Sine sends us in the right direction

Tom Sine has provided us with a field manual for being the hands and feet of Jesus in our specific communities and situations today. Released earlier this year, The New Conspirators: Creating the Future One Mustard Seed at a Time (InterVarsity Press) is the latest in cultural analysis and practical instruction from Sine, the co-founder of Mustard Seed Associates and adjunct professor at Fuller Theological Seminary’s Seattle campus.

He’s referred to as a “futurist,” which is something different than the television prophets to which we’re accustomed. (For instance, the things he talks about end up happening.) In a kind of Barthian fashion, Sine is a student of the Scriptures and the newspapers, alike. He has a long history of looking at the facts and anticipating where broader culture is heading and what the Church must do to be relevant (not to he hip, necessarily, but to meet needs that actually exist).

The book progresses from an outline of faith movements today (emergent, missional, mosaic, monastic) to the need for an appropriate engagement of culture. From there Sine explains the challenges Christians face in their day and age, and then tells the stories of Christians who are doing dangerous and imaginative things for the sake of letting the Gospel pervade the here and now.

While the book is pragmatic in describing the state of the world, it is entirely hopeful about Christians coming from different locations and denominational boundaries to be a part of this new conspiracy. He points out the rise of emergent thought and practice within structured ecclesiastical bodies (organizations like Presbymergent and Anglimergent) and notes the intrigue that Orthodox believers have toward the emergent movement.

Throughout this book, Sine maintains the missional/emergent ethos of wishing to see the best in every denomination and theological tradition, eager to acknowledge any group’s contribution to the work of God in the world today. So while the book contains its share of name-dropping, it seems to be done with the best of intention. Sine’s point, it seems, is that the conspirators are coming from all over the place.

With extensive sources and examples, Sine explains the difficulties of living in a post-9/11 world, a culture of “cool,” and a society of debt – consumer and student, alike. He outlines in detail the challenges which face people of high, middle, and low income living in a global economy. While The New Conspirators addresses situations across the globe, Sine’s expertise in explaining the Western world is just as strong as Philip Jenkins’ diagram of the Global South in his book The Next Christendom.

Sine tells the stories of missional living communities, such as Zoe Livable Church in Tacoma, Washington and Seven in San Francisco, California, and the community members’ intention to transform a specific neighborhood. He profiles an Oregon couple that went against the grain of gradual increase in property ownership and scaled back to a smaller home. This couple now lives off of the profit from selling the bigger house and donates their time to the causes of environmental care and sustainable agriculture. 

There’s also the story of a UK man who lived on a minimum wage budget during Lent and donated the difference between his actual income and his minimum wage to charity. Twenty-five young men at a UK church pledged to work no more than thirty hours per week in order to spend their time with at-risk kids in their city.

The New Conspirators is full of these stories, and they’re all very much tangible, average Joe stories. It becomes so incredibly clear through Sine’s writing that following Christ is about being an average Joe who does incredible things. This grassroots, real-life approach to culture transformation is simple enough for anyone to contribute, yet powerful enough to bring heaven to earth.

In the end, it is impossible to read The New Conspirators without developing a burning desire to create your own contribution to the work of God in the world today. Anyone who believes that the emergent/missional movement is about accommodating culture rather than transforming it should drop everything and read Sine’s book. Just know that it’s going to feel like a cup of ice water poured down your back.

Because its examples and references are time-sensitive, it’s important to read Sine’s book now, rather than “getting around to it.” This book’s strength is the way it connects you to what God is doing at this very minute. But when you’re done with The New Conspirators, go ahead and keep it on your bookshelf. Pick it up every now and then in future years, and be ready to find out that Sine told you so.