Sem título

Não sei mais o que é intocável. Picotei, recortei e colei tanto os conceitos que não os reconheço mais. Minha cuca fundiu. Questionei tanto a linguagem (na minha cabeça, é claro) que não tenho mais linguagem para afirmar nada publicamente.

Filosofia e Dogma

O poder e a igreja

Creio que uma das características mais importantes da igreja emer-gente brasileira deverá ser a abnegação do poder. Isto é, o não-exercício deliberado do poder. Senão, não será muito diferente de uma Renasc** ou Bol* de Nev*. Lembremos as palavras de Jesus:

"— Como vocês sabem, os governadores dos povos pagãos têm autoridade sobre eles, e os poderosos mandam neles. Mas entre vocês não pode ser assim. Pelo contrário, quem quiser ser importante, que sirva os outros " - Mateus 20.25b,26


(Nota de rodapé do K-fé ao ouvir a entrevista com Douglas Rezende, prestes a ser divulgada no podcast do Renovatio Café.)

Deus é brasileir@

Provavelmente existe um Deus. Agora pare de se preocupar e aproveite a vida.

( There's probably a God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life. )

On the perception of Brazil abroad

I had a few interesting conversations with friends from my workplace. I asked them what they thought of Brazil and what shaped their perceptions.
Ian said that the images of Brazil that come to mind are:
- half-naked women on the beach
- the figure of Christ looking down
- more half-naked women
- Christ again looking at everything, smiling and consenting

My interpretation:
Brazil is perceived as the land of beautiful women, where it's "ok to sin" with no moral guilt.

There's probably a God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.

Being 'emergent': a condition

I like it!

"Change in Tide" - part 4

Translation of the article "Mudança de Maré", published by "Cristianismo Hoje" (Christianity Today), issue #9, in Brazil, written by Sulamita Ricardo.

Translation by Gustavo K-fé Frederico.

( See part 1 here. See part 2 here. See part 3 here.)

Continuing. Part 4:

'

"Tired" - The [business] administrator Luís Fernando Batista - host of the site Renovatio Café, which makes content available related to the movement, points out that the Emerging Church should not be used as a pretext for the believer not to get involved in a local church. "Many that speak about the movement have no true involvement with the mission and only act because of hurts with some traditional church, what triggers wrong observations". "They are only admirers of any evangelical thing outside the model of [a] traditional church, of which they are tired". Batista says that he saw in the web site of a church in the United States an announcement of three worship services Sunday morning: the first one traditional with hymns and the organ; the second one with a contemporary focus with PowerPoint presentations and drama. The third one was the emerging serice, with candles and alternative rock. "Congregations that insist in presenting themselves as emerging want to position themselves this way as the churches that follow the latest fashion".

However, he bets that soon there will be a post-evangelical generation which will reject the church without abandoning the respect for the person of Jesus. "It is for acting in this area that revolutionary movements appear, not only interested in changing the form of the church, but in leaving the mark of Christ in society". For Sandro Baggio, the challenge of the emerging movement is to pass the initial stage, in which, he believes, it is still found. "The Emerging Church needs to move on from the deconstruction phase to the edification phase", he points out.

Dan Kimball, in turn, another leader of this alternative way of making church, prefers not even to use the terminology of the movement. For that reason, he and professor Scot McKnight formed a new network, temporarily called Origins. In his opinion, the Emerg[ent] Church developed amidst many theological branches. "The definition of what is emerg[ent] changed", he maintains. "However, I will continue to defend and to work for the ideals of the Emerg[ing] Church, for it represents evangelism and missions for a new generation rising."

'

"Change in Tide" - part 3

Translation of the article "Mudança de Maré", published by "Cristianismo Hoje" (Christianity Today), issue #9, in Brazil, written by Sulamita Ricardo.

Translation by Gustavo K-fé Frederico.

( See part 1 here. See part 2 here. )

Continuing. Part 3:

" But for pastor Baggio, the concept of Emerging Church is much greater than that. "It would be the place for those who are tired of the methodology of the current churches and are seeking alternatives", he defines. For the emergents, the labels have no importance. "It is not this recognition that motivates people inolved with this trend, but with a sincere desire to live and to communicate the Christian faith in this world in transition", he explains. According to him, the movement in Brazil is not strong yet. However, some isolated actions throughout the country start to be known, such as La Red del Camino, that functions in the south of the country, and the Tribal Generation, that had many conferences. "What we have is people in many places that show interest for the subject and try to know what it is about. The emerging churches are more families than institutions, more communities than gatherings", concludes the leader.

Pastor Carlos Oswaldo, leader of the Organização Palavra da Vida [Word of Life Fellowship], says that the principles defended by the Emerging Church are not new. "Some of the general propositions of the movement were recycled some times in the last 40 years", he points out. He is worried with some of the methods used by the group for achieving its goals - including many concessions to the postmodern thought. "Some of the voices of the movement adopt an attitude that could be called 'evangelical agnosticism', as contradictory as the expression may be ", criticizes he.

"The Emerging Church will have positive points if it is considered only one more non-institutionalized movement, with no pretension of offering pre-build answers or to present new truths", adds pastor Ed René Kivitz, in turn - the leader of Água Branca Baptist Church in São Paulo. He admits the sympathy he has for the movement, but he recalls that he prefers the context of the Latinamerican theology, on which he has walked on. For Kivitz, the platform of ideas that maintain this ecclesiastic branch must avoid solutions [that would appear] too natural, based on trendy fashion or "how-to" recipies.

"

to be continued...

"Change in Tide" - part 2

Translation of the article "Mudança de Maré", published by "Cristianismo Hoje" (Christianity Today), issue #9, in Brazil, written by Sulamita Ricardo.

Translation by Gustavo K-fé Frederico.

