Bullshit
| I read this post today on Emerging Minister's Blog. "I know a lot of people who are fed up with the church. They are tired of the hesitance to respond to the needs of the culture. Tired of in-fighting. Tired of churches being all about inwardly focused programming, completely neglecting the needs of their communities. Tired of worship wars. Tired of politics in leadership. Tired of placing a higher value on keeping up the denominational walls than on having a relationship with Christ. Tired of doctrine being more important than Jesus. " It resonates so strongly with recent discussions I've had with several profs, as well as my small group at Freedomize. Aren't we all tired of the bullshit? Aren't many of us sick of a church that fails to be relevant, that fails to respond to the culture's need for life and love? A lot of us are. And yet, what are we doing about it? Sometimes it's just easier to stay inside, to maintain the walls around us and to be comfortable in our clickety-clacking cliques. Which, of course, is completely opposite to what we're supposed to be doing. But we defend it. Or claim to be changing the thing from the inside, all the while knowing that our concern is the surface. Rereading Luke 11 and 12, it's obvious that we cannot do this. That our hypocrisy must cease. That we are called to proclaim the words of truth and of life from the rooftops. The question now? Where to begin. |
posted by andrew at 10:47 a.m.
4 Comments:
Hey rennie,
weeeelll....now that the secrets out - about my reading your blog...I have to respond to this one....and I actually can now that I finally have a quiet moment here. Yay for quiet moments.
"I love your Christ, but i don't like your Christians" -Gandi
A little harsh for such a peace loving (and living) man, eh? I think it's the "inwardly focused programming" you mentioned that has always rubbed me the wrong way about churches in general. I remember a time in my life when I wouldnt even enter a church because of the fear of becoming a hypocrite...the fear of becoming one of the "evil generation" Jesus was talking about...always demanding a sign...but never looking past my own nose.
I feel like since moving to this bizarre little place...I have finally entered into the real world of christian community...and I think I'm feeling like...there is no community outside of practical giving and shaing. I think they go hand in hand. I'm pretty sure that there is no easy way around that. I've also been thinking that in order to enter into real community - and in order to really serve from a non-patronizing position...there has to be a mutual aknowlegement of our frailty and weakness as human beings. And a courage to be honest about who we really are - a courage to share it and really live out those realities with our fellow sojourners. Not to close our eyes to the ugly things - in us or in others. But instead to enter into that ugliness. The paradox is that true beauty is found right there. Point being - There can be no progress if we are pretending.
So my answer to your question - Where to begin? HOnesty and openess. Creating a safe place of welcome. Not so much "I" and more "we". But in order to do these things we can't be so afraid of each other. thats the hard part. I tuly beleive that natural action will automatically flow out letting ourselves be honest about who we are...sharing all parts of our lives.
I didnt mean to write a sermon.... Now that I feel I've finally stepped out of the circle of churchy "Bullshit" - at leaast in part. It is such a good place to be on that level. And I don't think one has to move into "intentional community" in order to begin operating outside the Bullshit. I think it can start with just a few people sitting around a table having a conversation - defenses down.
thats my 2 cents. see you sooon.
-julia
"I've also been thinking that in order to enter into real community - and in order to really serve from a non-patronizing position...there has to be a mutual aknowlegement of our frailty and weakness as human beings."
It's true, isn't it? Until we're willing to admit we haven't got it all together, until we're willing to admit our frailty and brokenness, we may as well be useless.
Perhaps that's the distinction. We are not called to "minister to," but rather, to "minister amongst" the starving, the hysterical, and the naked of our generation. To recognise our own frailty is to ground ourselves in the story that Christ alone brings healing to our brokenness, and at the end of the day, there is little we can do to extricate our own selves from the mire. It sounds bleak sometimes, but thank God God exists. Otherwise - otherwise we'd be in deep trouble.
I believe that others (non-christians) really do value us in our broken humility as well. all people like honesty.
Knowing that, I wonder why more of us aren't honest with ourselves or with each other.
What is it that drives us to cover up our weaknesses and pretend we've got it all together? Why do we condemn liars, and then lie with our lives?
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