Scot also wrote The Jesus Creed.

Here is a November review from Publishers Weekly,

Infused with common sense and seasoned with candor, the latest work from McKnight (The Jesus Creed), religious studies professor at North Park College, takes a stand in controversial territory by bravely asking the question: how is it that even Christians who claim to be led by an authoritative Bible read it so differently? In response, the author asserts that believers need to take a fresh look at how they adopt and adapt Scripture before they can read the Bible in a way that renews a living relationship with the God behind the sacred text. Using the analogy of a water slide, McKnight argues that the Gospel is the slide, the Bible and church tradition the walls that both protect and liberate the believer as he or she discerns how to apply Scripture as a living document. In the last section, McKnight tackles the controversial issue of women's role in church ministry in a way that is both scholarly and confessional, documenting his own journey alongside that of the apostle Paul and other biblical characters. Enriched by folksy anecdotes, this volume could be very useful for evangelical readers and any others wanting a safe place to ask the same bold questions.

If you will be joining us for the first time, just come on in Tin Star and look around. We could possibly be on the patio. Look for the group that is obviously not a family and not a dating couple. Will probably have a copy of the book on the table as a signal for you. See you this next Tuesday!

July Cohort - Tuesday, July 14th

2009-07-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

A cohort regular, Abby Lowe's brother, Matt (you met met Matt if you were with us in March), will be in town for the July 14th cohort and would love to lead a discussion on a book written by his friend Paul. Original Faith is sort of a collection of Paul’s thoughts on life and faith, refined by his education, life experience and a debilitating illness that has left him bedridden for many years. Matt has offered to even put together some of Paul’s poetry, etc. so people won’t feel like they had to buy the book.

7PM - the Tin Star in Preston Center.

BTW, Commenter Jenny, from last month, asked the following questions that I will re-ask and answer for her here...

I'm a little shy and new situations with new friends make me insecure. I'm going out on a limb here because I know there are probably others like me who'd like to attend. Please don't take offense.

What can we expect at the meeting? We usually talk for a couple of hours about an intended topic, but we let the conversation go where it wants.
How do we find you once we get to Tin Star? Well, we usually find a table wherever one is open for a group of 5-12. Look for the group that isn't a family or a dating couple, the restaurant has an open layout and isn't that large.
Would bringing a child or children be disruptive?
If so, do you have events where those of us lacking child care can bring them along? It's often a loud restaurant, so your kids won't be disruptive. If they can handle a group of friends talking for a couple of hours in a public restaurant, they can handle this.
Do we need to bring money for food and drink? We try to patronize the restaurant in some way. Some get a meal, some just drinks, some nothing at all.
How long does an average get-together last?
Anything else I should know? Not really, it is pretty informal. Will be glad to meet you!

June Cohort - Tuesday, June 9th.

2009-06-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, June 9th.
We will be back at TinStar Restaurant at Preston center in Dallas, would love to have you.
We will see you there at 7PM

At our most recent meeting, we meet a new friend who wanted us to discuss some of the differences between Calvinism and "emerging" theology. We hope to see you tonight for discussion well represented of many perspectives.

May cohort

2009-05-06T15:24:00.000-07:00

This month we'll meet again at TIn Star at Preston and Northwest Highway at 7pm on Tuesday, May 12th. Our topic of conversation will be to discuss all the changes going around Emergent Village the past few weeks on the heels of the meeting in DC the last weekend of April. We want to hear what your hopes and dreams are for the future or EV, so come and share them!

April Cohort, Time/Date Change from Normal

2009-04-01T09:36:00.001-07:00

Instead of the 2nd Tuesday in April, this months cohort will be meeting on the evening of April 6th. This is a Monday night. Still at 7PM, still at Tin Star in Preston Center.

The change is due to the fact that Doug Pagitt is in town and said he would join our conversation. So, we will be happy to see you all on Monday, April 6 at 7PM at Tin Star. Will let this conversation take us where we want. I am guessing Doug's run for political office will come up in a discussion between God and politics.

See you then!

March Cohort meeting in Review

2009-03-11T18:51:00.001-07:00

Great discussion last night on original sin.
Met a handful of new folks that we are all better for knowing.
Thanks for coming and joining right in with the ensuing hilarity. When launching into a topic like this one, one never knows what to expect, but it was a vigorous, informative and engaging.

A few new ideas floated my way having to do with the way that ancient Jewish listeners may have first heard the Genesis creation account.

My biggest takeaway was a paradigm shift between Eastern and Western Orthodox teaching. How about the rest of you?

March Cohort Meeting...Tuesday, March 10, 7PM

2009-03-03T21:40:00.000-08:00

We will be meeting at the Tin Star in Preston Center Tuesday at 7PM.

