My wife and I have been reading Out of Bounds Church? and a frequent topic of our resulting conversations has been the both/and nature of this present age. Furthermore, I keep stumbling across the same train of thought in the Blogdom. For example: Bigbulkyanglican shares this:
Yesterday I receive a blessings/thank you card which seemed to sum it up quite brilliantly:
you did not concentrate on “what” I should believe but on “how” I should experience God’s love for me, and then how I should respond in love.
I think this sums up what we need to offer to SOME people searching for faith who would not respond or find faith in the more directive but no less appropriate approaches such as Alpha and Emmaus.
And Waving or Drowning? in his chapter by chapter review of McLaren’s The Last Word and the Word After That, shares this:
The statement I want to focus on, however, comes from Carol, Dan’s wife.
“It’s kind of strange,” she said, almost whispering, “to think that what might help our daughter’s faith could actually hurt mine and that what helps my faith – having everything clearly defined and at the core at least, not changing – could actually hurt our daughter’s faith.”
That is a very powerful statement that personally I need to keep in mind. The questions that get me excited about being a follower of Jesus are, in some cases, the very same questions that terrify others. Sometimes I forget that and barge ahead.
We are in an age of transition. Some are still firmly planted in the passing culture; others have jumped into the emerging culture with both feet; and still others find themselves in the region where the two still overlap. What I must remember – and this is probably a caution that all ought to heed – is that none of the above places are better or worse than the others. It’s like arguing that urban life is better than rural life. Nonsense! They are simply different. One may appeal more to me than another, but that doesn’t make one morally superior to the other.
A friend of mine was telling me about a sermon series he heard earlier this year that has really connected with him. The series hook was a five letter acronym, with very practical, concrete action items. The acronym ties into his work life, so the message is routinely reinforced in a subversive kind of way. It has been with him for a few months now helping to focus and drive his life.
I was glad for him, but at this point I have to confess: Such a style and method have no appeal to me. This sort of approach doesn’t inspire me or fan the flames of my faith. My gut reaction, therefore, is to denigrate the approach; but that would be wrong.
Different isn’t worse and different isn’t better. Different is simply different. Some may not find God at a purpose-driven, seeker-sensitive mega-church; but others will. Some may not find God at an ancient-future, digital-liturgy, house-church; but others will. In this Age of Transition from whatever was to whatever in coming we must allow room for both.