( See part 1 here. )

Continuing. Part 2:

"The most distinct characteristic of the movement, without a doubt, is the emphasis in the communitarian life. Even if the reproduction of the environment in which the First Century Church is an utopia sought from time to time by evangelicals, the Emergent Church appeared with a proposition following this line. "The relationships are highly valued among us", points out pastor [sic] Sandro Baggio, leader of Projeto 242, a very original initiative that is being developed in São Paulo for more than 10 years. The group started the same way that the emerging Americans, led by pastor Brian McLaren: a group of friends that gathers to seek God, more people got interested and soon the space did not hold the quantity of people.

Heterodox behaviours - There are churches abroad that call themselves emerging for the simple fact that they adopt heterodox behaviours, such as candles in services, singing of non-evangelical music and chats about the things of God, instead of the traditional preaching. And these innovations, and what is behind them, that are mainly at the root of a significant part of the betrayers of the movement. "The emerging wave has a ecumenical character, [it] disregards the doctrinal differences", criticizes Mary Schultze, a Penthecostal writter and theologian. According to her, the Emerging Church is affiliated to the Movement of Church Growth. "They preach the mysticism", she points out.

"

Click to continue to part 3.

"Change in Tide" - part 1

Translation of the article "Mudança de Maré", published by "Cristianismo Hoje" (Christianity Today), issue #9, in Brazil, written by Sulamita Ricardo.

Translation by Gustavo K-fé Frederico.

"
The Emerging Church movement reaches its adolescence facing opposition and questioning itself. Having appeared recently and having achieved much strength in the evangelical segment by the late 90s, it already begins to show signs o exhaustion. It is the so-called Emerging Church, announced by its adherents as a kind o answer by postmodern Christianity to questions that bother the people o God for a long time, such as "What does it mean to be Christian?", "What is the function of the Church?" or "What does it mean to make missions in the world today?" After multiplying over the world mainly by virtual means through sites and blogs, the movement reaches adolescence without being able to satisfy the expectations of its most enthusiastic defenders. And it has been identified as a tortuous way that may lead to the secularization of the faith and to relativism of biblical values. Some even speak of a "New Age" in disguise.

In October 31 of last year, the Board of directors of Emergent Village - the umbrella that hosts the movement, decided to lay off its leader, the pastor Tonny [sic] Jones. The decision takes into account the desire by the organization to keep its original purposes, that is, the decentralization. The Emerging Church started with a group of friends that started [sic] to gather in the 90s, disillusioned with the traditional ecclesiastic institutions of the 20th century. For them, living the gospel - worn out by the presumed commodification of mega-churches, would need to be sought again informally, exactly as it happens in a conversation among friends. With time, other people joined the group. The movement grew to the point of yielding books, events, sites and blogs. In 2001, the expression "Emerging Church" was crafted, already as a counterpart to the so-called ecclesiastic system.

"

Click to continue to part 2

Real World Software Engineering – XXII

On Knowledge and Planning

It is interesting to note the impression that it is sufficient for one to know what has to be done for it to be done. We just need to list what we need to do and do it. The plan becomes the charter that guarantees success. It gives the illusion that's all there is to do. Often the plan helps give direction, but the tasks not included in the plan are many. And so are the unforeseen events. A list of tasks helps one get organized and identifies what we think we should do in the near future. It does not guarantee success, however.

Perfil da juventude brasileira - notas de rodapé

Fonte:
http://www.projetojuventude.org.br/novo/html/pesquisas.html

Perfil da juventude brasileira

"[a] maior e mais completa pesquisa de opinião sobre juventude já realizada no país"

Notas de rodapé do Pajé Raoni:

My daily SharePoint frustration - XVIII

The Problem: I can't save a file with Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007 SP1.
There is no information in the error message.

Solution: none.

Traduzindo a Conversa Emergente para Português - VI

Depois de ouvir um sermão de Peter Rollins no Nick and Josh podcast, entendo um pouco mais minha frustração com teólogos e pastores. (Eu já havia lido os mesmos pensamentos nos 2 primeiros livros de Rollins - How (not) to Speak of God e The Fidelity of Betrayal) Eles me limitam. Com seus pensamentos rebuscados e intangíveis, declaram constantes e sistematizam Deus. Trabalham para que eu tenha um conhecimento de "Deus" mais preciso, mais correto, geralmente a partir da visão deles. Ao fazerem teologia, eles diminuem "Deus". Acabam não estimulando uma experiência de Deus ou convivência com Deus. Acabam fabricando uma realidade. O sabor que fica é de uma certa arrogância inconsciente, apesar das boas intenções.
Anos atrás, um pastor-filósofo chamado Reverendo Christian Bitencourt - a quem estimo e respeito apesar de ter perdido o contato - me perguntou quais eram os pontos dos emergentes. Eu fiquei pensando, apesar de saber logo ao ouvir a pergunta de que não conseguiria responder. Intuitivamente parecia que se eu conseguisse resumir os pontos dos emergentes que estaria criando mais uma teologia destinada a prateleiras e discussões sobre o sexo dos anjos.

Algumas Fotos

Real World Software Engineering – XXI

On the Fear of New Technologies

It appears that the fear of new technologies is a major criterion for not adopting them. This fear is often a product of ignorance of the new technology. Another factor for not adopting new technologies relate to 'peers'. That is, companies want to be as fashion as their peers, but do not want to dare too much. It is usually a miscalculation of risk, as they seldom take the time to assess the new technology.
I conclude that the introduction of new technologies is often related to a culture of innovation within the company. And that is a rare culture, despite the rosy discourses.

Real World Software Engineering – XX

On scope options

I'm impressed at how quickly some people make decisions on scope and design without taking the resulting customer satisfaction into consideration.
Why is this process so informal again?