Here is a blog post you can read that we will help spur our conversation regarding original sin.

http://blog.beliefnet.com/tonyjones/2009/02/a-new-translation-of-romans-5.html

We hope to see you there!

February Cohort Meeting - Tuesday, February 10th

2009-02-05T18:51:00.000-08:00

7PM on Tuesday, January 10th.

We will meet at the Tin Star in Preston Center to talk about the book, Jesus Wants to Save Christians. It is authored by Rob Bell and Don Golden.

Don't feel like this is a mandatory reading assignment in order to attend. Many times people show up to listen or join the discussion whether they have read what we are discussing or not.

If this will be your first time to join us, come on ahead. Just look for the group of people assembling that looks like they didn't come together. We look forward to meeting you.

January Cohort Review

2009-01-14T07:35:00.000-08:00

Last night's conversation at Tin Star revolved primarily around the feasibility of the Dallas Justice Revival and asking questions surrounding the major justice issues in Dallas.

Brad asked an interesting question, "What is the greatest injustice in Dallas." We threw around the ideas that much of the systemic injustice is promoted by racism and classism and primarily propagated by apathy. The thought emerged that addressing education would systemically address many justice oriented issues. However, what is being taught seems to be more important in the long run than the quality of it's delivery. Our conversation seemed to settle on the importance of eschatology as it relates to how we treat each other and our resources.

Here is an interesting read that was referenced in the conversation last night. It seems the more that churches form and congregate around an evacuation or violence oriented eschatology, the more the questions asked by this planning board will ring true. Churches seem to be nothing more than a burden to a city planner. Why is that?

It was good to see everyone. It looks like we will read and discuss Rob Bell's Jesus Wants to Save Christians for next month. Let me know if there are other topics you might want to promote for future meetings.

Charles Finney Making a Comeback?

2009-01-08T08:50:00.000-08:00

The Dallas Morning News reports in this article that Dallas area churches are being organized for a Fall 09 event that Sojourners is calling the Dallas Justice Revival.

Sojourners hosted the first Justice Revival meetings in Columbus, Ohio in April 2008. The Dallas meeting will be the second such event that Sojourners will have planned.

After consuming all that I could find online about the Columbus meeting and speaking with people who are organizing the Dallas event, I am very excited about the potential that this has for mobilizing congregations to think and act through a lens of justice for the greater Dallas community. Taking a page from the Billy Graham playbook, these periodic events look to do months of pre-conference work with area church leaders to garner support and volunteerism for the three day Fall 09 event. However, unlike any major crusade or conference that I've heard of...the Dallas Justice Revival seeks to have local Dallas churches mobilized around the idea of treating Dallas like their parish. The goal of the event is to build a platform for ongoing systemic change in Dallas with justice issues.

Jim Wallis had this to say in June 2008...

In Boston, I spoke at the historic Park Street Church, where the premier evangelist of the Second Great Awakening, Charles Finney, preached in 1831. The Billy Graham of his day, Finney called people to faith in Jesus Christ and then to enlist in the anti-slavery campaign. Finney actually pioneered the “altar call” so he could sign up his converts for the anti-slavery campaign.

These Justice Revivals look like Sojourner's attempt to spur along what many have been calling America's next Awakening.

What do you think?

January Cohort Meeting - Tuesday, January 13th

2009-01-05T14:07:00.000-08:00

After a break in December, we are getting back together at Preston Center's Tin Star on Tuesday, January 13th at 7PM. It's been a while since we have had the chance to see some of each other, so I hope you can make it.

There has been a time or two in the last couple of years where we have come to the cohort without a book, assigned reading, or preordained discussion topic -- and that is what we will do for January. We look forward to hear what you've been reading and what you might want to discuss.

See you soon!

December Cohort - on break

2008-11-21T13:16:00.000-08:00

If you missed Peter Rollins at the cohort and then missed him again at Journey Sunday night, you missed out on a great couple of discussions.

Sorry to say we won't meet in December.
The plan is to take a break for the month and get together again after the new year.

Enjoy your holidays!

November Cohort Meeting

2008-10-30T12:29:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, November 11th, we will meet at the La Madeline's on Central and Mockingbird. (The restaurant is one block West on Mockingbird) Their front room is reserved for our time with Peter Rollins.

We had initially discussed the possibility of moving this meeting to Thursday, but Peter has made himself available to us for our normally scheduled time.

Peter Rollins spends much of his time as a writer, public speaker, lecturer and co-ordinator of the experimental collective Ikon. His Book, How (Not) to Speak of God, is likely how most of us would know him best.

He will be with us at 7:30PM to discuss his book, The Fidelity of Betrayal. I think you will really appreciate the discussion. I hope you can make it.

