tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14687535092574166312011-10-02T19:17:53.763-07:00Reconciliation in the Body of Christ for the Westmont and Santa Barbara communitiesEmmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921205726101503089noreply@blogger.comBlogger171100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1468753509257416631.post-39581064908798536622008-09-12T10:02:00.000-07:002008-09-12T10:07:42.910-07:00

Why are our churches so unwilling to repent and admit they are wrong? It's because their men and women are unwilling to repent and admit they are wrong. We are okay at admitting our sin in a general sort of way. "Oh yeah, I'm a sinner. That's me. Sinner." But we're not as good at admitting it do specific things wrong like when we say a hurtful word to a friend, poke fun at something people

Joe Buntingnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1468753509257416631.post-66403272008449429732008-09-11T13:47:00.000-07:002008-09-11T14:18:11.492-07:00

I don't check this blog frequently, but when I did today it was rather to my surprise that I discovered that there's a proper colloquy underway here! I couldn't resist contributing a couple odd thoughts and friendly concerns.I have read Carnegie's book, but I harbor some reservations about a straightforward application of his flexible brand of amiable pragmatism to the practices proper to the

Josh Nunziatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05493574155331549102noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1468753509257416631.post-16536263330695561282008-09-11T09:14:00.000-07:002008-09-11T10:04:51.745-07:00

I was stumbling yesterday, you know, using stumble upon (it's a pretty fun tool. If you use it, make sure to recommend this blog!), and I ran into Dale Carnegie's summary of his classic book How to Win Friends and Influence People. If the title raises your inner cynic, quash it down. It's really a good book.The StepsBrett, Emmet, and I have been have a little argument via email over Seth's post

Joe Buntingnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1468753509257416631.post-9303529236650353742008-09-10T16:16:00.000-07:002008-09-10T19:58:54.081-07:00

I find the description of organic community offered by Seth Barnes and others like him refreshing, particularly in the 'social contract' intellectual climate of the modern West. As the body of Christ, we are members of one another, and I think Seth/John Eldredge are right to decry the ways in which institutional church life can so often become arm's-length and superficial. That said, the very

Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08921205726101503089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1468753509257416631.post-74042066588697801222008-02-08T10:19:00.000-08:002008-02-08T10:57:53.578-08:00

There's another huge storm a brewin' in the Anglican / Episcopal Church. Except this time it's not about sexuality but culture. Check out the blowback here.This is what happens when your concept of the Church is a big, giant, welcoming tent. Don't get me wrong, Jesus is indeed very welcoming. But the Body of Christ is NOT a tent! It's not made of fabric and bendy poles! Instead, it's a man who

Joe Buntingnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1468753509257416631.post-68393022881731202822008-01-30T16:23:00.002-08:002008-01-31T12:35:05.503-08:00

Here's a quick survey for those of you paying attention. What are the biggest problems in your life? Loneliness, problems with the opposite sex, problems forgetting things, depression, problems with money?Just comment annonymously if you feel uncomfortable.Second question: what are some problems that you have with your faith? Questions, concerns, doubt, fear, lack of closeness with God, poor

Joe Buntingnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1468753509257416631.post-50743612481809615232008-01-08T22:59:00.000-08:002008-01-08T23:10:51.760-08:00

Hello from the blustery hills of upstate New York! Some of you may not know that I am presently working here at Houghton College (an east coast sister institution to Westmont) to form a One In Christ connection here on the Houghton College Campus. There have been many exciting developments in the initial formulations of what a sister ministry to Westmont's would look like in the context of a

Josiah Nunziatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14696424431311917792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1468753509257416631.post-77262146946450912602007-12-09T00:15:00.000-08:002007-12-09T00:22:04.865-08:00

Sure, it was a little windy and cold. Sure, all of our food got cold from waiting for everyone (well... not mine), but we still managed to have fun spending time with the group over a great breakfast at Jeanine's. What a fun way to end the semester! I just want to thank Emmet, Josh, and Shannon for all the hard work they put in making this another successful semester of One in Christ. I would

Joe Buntingnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1468753509257416631.post-62015984717888107282007-09-25T18:49:00.001-07:002007-09-25T18:51:38.407-07:00

Thanks to all of you who came and shared your stories and enjoyed pizza last Thursday at our OIC Kickoff! We look forward to seeing many of you at our first discussion meeting on Thursday, October 4th. (See the 'Upcoming Events' sidebar, and note the updated time!)

