III.  To Hear:

Dr. Gustavo Crocker is a Guatemalan who has worked in a wide variety of mission assignments, including head of Compassionate Ministries in Central America, with World Relief, and now as regional director of the Eurasia Region. His sermon, given at the Millennium Conference in Philadelphia (in mp3 format), addresses the picture of what Jesus would do if He were mayor of the City.

1. Read thoughtfully chapters 9--11 of Bakke/Sharpe. This material is more a narrative about the urban journey of Jon Sharpe. As you read it, consider it a legitimate case study of the interesting and peculiar ways by which people are called into urban ministry, and how spiritual and professional formation has its many wrinkles and twists.
    
2. Read the article, “Why Servanthood is Bad,” by John McKnight. This provocative article challenges the notion that we serve by creating service agencies to meet social needs. Rather, McKnight states that the goal is to look at people’s capabilities rather than their deficiencies, and to invite them into community rather than into being service recipients.
    
3. Read the article on “Shame versus Guilt” (Tink) to understand better how Christian institutions often fail because they fail to distinguish between God’s freedom from guilt and institutional and personal shame-inducing mechanisms.
    
4. Read the outline on “Evil in Three Dimensions” (Tink) to recognize the different ways in which evil manifests itself in the City. What are the legitimate responses to evil, and is “Order” the antidote to evil?