The Great Emergence

2008-09-22T15:40:00.000-07:00

Our October cohort gathering will take place on Tuesday, October 14th at 7pm, once again at Tin Star located at NW Hwy and Preston. We'll be talking about Phyllis Tickle's newest book, The Great Emergence, now available in bookstores and online. The book describes the emerging church movement as part of a larger historical context, done with Tickle's usual clarity and poetic sensibility. You can read more about the book here.

There is also a conference set for December in Memphis featuring a number of Emergent Village notables. You can get all the related information about that here.

Regardless of whether you pick up a copy of the book or not, we hope you can join us for good conversation on October 14th!

September Cohort in Review

2008-09-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

Hey there.

Thanks to Dallas G. for showing up and being part of this month's conversation. Dallas took some time to give us some particulars on the upcoming PCPJ conference that was mentioned a couple of posts back.

This led us into a conversation about the difference between pacifism and actively peacemaking. It also brought up several questions about how the church negotiates life when it comes to voting, activism, and mundane life decisions (among other things). The conversation was quite lively when it comes to some recent decisions that "emergent church leaders" have made in endorsing political candidates. I'm sorry you may have missed it, but we look forward to seeing you next month.

Reclaiming Paul conference

2008-08-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have not heard, this year's Emergent Theological Conversation is going to be a forum on the apostle Paul. There are some fantastic scholars on the docket, and it should be a really good conversation. The conference, entitled "Reclaiming Paul: The Apostle in the Emerging World" is October 22-24, hosted by Jacobs Well Church in Kansas City, MO. For more information, go here.

September cohort

2008-08-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

Join us the second Tuesday in September for our monthly cohort gathering. We will meet September 9th at 7pm at Tin Star. As per usual, we'll be out on the patio! This month Dallas Gingles will join us and lead a conversation on the politics of the Spirit. Dallas is a member of Pentecostals and Charismatics for Peace and Justice. This year's conference theme is "Politics of the Spirit: New Languages in a Culture of Empire." It should be a great conversation, and we hope you will join us.

The conference will take place October 17-19 here in Dallas at an incredibly affordable rate. You can find more information on schedule, speakers and registration here.

Hope to see you on September 9th!

August cohort

2008-08-07T12:33:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone,

Join us this Tuesday for our August cohort gathering. We will meet once again on the patio of Tin Star, located at Preston and Northwest Highway at 7:30pm. Come tell us what you've been reading and pondering and we'll see where the discussion takes us.

Cohort - July 8th, 7:30 la Madeleine on Mockingbird and Central

2008-07-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

We will have a discussion led tomorrow night by our friend, Gary Stuard, from the Environmental Interfaith Alliance. We have the meeting room at la Madeleine's at Mockingbird and Central reserved. Please come, we look forward to a good group of folks. Gary is used to giving presentations in local churches and is well practiced at answering questions you might have that are brought up by this discussion.

7:30 PM, Mockingbird/Central la Madeleine's - Tuesday, July 8th

Church Basement Roadshow and Jesus for President...in Dallas

2008-06-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

If you have not been keeping up with the summer shenanigans of a few of our friends, Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt, and Mark Scandrette you can keep up with their traveling-parody-roadshow-book tour that is called the Church Basement Roadshow.

They have a few tour stops in a city near you.

You can see them here, in Dallas, on Friday, July 18th in an event hosted by both Journey and City Church.

Also...
Many of you already know this, but the Jesus For President book tour is also
going to be in town that weekend, in Southlake on Thursday, July 17th. So Thursday and Friday opportunities for people to go see two great events. The Jesus For President one is free.

Report on Last Week's Discussion

2008-06-16T06:36:00.000-07:00

Just to give a quick report on last week's discussion...it was lively, well attended and everyone seemed to leave friends. We also had the chance to meet some folks who were new to the cohort this time around. There are a few who we had the chance to meet at an event that Brian McLaren hosted a few months back who have been meaning to join us for an evening -- We are glad you made the time; it was great to meet you all.

Feel free to email me if you are not currently on our email distribution list. I'll be happy to included you with those communication reminders about our monthly get-togethers.

It looks like we will be able to have a discussion led this next month by our fried Gary from the Interfaith Environmental Alliance. There was some question as to our meeting space for this next month...we do have the meeting room at La Madeleine's on Mockingbird and Central reserved for this occassion. We hope you can plan to join us July 8th at 7:30.

Salvation Discussion, June 10th, Tuesday

2008-06-05T06:18:00.000-07:00

Last month's discussion was well attended and lively. It brought up a couple of requests for our next cohort meeting. We will meet again at Tin Star at Preston Center at 7:30PM.

We received a couple of requests to discuss the word and meaning behind the idea of "being saved." If you have not unpacked these topics before and would like to join this discussion, feel free to show up and look around for the crowd that slowly finds each other.

