Bakke's city-dwelling revolution stems in part from a 1966 article he read that made a case for why the Bible is a rural book about a rural God "who makes gardens and whose favorite people are shepherds and vine growers, and whose least favorite folks are the urban dwellers." Bakke says "a good revolution will do two things: free you to become informed, and define your priorities."

Taking Karl Barth's famous observation about reading the Bible with a newspaper in hand, Bakke went a step further by taking a full year and visiting Chicago's 77 inner-city communities which created his lens for reading Scripture. The book was taking shape...

From Bakke's book and with much thought over the last several months about city-dwelling, I'm learning the following:

• We need deep roots (biblical, theological and historical) to survive in urban ministry.
• Nearly all urban persons come to Christ through relationships, not through media. The bigger the city, the higher the percentage this seems to be.
• You are never more like God than when you are living in relationships with God's people and working in partnerships for the re-creation and redemption of God's world.
• The presence of godly people is beneficial for the salvation of places.
• The most biblical sign that a city is in grave danger of God's judgment is to look at the gap between the rich and the poor.
• None of the great urban leaders (Moses, Daniel, Esther, Nehemiah) in the Bible were home schooled. To the contrary, they seem to have been educated in mainstream "public" systems.
• Big churches are not the way to measure the effectiveness of God in the city. Consider instead these characteristics from Isaiah 65:17-25: 1) Public celebrations and happiness; 2) Public health for children and aged; 3) Housing for all; 4) Food for all; 5) Family support systems; and 6) Absence of violence.
• "Evangelism is scratching people where in they itch in the name of Jesus." (Paul Little)
• Large cities are both magnets and magnifiers.
• We must be in cities for the long haul, not just until the grant runs out.
• At the root of our race and identity issues, we are all cousins.

Some Scripture verses I have been pondering:

"Do you think you can mess with the dreams of the poor? You can’t, for God makes their dreams come true." Psalms 14:6

“Don’t desecrate the land in which you live. I live here, too—I, God, live in the same neighborhood with the People of Israel.” Numbers 35:34

"Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." Jeremiah 29:7

Although I am sure Bakke's other books might speak more to his experience rather than education, A Theology As Big As the City, paired with Robert D. Lupton's jewel Theirs Is the Kingdom, is a nice combo for both theory and application.

How fitting to read a book with so many references to Israel as I was literally flying to the same place I was reading about!