Behind the Blog

Who are we and why a blog about Paul Louis Metzger’s book, Consuming Jesus: Beyond Race and Class Divisions in a Consumer Church? Those of us who are responsible for managing the site are a group of people involved with The Institute for the Theology of Culture: New Wine, New Wineskins (http://www.new-wineskins.org) of Multnomah Biblical Seminary. Dr. Metzger is both Professor of Christian Theology & Theology of Culture at the Seminary as well as founder & Director of New Wine, New Wineskins.

 

I, Kelsi, the blog moderator, am studying to get my Master of Divinity at the seminary. This blog is intended to encourage, stimulate, and engage in discussion about the ideas, concepts, and values presented in Consuming Jesus. I will sequentially explore elements discussed in the book, moving section by section. We will also be posting anticipated interviews with figures such as the civil rights leader and community developer Dr. John M. Perkins, as well as relevant theological and cultural essays written by those who further explore and shed light on this topic. Dr. Perkins says in the Afterword to the volume: “Consuming Jesus is a powerful book. But it is more than a book. It has the potential to serve as a catalyst for a movement whereby the evangelical community repents of its consumerist heart and practices and responds to God’s all-consuming love to tackle the pressing race and class problems in the church and broader culture today.” Given the book’s potential to serve as a catalyst for a movement, we want to get this movement, well, moving. We invite you to engage in discussion, ask questions, comment on the blog moderator’s thoughts and insights, and partake in a vibrant, curious and intentional exploration of what it truly looks like to move beyond race and class division in the consumer church. Welcome!