I should also say that we aren't trying to pick a fight by discussing this topic. The natural flow of our conversation has prompted a couple of questions that will be interesting for us to talk about, but we wouldn't plan on facilitating a fight or even a debate. I promise, we can all leave friends! We have so far.

Hope to see you there.

Perspective on Paul, Tuesday May 13th

2008-05-05T12:22:00.000-07:00

To many people new to this growing conversation, one of the subjects that seems to come up early in the sorting process is this whole "new perspective on Paul" thing. Well, whether you've heard it referred to that way or not...it doesn't matter. You can feel free to join us for a discussion on the topic next Tuesday, May 13th at Tin Star at Preston Center.

Danielle is warming up for a conference she will be teaching at this fall, so we can hear her insight.

E.P. Sanders' 1977 book Paul and Palestinian Judaism is what coined the term and NT Wright has more recently built on this paradigm shift in his 1997 book, What Saint Paul Really Said. But don't feel like it is a reading assignment. You are welcome to show up without feeling like you need to pretend that you have read anything.

Tin Star at Preston Center, May 13th, 7:30 PM.

Good to Meet New Friends

2008-04-14T08:51:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday's meeting provided a great chance for us to meet some new friends. I'm sorry if you missed the opportunity to be with us. It seems as if Brian McLaren's stop with Deep Shift and Everything Must Change earlier this year, will continue to let the Dallas cohort be an occasion for us to meet more and more friends.
Tin Star, in Preston Center, has provided us a nice venue for the last two meetings, and it seems like it will be a permanent change for the cohort location.

Cohort Tuesday, April 8th, 7:30PM

2008-04-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

Hope to see you tomorrow, meeting at 7:30pm at Tin Star.
It is located at Preston and Northwest Highway.

Cohort Gathering Tuesday, April 8th, 7:30PM

2008-04-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

If you weren't with us last month, we are now meeting at 7:30pm at Tin Star, second Tuesday of each month. It is located at Preston and Northwest Highway.

We will gather to discuss Doug Pagitt's new book. Which isn't even released yet! He has the first three chapters available at his website www.dougpagitt.com. If you were with us last Wednesday, you also know that he offered a full pdf version to those who wrote and asked him for it. If you would like to agree to his condition of writing an online review, you can write him for the pdf link he will send you at doug@dougpagitt.com.

We hope to see you Tuesday, April 8th!

If you missed Doug Pagitt...

2008-04-01T06:42:00.000-07:00

If you missed joining us last Wednesday evening, I'll review the basics of our evening.

We ended up with a very nice setting, outside, on the patio. This was much better than the loud and crowded side room we were expecting to be able to use.

Doug took time to talk to us about what the community up in Minneapolis is doing at Solomon's porch. They are doing some very brave things as they ask them selves some serious questions about what the community should be structured like, now that they aren't a new community anymore. Most notably, their decision to phase out all of their paid staff positions by the end of 2008. What made sense in their first few years just doesn't make sense for them any longer. It was good to hear him talk about some of the basics of where they are and whee they are moving.

Also, because we forced him, Doug took time to talk about his new book that will be coming out in a few months. He was nice enough to make an advanced copy available to us on condition we write something good and viral about it online. Seems like a fair trade. We weren't required to promise to buy future, multiple copies...but you could tell he wanted us to.

It was a great evening and good to meet some brand new folks who joined us.

Tony Jones this week, Doug Pagitt next week

2008-03-17T13:42:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

Thanks to everyone who came out for a great conversation last Tuesday about Tony Jones' new book. A reminder that Tony will be in town THIS Thursday, March 20th, for a book signing at the Barnes and Noble across from NorthPark Mall in Dallas. The event begins at 7pm. You can get a map and all the information you need here.

Also, Doug Pagitt, Pastor of Solomon's Porch and author of a number of great books in the emerging church conversation, will be in town to meet with the Dallas and Fort Worth cohorts on Wednesday, March 26th at 7pm. We'll be meeting at I Fratelli restaurant, which is located on Macarthur Blvd just off 635 near DFW airport. Find a map here.

Doug's new book is coming out in the next few weeks called A Christianity Worth Believing. You can find out more about that here. And if you want more information on Doug, check out his brand new website here.

Hope to see you for these special events!

Cohort Review and a New Possibility

2008-03-12T13:12:00.000-07:00

The cohort had a new location and great conversation last night at Tin Star.
For those who came for the first time, thanks for what you are adding to the growing conversation.

It sounds like Tin Star was a good fit for our meeting space, perhaps that will be a venue change we will make permanent. Let us know what you think about that change.

