A few years ago, I met a guy named Ed Cyzewski in an etrek course at Biblical. Ed was just starting work on a book that he hoped would take the emerging / missional church conversation and make it presentable and digestible to the people who would arguably most benefit from it but who were most certainly least represented: average churchgoing Christians. Now, almost four years later, I'm holding in my hands the fruits of his labor: Coffeehouse Theology.

Ed posted a few comments of his own in this article on the emergent village website:

Having participated in the broader emerging church conversation on reimagining faith, culture, and practice in today's context, I noticed a need during my seminary days for a book that provided a synthesis of mission, culture, theology, and Christian living accessible for just about everyone in the church. Not only did I want to bring the ideas of various thinkers together in one place, showing how they related to one another, I also wanted this book to be accessible for a reader who wouldn't know a metanarrative if it hit him in the face-or marginalized his perspective for that matter.

As you may know, if you've been reading this site for any length of time - do I still have any regular readers out there? ;) - I have a deep interest in contextual theology and a driving conviction that all theology is contextual. That's a contentious statement for some, but for me it's incontrovertible. However, contextual theology isn't exactly a household term, even if it's getting a certain degree of buzz lately. So, if one is convinced both that everyone does theology and that all theology is contextual, what's the best approach to taking this conversation to the next level with the people with whom we serve and worship and live?

Early in the book, Ed has this to say:

In Coffeehouse Theology, I want us to think about culture in the broadest of terms: the values, language, and customs of a nation or people group. Within each nation, culture evolves over time, customs change, and people adopt different values...While subcultures exist, examining the larger features of our times will help us most as we seek to understand God in a particular time and place. (p. 55)

I could say a lot of things about this book, but perhaps the thing I like most about it is that it takes a conversation that began largely within a protest movement and reframes it so that it becomes inviting rather than threatening. Let's be honest - as someone who's been around the emerging church movement for quite some time now, it can be intimidating, particularly for folks who are a part of the movements being protested. Let me put it this way - if one's understanding of the gospel is something along the lines of the four spiritual laws and another comes along and critiques that, the natural reaction is going to be to assume that the gospel is being attacked - even if the critiques are valid. Contextual theology provides a framework for discussing the difference between our understanding of the gospel and the gospel itself. When done properly, it can be an invitation - both to understand one's own perspective better, and to be open to constructive critique of that perspective. And Coffeehouse Theology does just that - invites the reader into a conversation about context and culture, and how they shape and frame our theology. It's unassuming, it's warm, it's personal, and it's full of stuff that opens the door to discussions that I think are hugely important.