Gordon Straw Session 1

Gordon Straw (Program Director, Lay Missional Centers, of the Congregational and Synodical Mission Unit of the ELCA) Session 1



“Place, Memory, and the Search for God.”

•    An in-depth study of St. Paul’s speech to the Athenians in Acts 17:22-28a. I contend that this gets at a very important topic in missional theology, i.e., the importance of place and context in mission and theology.
•    Biblical passages and attitudes about place and memory as they relate to mission.
•    An American Indian perspective on place, memory and covenant, in juxtaposition with a modern Western perspective on space, time and chosen-ness (manifest destiny).
•    A brief overview of the importance of context in missional theology.
•    During the group discussion times, I would posit the overarching question: “What does all this mean for your place?”