Also, there is a possibility that Doug Pagitt can stop in and visit with the cohort in a couple of weeks while he is in town. It isn't definite yet, but it looks like we could have some of his time on Wednesday, March 26th. As it becomes something we can definitely schedule, we'll be sure to communicate here and in your inbox. If we don't have your email address yet, be sure to shoot it our way and we can add you to that distribution list.

Time/Location Change

2008-03-10T15:03:00.001-07:00

Hi all,

If you didn't get the email to let you know, we are now meeting at 7:30pm tomorrow night (Tuesday, March 11) at Tin Star. It is located at Preston and Northwest Highway. Bring your copy of "The New Christians" and be ready for a good conversation!

Also, if you want to be on the email list, send me a note at dgshroyer@yahoo.com and I will add you.

See you tomorrow!

The New Christians

2008-02-22T09:42:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

Tony Jones' new book is hot off the press, and we are eager to hear your thoughts. We'll meet on Tuesday March 11th at 8pm for our next cohort gathering. We'll be discussing The New Christians, and you can hear all about it here.

Tony's book is getting great reviews, and is an important addition to the Emergent conversation. Even if you haven't read it, we invite you to come and be part of the conversation!

We are going to change locations this month, to a different Cafe Brazil. We will meet at the one at Campbell and 75, near the Half-Price Books and Ali Baba Cafe. We hope to see you there!

February - Everything Must Change

2008-01-30T10:14:00.000-08:00

Join us this month for a conversation about Brian McLaren's newest book, "Everything Must Change." We will meet on Tuesday, February 12th at 8pm. We'll gather at the Cafe Brazil at Lovers Lane and 75. Come in and look for those of us with copies of Brian's book on the table! You can find the book here.

From one review: Acclaimed author and Emergent church leader Brian McLaren states, "More and more Christian leaders are beginning to realize that for the millions of young adults who have recently dropped out of church, Christianity is a failed religion. Why? Because it has specialized in dealing with 'spiritual needs' to the exclusion of physical and social needs. It has focused on 'me' and 'my eternal destiny,' but it has failed to address the dominant societal and global realities of their lifetime: systemic injustice, poverty, and dysfunction."

McLaren asks, "Shouldn't a message purporting to be the best news in the world be doing better than this?" What he sets forth in this provocative, unsettling work is a "form of Christian faith that is holistic, integral, balanced, that offers good news for both the living and the dying, that speaks of God's grace at work both in this life and the life to come, both to individuals and to societies and the planet as a whole."

Whether you've read it or not, we hope to see you there for an evening of good conversation.

Cohort Meeting, Tuesday, January 8th, 8PM

2008-01-02T15:11:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, January 8th, we will be meeting back at Cafe Brazil for our next cohort meeting. We have been keeping our eye out for a new location, but we will back at Cafe Brazil once again this month.

For those of you who are just curious, feel free to show up and look around the room for others who seem to be looking around the room. We end up finding each other easy enough. Some our interested in the specific topic of the evening, but more often than not, it turns into a free flowing conversation based on what folks are interested in talking about. Many times, it becomes a time to answer questions of folks who are brand new to this kind of conversation.

Cafe Brazil (6420 N. Central Expressway, just south of Lovers)
Tuesday December 11th
8PM
See you there!

Everything Must Change - Tour2008

2007-12-27T12:38:00.000-08:00

You can save the date of February 22-23, 2008 for the Everything Must Change tour with Brian McLaren In Dallas. It will be a time to hear from Brian, connect and network about ways in which we can participate in change that flows from God's dreams for our world, changes in the way we treat this beautiful planet, in the way we care for the poor and marginalized, and in the way we work for peace and justice.

For more info about the Everything Must Change tour, check out the following
You Tube video- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3QpTQfENoY
Website with more details on the tour – http://deepshift.org/site/

Tuesday, December 11th Cohort Meeting

2007-12-09T15:11:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, December 11th, we will be meeting back at Cafe Brazil for our next cohort meeting. Since this is the season of Advent, we will spend time discussing things appropriate for the season. Some of us may be new to celebrating aspects of advent in our families and in our communities. We look forward to a practical discussion for those new to this conversation.

Cafe Brazil (6420 N. Central Expressway, just south of Lovers)
Tuesday December 11th
8PM
See you there!

2007-10-18T15:41:00.000-07:00

2007 Craven Wilson Evangelism Lecture at Perkins School of Theology

Conversations with Brian McLaren:
What does emerging have to do with the rest of the church?

The 2007 Craven Wilson Lecture, Conversations with Brian McLaren, will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Nov. 12, 2007, in the Umphrey Lee Center Ballroom, 3300 Dyer Street, on the SMU campus.

Pre-registration is required, with a registration fee of $45. (Reduced fee for currently enrolled SMU students.)

To register or find out more, go here.

