I posed this question to a number of friends via e-mail last week:
What do you see as the biggest struggle or issue currently facing Christianity?
and asked them all to give a response under 100 words.
There’s a great variety of opinions and I think each one has made a very valid point.
Continue reading The biggest struggle currently facing Christianity
Brian McLaren’s new book, A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith, drops tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb. 9).
I received a free advance copy from the publisher late last week and have been devouring it every chance I get (which with two toddlers at home hasn’t been that often).
In it, McLaren offers the top 10 questions he’s been hearing from people about the Christian faith as well as 10 responses to those questions (as opposed to answers — which are simply statements — which lead to hate and debate… he expounds much more on this in the first couple chapters).
So far I’m loving everything I’ve read. I won’t say I agree with everything yet (especially since I haven’t the full book yet) but what I’ve read is definitely in line with a lot of other things I’m reading and thinking as of late.
Continue reading A New Kind of Christianity
Who said this?
“You must defend those who are helpless and have no hope. Be fair and give justice to the poor and homeless.”
Continue reading #justicefriday – Who said it?
I’m in the midst of reading “If God Disappears” by David Sanford. It’s an interesting read thus far. It hasn’t made it to the top of any of my reading lists yet, but several points he’s made have stood out so far.
As we talk about relationships and our relationship toolboxes, I thought these thoughts lined right up with several aspects Brian’s touched on over the last several weeks.
Over the years, I’ve discovered that whenever someone becomes enraged at me, odds are we’re only two steps away from becoming good friends.
Why?
First, because that person is emotionally engaged in our relationship. That’s passion!
Second, because if true Christianity is about anything, it’s about reconciliation. Once a matter is settled, the other person and I are bonded. Sometimes for a while. Sometimes for life.
The same principles apply to a relationship with God. He isn’t defensive or threatened when we feel angry at him. After all, we’re passionate. And he’s equally passionate about being reconciled to us, whether or not we want anything to do with him right now.
God is waiting for us to express our innermost feelings toward him and then ask ourselves, Is that true, or is that how I feel?
Sometimes we’re not angry with God, it turns out. Instead we’re angry at a caricature of God we’ve painted like graffiti on the walls of our psyche.
I can think of a couple times this has played out in my own life. Most of them came from my time working at a newspaper. Many people would write in and be angered about something I or another writer might have written. If handled correctly, we could often get to the bottom of the issue and with understanding and patience, a great friendship and bond grew out of it.
Other times, if one side or the other is firmly set in their way and there’s no chance to agree-to-disagree or build understanding, the relationship may be doomed from the get go.
I hope that I do all I can to avoid being to set in my ways to offer understanding and love to anyone and everyone – regardless of what we may disagree upon.
I had a great chat with Frank Viola yesterday, can’t wait to share it on the podcast in a few weeks.
We discussed his book Reimagining Church along with the idea of organic churches. Thought this was a great illustration shared by @darrinreeves today (you can click on the images to see them larger) ::
Which would you prefer? Which do you feel like you’re apart of? Which would you rather be a part of?
I spoke to my tribe yesterday and encouraged them to think about new ways to express & understand Christian community. (You can listen to the message online via the encounter website.)
Got one comment about me turning into Karl Marx – but I think it was in jest and if that’s the worst they can say… it was a good day ;-).
As I think more and more about my tribe, and Christian community other thoughts are crossing my mind.
I keep asking myself this same question, “So what does this tribe, this community, this oneness look like?” As I mentioned yesterday, “I’m not entirely sure — especially in modern America.”
But I do know this ::
Jesus told his disciples, “By this all men will know you are my disciple — if you love one another.” — John 13:34 & 35.
Seems that Christian brotherhood and sisterhood and community and unity were very big on Jesus’ plan/plate.
In the Hebrew Scriptures we read about the “tribes of Israel.”� The 12 tribes whom God called upon to be different in their culture. To be set apart. To be unique.
He calls them to accept the foreigner into their homes.
He calls them to ignore the idol worship of their neighbors.
He calls them to put their trust in Yahweh rather than in a king, or a Pharaoh or a President.
He calls them to honor the Sabbath — a day you set aside all your business of the 24/7 consumerism and focus on God — the creator of it all.
And so the Hebrews get very accustomed to this calling of being “separate” from the world (not that anyone’s ever really figured that out).
And then Jesus shows up on the earth and starts telling everyone that he was forming a new tribe.
A tribe where the Hebrews would join together with the Gentiles. No wonder they got upset and had him killed. That in and of itself could be considered blasphemy.
A tribe for all who were baptized into Christ and have clothed themselves with Christ.
Where there is neither Jew nor Gentile, Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus.
It’s a radical idea and I believe it calls for radical changes in our thinking and behavior.
When the tribe succeeds – everyone succeeds!
related ::
encounter
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