Van-guard (văn’gärd), noun: “The foremost or leading position in a trend or movement.”

the journey forward... exploring the emerging church... navigating spiritual formation... seeking to transform the world... ...through Christ

On this page, we will explore new ideas for the formation of our spiritual life in Jesus Christ.

ARTICLES ON SPIRITUAL FORMATION

The Good News that Conquers Our Predicament (The Gospel of the Kingdom of God)  [12-Part Series]

"...I'm hoping to know and teach a Gospel that is true to Scripture - and the Gospel that I see in the Bible is COSMIC (big enough to redeem all of Creation) and RELATIONAL (getting at the root of the Fall—the loss of our relational capacities)..."

Kingdom Living

Dallas Willard interview

"...I ask pastors 'does your gospel have a natural tendency to produce disciples? By disciple I mean someone who is learning from Jesus how to lead their life as he would lead their life if he were in their place. The New Testament defines a disciple as someone who is with Jesus learning how to be more like him..."

Keys to the Kingdom by Scot McKnight  (pdf format)

On the relationship of the Kingdom of God to the Church

The Kingdom of God  by Scot McKnight  (pdf format)

"...What did Jesus mean by "kingdom of God," and what did he have in mind—in real world living—when he packed his vision into this expression?"

The New Perspective on Paul by Scot McKnight  (pdf format)

The Real Mary by Scot McKnight  (Book Excerpt)

    Mary, the mother of Jesus—who was she, really? What kind of woman would compose a song as powerful as the Magnificat?
    The real Mary was an unwed, pregnant teenage girl in first century Palestine whose response to the angel Gabriel shifted the tectonic plates of history. Far from the saccharine caricatures so often seen today, the Mary of the Scriptures was a woman of courage, humility, spirit, resolve and guts. By meeting this Mary, the first disciple and teacher of Jesus, we are brought even closer to her Son.
    In his warm style, backed with biblical scholarship, Scot McKnight travels through the contours of Mary’s life as she struggled to come to terms with the mission that her son would accomplish.

The Evangelical Mind Today  by Mark Noll

It hasn't sold as many copies as Left Behind, The Prayer of Jabez, or The Purpose-Driven Life, but historian Mark Noll's The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind has arguably shaped the evangelical world (or at least its institutions) more than any other book published in the last decade. In the October issue of First Things, Noll looks at what has changed and what remains in his critique: "The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind." (First Things has devoted much space to discussing the book over the years.) "I remain largely unrepentant about the book's historical arguments, its assessment of evangelical strengths and weaknesses, and its indictment of evangelical intellectual efforts, though I have changed my mind on a few matters, Noll writes.

A Chart that will explain the meaning of life 

Imago Dei--The Image of God in Man

Why are Small Groups So Important?  by Bob Robinson

"...Friendship—community—is one of the richest experiences you can have in life. It makes you a more loving person. It keeps you steady in the storms of life. It alleviates aloneness. We are transformed into the people we are meant to be in the context of relationships. God has wired us to know and be known, to love and be loved, to serve and be served, to comfort and to be comforted, to celebrate and to be celebrated...That is what Small Groups (also known as Growth Groups, Home Groups, Community Groups) are all about!...

The Centre and the Circumference by Al Wolters
"...All the structures and patterns of society, all the capacities and possibilities of culture, all the relationships and attitudes of our personal lives, exist by virtue of God's creative power. Language, sports, art, the family, commerce and friendship are as much part of the created order as stars and lakes, plants and animals. All the everyday activities of our ordinary lives are made possible and upheld by the Creator's almighty power..."

The Radical Life and Thought of Abraham Kuyper  by Matt Swanson

"...He was also a prophet of the first order, calling all of society to a radical vision of faithfulness to its Creator...the example of the way he lived his life and the core of his theology are very empowering for the church of our time as a model of how to live in the world and transform it for the Kingdom of God..."

Neo-Calvinism 101 by Derek Melleby

"...(1) I propose that Neo-Calvinism could better be understood as "Nuanced-Protestantism," and (2) I propose that Neo-Calvinism attempts to be reformational, not just reformed..."

Understanding the New Perspective on Paul by Scot McKnight

...What is the New Perspective on Paul? The most significant development, outside of historical Jesus studies, in biblical studies in the last 50 years. I want to begin at the beginning and see if I can explain it...

A Beginner's Guide to Worldview Jargon by Byron Borger

"...[Dualism is} the unbiblical assumption that life is divided into two parts (the sacred and the secular, the realm of nature and the realm of grace...Dualistic views always lead to an irrelevant super-spirituality applied to only a few areas of life and thereby yielding vast territory to Satan..."

Spiritual Formation: What it is, and How it is Done  by Dallas Willard

"...Spiritual formation in the tradition of Jesus Christ is the process of transformation of the inmost dimension of the human being, the heart, which is the same as the spirit or will. It is being formed (really, transformed) in such a way that its natural expression comes to be the deeds of Christ done in the power of Christ..."

Never Alone  by Scot McKnight

Scot McKnight tells us about his favorite authors, and ends with these words: "With such good friends, we desultory readers are never alone."

SPIRITUAL FORMATION: A Pastoral Letter  by Richard J. Foster

"..any genuine understanding of Spiritual Formation and its immense importance for the lives of individuals and churches is as remote as ever..."

TOOLS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH

NEW BIBLE STUDY:

"Created for Glory"

Bob's Messages

In-depth biblical exposition from messages Bob has preached over the years

Disciple!

This 7-step on-line course will teach you what it means to be a disciple. (by Brian McLaren)

What is the Gospel? A study on "CFR" (Creation/Fall/Redemption)

An outline of the basic message of the Bible

The ABC's of Bible Study Helps

This is a bibliography of Bible study helps can help you as you seek to understand God.

Great Books!

This is a bibliography of favorite books in a number of categories that will help you grow in your life as a disciple.

Spiritual Formation from RENOVARÉ

Richard Foster has been led by God to offer the Church an opportunity for deep spiritual development. Follow the above link for the questions that will lead you to a deeper walk with Christ.

Online Prayer Labyrinth

Ministry Transformation- The Emerging Church  Personal Transformation- Spiritual Formation  World Transformation- Social Action

Interact with Bob Robinson about the emerging church, spiritual formation, or social action by e-mailing vanguard church with your comments.