November

2007-10-15T06:31:00.000-07:00

Our next cohort gathering will be Tuesday, November 13th at 8pm at the Wine Therapist in Lakewood. We'll hear stories from the Emergence conference in Austin and talk about the different theological and practical issues that generated the conversation. Hope to see you there!

Update! Venue Change!

2007-10-05T14:50:00.000-07:00

The cohort venue for 10/8 (THIS MONDAY!) has changed. Mark Scandrette will still be joining us, but we'll be meeting at the Wine Therapist, a quiet little wine cellar in Lakewood, instead of Cafe Brazil.

Map it!

Mark Scandrette is coming to Dallas!

2007-09-20T08:09:00.001-07:00

Join us for a conversation with Mark Scandrette on Monday, October 8th at 8pm at Cafe Brazil.

Mark is the author of Soul Graffiti, director of ReImagine in San Francisco, CA (www.reimagine.com)and beat poet extraordinaire. You won't want to miss the chance to hear his fresh perspective, listen to what God is doing through ReImagine, and hear other great tales from the Kingdom.

Bring your friends, and we'll see you there!

Tuesday, Sept. 11th at Cafe Brazil

2007-09-07T09:03:00.000-07:00

We will be hosting a conversation on leadership in the organized (and unorganized) church - and how we move away from models of fear/high-control that many people have experienced negatively.

A couple of questions to get us started...

Is there a way to help leadership in the organized church cultivate those who may feel victimized by their past experiences?
What are some effective ways to allow folks on both sides of conflict to self identify, self critique, and finally self correct?

Cafe Brazil (6420 N. Central Expressway, just south of Lovers)
Tuesday September 11th
8PM
See you there!

Emergence 2007

2007-08-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars for October 19-20th! Zondervan hosts the Emergence 2007 tour in Austin, TX featuring Doug Pagitt, Scot McKnight and others as they host a conversation on the emerging church in America. Participants receive a free copy of the book, "Listening to the Beliefs of the Emerging Church." Register and get more details here.

Back in August

2007-07-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

After a summer hiatus in July, the Dallas cohort will meet Tuesday, August 14th at 8pm at Cafe Brazil (6420 N. Central Expressway, just south of Lovers). Come and tell us what you've been reading, thinking about, and exploring this summer!

Cohort Goes Global - June 12, 8pm

2007-05-21T15:10:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Join us on June 12th at Cafe Brazil on Central Expressway, just north of Mockingbird. Some Dallasites who participated in the Amahoro Africa Gathering in Uganda this month will be sharing stories and talking about how the post-colonial conversation elsewhere connects with the postmodern conversation here. We'll meet at 8pm.

See you there! map

Location Change

2007-05-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

The cohort gathering next Tuesday will now meet at Cafe Brazil, 6420 N. Central Expressway. (Tempest Tea will be closed.) Cafe Brazil is on the east side of 75, just south of Lovers Lane. Hope to see you there at 8pm next Tuesday!

May Cohort Gathering

2007-04-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

As is our custom, we will meet on the second Tuesday of the month, May 8th at 8pm. This month, in order to support fair trade coffee and tea, we're switching our location to Tempest Tea at 5600 West Lovers Lane, between Inwood and the Tollway. (www.tempesttea.com)

This month, we'll use another new book release as our conversation starting point. Mark Scandrette's first full book, Soul Graffiti, comes out mid-April, and I have to say, it's great. If you've ever met Mark you know him to be an energetic, passionate, pastoral person who also happens to be a fantastic storyteller and a killer cook. And his book encompasses all those great characteristics into an inspiring, challenging, and beautiful story of his attempt to live a life of faith in San Francisco.

Hear from Mark here: www.markscandrette.com and ReImagine here: www.reimagine.org

And, of course, you can preorder your copy of his book here.

Hope you can join us for the conversation!

Emergent Manifesto of Hope

2007-03-30T12:21:00.000-07:00

The newest book in the Emergent line with Baker Books is out! The Emergent Manifesto of Hope is a collection of essays and thoughts from diverse voices within the Village. Join us Tuesday, April 10th at 8pm at Gachet to talk about the book. Even if you haven't read the book, come and talk about what it means to be a people of hope.

Gachet Coffee Lounge is located at 1804 Lower Greenville Avenue, Dallas TX.

We hope to see you there!

Tuesday, March 6th

2007-02-28T07:39:00.000-08:00

The next meeting of the Dallas Emergent Cohort will be on Tuesday, March 6th at 8pm. We will meet at Gachet coffee lounge in Lower Greenville (www.gachetcoffee.com)

We'll discuss the intersection of justice and mission and ask ourselves what it means to be people of God seeking justice in Dallas. As usual, we'll let this question get us started, but we'll be open to wherever conversation happens to lead us.

Hope to see you there!

