Old Time Revival Promotes New Vision of Church, St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, Monday, July 28th, 6:30 p.m.

(NASHVILLE, TN) They are dressed in old-time suits, and proudly take the stage with guitar and trombone in hand to preach the gospel as they travel throughout the United States with their “rollin’ gospel revival.” However, these aren’t your traditional fire and brimstone revival preachers, in fact, their vision of church often seems at odds with the old-time evangelists of the past. Rather, Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt and Mark Scandrette are modern day prophets, using old-time means for calling the church to a new way of being, and they will be bringing their message to Nashville on July 28.

The Church Basement Roadshow: A Rollin’s Gospel Revival is part old-time revival, part modern book tour, featuring three leaders in a movement often called the “emerging church.” This movement attempts to look faith and church in new ways, presenting a vision of faith that is holistic and relevant to the questions of today’s world. The event is being held at the St. Bartholomew’s Church on Monday, July 28 beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Jones, Pagitt, and Scandrette, have all recently written books on issues of faith and church life, and were looking for creative ways to promote their books. When a friend offered them the use of his RV for a summer book tour, the idea was born to do something different and use the image of the traditional revival as a means of presenting their new vision of what the church should be.
“We wanted to get out on the road and meet people,” said Jones, the National Coordinator of Emergent Village and author of “The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier.” “We really had no idea it would be so fun and we’ve been surprised at the response we’ve received throughout the country.”

Jones, Pagitt, and Scandrette emphasize that they are not making fun of old-time revival preachers. “We’re doing the same thing that they did,” Jones said, “traveling through the country to tell others about our faith. We are indebted to those preachers and our show is a homage to the lives and example.”

The St. Bartholomew’s Church is located at 4800 Belmont Park Terrace, just off Harding Place. Admission is free but participants are asked to make a $5 donation at the door.

For more information on The Church Basement Roadshow, visit http://www.churchbasementroadshow.com/ or call Dixson Kinser at (615) 496-2008.


Biographies:

Tony Jones is the national coordinator of Emergent Village (www.emergentvillage.org), and a doctoral fellow in practical theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. He is the author of many books, including The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier and The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life, and he is a sought after speaker and consultant in the areas of emerging church, postmodernism, and Christian spirituality. Tony lives with his wife, Julie, and their three children in Edina, Minnesota.

Doug Pagitt is the founder of the network that became Emergent Village, and he is the founder and pastor of Solomon’s Porch, regularly recognized as one of the most innovative churches in the world. Doug speaks across the country and internationally about missional Christianity and church leadership, and he has appeared on ABC, CNN, PBS, NPR, and in the New York Times. He has written, co-written, and coedited many books, including Church ReImagined and Body Prayer. His forthcoming book from Jossey- Bass is titled, A Christianity Worth Believing: Hope-filled, Open-armed, Alive-and-well Faith for the Left Out, Left Behind, and Let Down in Us All. Doug lives in Minnesota with his wife, Shelley, and their four children.

Mark Scandrette is the executive director and cofounder of ReIMAGINE, a center for spiritual formation in San Francisco that sponsors city-based learning initiatives, peer learning groups, and the Jesus Dojo, a year-long intensive formation process inspired by the life and teachings of Jesus. Mark is a founding member of SEVEN, a monastic community working as advocates for holistic and integrative Christian spirituality. He is a recognized speaker and poet, and his innovative thoughts on Christian spiritual formation have gained him much acclaim. He also serves on the coordinating group of Emergent Village. Mark, his wife, Lisa, and their three children live in the Mission District of San Francisco. In 2007, Jossey- Bass published his first book, Soul Graffiti: Making a Life in the Way of Jesus.

CONTACT
Dixon Kinser
St. Batholomew’s Episcopal Church
Office: (615) 377-4750
Cell: (615) 496-2008
FAX: (615) 377-4928
E-Mail: dkinser@stbs.net