Josh Nunziatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05493574155331549102noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1468753509257416631.post-50827076555146718102007-09-15T19:30:00.000-07:002007-09-15T19:36:20.292-07:00

Please note the addition of the 'Upcoming Events' sidebar! This will keep you updated on all upcoming One in Christ happenings.Please especially note our first event of the year: A Dessert Pizza Kickoff Extravaganza (Bonanza), and stay tuned for more!This coming Thursday, September 20, 9:30 in the KSC, we will be meeting to share about how you can get involved in this exciting opportunity to

Josh Nunziatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05493574155331549102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1468753509257416631.post-24498345606085104372007-08-29T23:11:00.000-07:002007-08-29T23:49:21.843-07:00

I was in Portland, Oregon for about three weeks this summer, deciding about whether or not to return to Santa Barbara after finishing my Bachelor of Arts at Westmont College in Religious Studies. During this time, I had the opportunity of visiting the more 'popular' churches among young adults and adults in the Portland area. The friends that I knew prior to Westmont College kept talking a lot

Brett Stuvlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167812617107220043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1468753509257416631.post-8154567024957833082007-07-18T10:36:00.000-07:002007-07-18T10:44:01.548-07:00

Recently the leaders of One in Christ met with a student from Houghton College in upstate New York. Josiah Nunziato, Josh Nunziato's younger brother, could become the leader of One in Christ Houghton, an exciting step for our little ministry. The meeting consisted mostly of the leaders explaining how we run One in Christ and some suggestions for what we've found to be most effective so far. It

Joe Buntingnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1468753509257416631.post-52716215684688899722007-04-25T20:28:00.000-07:002007-04-28T13:30:17.143-07:00

Westmont, It has been an interesting year for One in Christ. I'm so thankful for everyone that came to the meetings. I'm also thankful for WSM for helping us and providing us with funding. Most of all, I'm thankful to God who has turned our hearts toward His desire for complete unity in Him. Whatever success that this ministry has had this year, it was because of him. Good luck with

Joe Buntingnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1468753509257416631.post-23506627311252831012007-04-21T11:51:00.000-07:002007-04-21T12:42:53.976-07:00

One of the hardest parts of working in a college environment, I think, is the quick turnover rate. As soon as you're starting to make some progress people graduate and a whole new group of people uninvolved in the discussion come in and we have to start all over. It's frustrating, and I confess that I haven't really come to terms with this fact of college ministry until just today, when a

Joe Buntingnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1468753509257416631.post-1950941111708454452007-04-07T11:25:00.000-07:002007-04-07T15:02:58.077-07:00

Here's an interesting article by Alan Hartung about the need for re-structuring the Church:CHURCH RE-STRUCTUREHis idea is to re-structure the service so that more people can get involved in the congregation. I like his spirit, but I he gets caught up with the symptoms and misses the much deeper problem. The deeper problem is even that for much of Christianity, the worship service is the center of

Joe Buntingnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1468753509257416631.post-9124547253945970302007-03-29T23:46:00.000-07:002007-04-04T23:20:51.037-07:00

At our meeting on the 21st of March we discussed a potential new project for One in Christ. While we haven't firmly defined how the project would look yet, we talked about some exciting things.This is some of what we have discussed about the project so far (correct me if I misinterpret):The purpose of the project is to encourage the Church of Santa Barbara to re-contextualize the way in which it

Joe Buntingnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1468753509257416631.post-8591846718127993122007-03-29T14:12:00.000-07:002007-03-29T14:18:45.870-07:00

So they say the world is flat. I don't really believe it, but I thought we might as well give them some lip service. So, here we are! One in Christ of Westmont College now published on the World Wide Web for everyone to read about how good and holy we are. Just kidding! ...no really though. Anyway, here we can post thoughts about reconciliation and unity, advertise events, and have deep

Joe Buntingnoreply@blogger.com0