Next Cohort - January 30th

2007-01-16T14:39:00.000-08:00

The Dallas and FW Emergent cohorts will be joining forces this month and will meet in Arlington at the Coffee Haus on Tuesday, Jan. 30th at 8pm. With us will be Bob Pyne and Joni Powers, who will share with us their insights as the developers of Lifespace (www.lifespaceonline.com). We will be asking questions about our spiritual direction, about our passion for God, and about what may be restricting us from leading an unbounded life with God.

The Coffee Haus is located at 210 S. Mesquite St. in Downtown Arlington. Click here for a map.

a break in december

2006-11-17T12:10:00.000-08:00

both the Dallas and the ft worth manifestations of the dfw emergent cohort will be taking a break in the month of december. take some time away from the banter, and spend this time with your families, friends, and faith communities.

we'll be kicking things back up in january with a great conversation with cohort-members joni powers and bob pyne. they'll be sharing a bit about their ministry, lifespace. to find out more, check out: http://www.lifespaceonline.com

may the peace of Christ fill the earth this holiday season. looking forward to seeing you in january.

Dallas Cohort | Up and Coming

2006-10-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

- Thursday, October 26 @ Journey Community Church at 8pm: As many of you know, one of the goals for Emergent has been to broaden the friendship to include Catholic brothers and sisters. The Dallas Cohort has had the privilege of having several Catholic attenders to our meetings. For those of you who have been in attendance, you know that their input has been a refreshing addition to our meetings. Several months ago, Brother Joseph (a frequent contributor to our discussions from The Cistercian Monastery in Irving) handed a series of presentations called "Naked Without Shame" an exploration by teacher, Christopher West, into "The Theology of the Body" a series of teachings by Pope John Paul II. Over the next few weeks I was blown away by these teachings, finding them to be the deepest and most comprehensive teachings on sexuality, human dignity, marriage, and celibacy that I have ever heard. This prompted a series of discussions to present these teachings to the cohorts.

A short teaser presentation about "The Theology of The Body" will be given to those present and we'll go ahead and engage in our usual lively discussion from there. The short presentation will be given by one of our Catholic participants.

Map to Journey: click here.

- Saturday, October 28 @ Anselm Hall at The University of Dallas - 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM: Three presenters will give a more comprehensive glance of "The Theology of The Body" and in between each 45 minute presentation there will be time for questions and discussion. Below you can find the directions to University of Dallas and Anselm Hall. There is a campus map attached to this e-mail. The building you will want to get to is the building marked as #22. Available at this event will be a light breakfast and the complete Christopher West presentation on CD for only $5 (a 10 CD set!).

We hope to see you at one (or both) of these events!

Directions to the University of Dallas and a campus map are available at http://www.udallas.edu/about/directions.cfm. We will be meeting in the split-level lounge of Anselm Hall on the UD campus.

Anselm Hall (building 22 on the digital map) is a rectangular brick two-story that runs along Northgate Dr. It is the first building on your right after you pass the UD Tower when driving down Northgate Dr. from the direction of Tom Braniff Dr. and Hwy 114 (it is the last building on the left before the UD Tower if coming down Northgate from the direction of Carl Rd. and Hwy 183). Simply take the first available right after the Tower (or the last available left before it, if coming from Carl/ 183; the street name is "Science Drive", but it's really just a network of parking lots) onto the University campus, note the location of Anselm Hall, and find a convenient parking space as close as you can (probably in the "C" or "D" lots on the campus map).

You should enter the building from the Western end, which is the end pointing AWAY from the University Tower. Go straight up the stairs and enter the door on the landing before getting all the way to the second floor. We intend hang signs on the appropriate doors of the building to make things as easy as possible.

Should you find yourself discombobulated on campus, all undergraduates should be able to direct you to "the Anselm lounge", which they know as the place where Campus Ministry offers them free food late at night several times a week.

Dallas Cohort - 8/22

2006-07-18T12:13:00.000-07:00

The Dallas Cohort will meet again Tuesday, August 22nd at 8pm at Journey Community Church. We will discuss thoughts from Peter Rollins' new book, How (Not) To Speak of God. Here is an excerpt that will serve as some initial fodder for our discussion:

"The difference between the idea that our Christian traditions describe God and the view that they are worshipful responses to God is important to grasp, for while the former seeks to define, the latter is engaged with response. By charting the latter course, those within the emerging conversation perceive a very different way of understanding theology. It is no longer thought of as a human discourse that speaks of God but rather as the place where God speaks into human discourse. In other words, theology is understood as the site in which revelation makes its appearance in the world, the place in which theos (God) impacts, and overwhelms, the human realm of logos (reason). Consequently we do not do theology but are rather overcome and transformed by it: we do not master it but are mastered by it.

