Enough with the ‘Jesus-Flavored Group Therapy’ – says minister, student, and podcaster Tripp Fuller – it’s the prophetic work of justice that defined Jesus and needs to define the Church.
Tripp is on the ministry staff at a United Church of Christ church in Southern California where his experiences with families trying to fit into an inherited model of ‘doing church’ may be birthing a new way forward – that may be the only way forward. Be inspired by Tripp’s enthusiasm for Christ’s work in the world.
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Synopsis:
No more playing golf with Pharaoh, says Tripp Fuller – who’s convinced that if progressives would care less about being politically correct and more about the radical discipleship Jesus taught, then the North American Church would look much, much different. Here are my notes from the interview:
Filling the Gap
Tripp believes there’s a big gap for progressives to fill in American Christianity, where people are looking for a more moderate, inclusive, and less confrontational way of being in Christian community. He says if progressives can get over their laryngitis, the harvest is ready.
Therapeutic vs. Prophetic
We all want to be taken care of – and that makes taking care of others very tough. Tripp reminds us that Jesus didn’t come into the world to make us happy, but to do the prophetic work of reconciling the world to God.
Understanding Today’s Young Adults
Saddled with tens of thousands of dollars in school debt, economically forced to live far from home, today’s young people are more about time and talent than treasure. The church of the future will likely see less paid clergy and more lay ownership/involvement to make things work.
About Tripp Fuller
Tripp is a self-described caffeinated nerd with a lot of hair, a love for music, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He moved to L.A. from North Carolina with Alecia & their son Elgin in order to pursue a PhD in Philosophy of Religion & Theology at Claremont Graduate University. Besides reading philosophy into the early morning, he enjoys conversations over black coffee, seeing live rock shows, and improvisational interpretive dance to 80′s Glam Rock ballads. He is currently serving as the Minister of Youth at Neighborhood Church in Palos Verdes. Recently he has published a couple works, including Transforming Christian Theology with Philip Clayton & Banned Questions About Jesus. He writes for and serves on the advisory board for the Immerse Journal, a journal for and about youth ministry, and hosts of a very nerdy podcast called Homebrewed Christianity with over 220,000 downloads last year.
Books Tripp Recommends
Christian Spirituality - Wolfgang Pannenberg
Failure of Nerve – Edwin Friedman
What Would Google Do? – Jeff Jarvis