"If theology comes to be understood as the place where God speaks, then we must seek, not to speak of God, but rather to be that place where God speaks. Through our words and actions we seek to be the site of revelation through which people encounter the life-giving Word of God."

Urban Training Institute

2006-06-16T07:01:00.000-07:00

The second annual Urban Training Institute of the Southwest will be held in Dallas from July 18-21 at the Cityplace Conference Center. The UTI is a leadership training event for urban ministry practitioners. The theme this year is "Transforming Communities" and featured presenters include Leonard Sweet, Shane Claiborne, Robert Linthicum, and artist Hal Samples. Participants will select one of three specific clusters as their learning community for the week, one of which is the emerging church.

Since practically all of us are ministering in an urban or suburban context, this will be a great opportunity to meet other practitioners, learn from the courses offered, and share a bit about what we're doing in the emerging church.

For more information or to register, go to www.citycoreinitiative.org/uti.

Danielle

Dallas Cohort | 6.13.06

2006-06-02T13:56:00.000-07:00

The Dallas cohort will be meeting Tuesday, June 13th at 8 p.m. at Journey Community Church. Journey is located at 3877 Walnut Hill Lane, inside Northway Church. (map)

Discussion will lead us where it will, but we will begin the evening by talking about what we think is most important and promising about the emerging conversation.

We hope to see you there!

Danielle

May 23rd

2006-05-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

Our next Ft. Worth discussion group/cohort will be meeting on Tuesday, May 23 at 8 PM at The Four Star Coffee Bar in Ft. Worth. More details will be coming soon. As our cohorts have been growing we have found that there are many questions about Emergent and whether or not it can be defined. While the growth in curiosity has been encouraging, and the questions have been graciously stated, we wanted to propose that we proceed to other questions which might address broader issues for the entire group. This is not an effort to skirt the issue of "definition;" we feel that you can learn more about Emergent and this cohort by listening and participating in the discussion rather than seeking a creedal statement. If there is confusion about the mission, vision, or core beliefs of Emergent, check out the Emergent website at www.emergentvillage.com. A great way to present questions regarding definition is through the conversations that can take place at the end of an evening or through emails and questions posted on the blog. Dialogue and conversation is the life blood of our cohorts, and we would like to have many more join us as we move forward in our discussion of theology, culture, and ecclesiology. I look forward to seeing many of you in a couple weeks.

DJ Reed

April Cohort

2006-04-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

This month we are going to gather both the Dallas and Fort Worth cohorts for conversation. We're also happy to host Doug Pagitt, pastor of Solomon's Porch, who will be dropping in later in the evening as well. We will meet on Tuesday, April 25th at 8:00p.m. at the Jason's Deli in Grapevine.

The address is 1270 William D. Tate Avenue, Grapevine, 76051.

Here is a link: Yahoo! Maps

We hope to see you there!

First Fort Worth meeting

2006-03-13T12:19:00.000-08:00

The Fort Worth cohort will host its first meeting on March 30th at 8p.m. We will be meeting at Four Star Coffee Bar, located at 3324 W. 7th Street. Four Star is in the arts district in Ft. Worth, near the museums. We have reserved the couch area in the back for our conversation. If you have any questions, contact D.J. Reed at djreed@vrbc.net.

Hope to see you then!

Our first Dallas meeting

2006-03-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

After the wave of interest we've seen from the lunch with Tony Jones and the recent Emergent Theological Conversation at Yale, we would love to get this cohort underway once again. Due to our expanding metroplex, we think it best to have two cohort meetings per month, one in Dallas and one in Fort Worth. In no way do we see these cohorts as separate, as we hope to cross-pollinate frequently. However we do realize that many of you are driving from different parts of the metroplex, and we want to make it as easy as possible for you to be involved. And, if for some reason you cannot make one meeting, you can choose to drive a bit farther and go a different time that week. We hope this provides some flexibility for you as well.

To that end, we will have our first Dallas cohort meeting on Tuesday, March 21st at 8 p.m. We will meet at Tempest Tea, a tea room with a coffee shop atmosphere. Tempest is located at 5600 West Lovers Lane, between the Tollway and Inwood (www.tempesttea.com). It is two doors down from Cafe Express in the Pavilion shopping center. The great people at Tempest have reserved the back area for our use, and are offering us 10% off all drinks.

The nature of our first discussion will be, "Why are you interested in the Emergent conversation?" We hope it will be a time to get to know one another, talk about where we are, and about what topics, books, theological viewpoints we would most like to discuss in the coming months. And, in the spirit of Lent, we will be asking, "Do you think there is a theological thought, idea or practice God is calling you to give up -or take up- in order to grow in faith?"

We hope to see you there!

Welcome!

2006-02-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Dallas Emergent cohort. This will serve as a place for you to stay informed and connected to future gatherings, events and related things of interest.