Someone recently asked me, “Can a person lose their salvation?”
I always wonder what people are asking when they ask that question. Are they really asking, “How much can I get away with and still get into heaven when I die?” Or are they asking, “Will God ever leave me?”
If they are asking the second question, of course the answer is “No.” Of course, that does not ensure that we will never leave God, but even that misses the point.
In regards to the first question, “How much can I get away with…” that question is missing the point right off the bat.
Well then, what is the point? The problem with the question, “Can a person lose their salvation?” is that it assumes an incorrect, or, at least, a partial definition of salvation. Salvation, in most people’s minds is only about what happens to us after we die. The Biblical meaning of salvation, however, has to do with deliverance and being freed from captivity, slavery, and exile in this life (of course this includes our life that continues when we stop breathing).
When we use Israel’s captivity as the controlling image when we think and talk about salvation, it changes the conversation. The first two questions we might now ask are: 1) From what have we been delivered? And 2) Into what have we been delivered?
Passages such as Romans 6:19f, Galatians 4:3f, and Hebrews 2:15 suggest that what we have been delivered from is lives of impurity and the associated fear of death (the obvious result of a life of impurity and “ever-increasing wickedness”). These passages also suggest that we have been delivered into a new kind of life—one in which we live as slaves of righteousness, children of God, and recipients (heirs) of God’s kingdom life.
So with this understanding in mind, we can see clearly that salvation has everything to do with how we live before we stop breathing. We are saved/rescued/delivered into a kind of life where we are free from the power of sin and fear of death—we are rescued into life as sons and daughters of God. Losing one’s salvation, then, would be a matter of going back into slavery to sin and the fear of death.
Can a person lose their salvation?
Why would they want to?
Wednesday, July 30, 2003
Wednesday, July 23, 2003
It was my first time back to this place in about five years. I had hoped things would have improved here, but I quickly learned that things got worse. As soon as I walked in the door, I was a marked man. They had me identified with an invisible branding iron. I imagined three men in a small booth lined with televisions, one on top of the other—twenty five monitors covering every square inch of the place. I imagined the three men speaking softly into microphones, “White male, 30, just walked in the doors. He’s all yours, Dave.”
Dave hears the call in his well-hidden earpiece and gives the hand signal to acknowledge. Dave waits for me to walk past his post near the door. He smiles. “Hi there, howya doin’?” A smile that is just a little too practiced and a handshake that is just a little too enthusiastic.
I have entered Art Van Furniture.
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I wonder if that is how some people feel when they walk into a church building?
I guess it's better than being completely ignored. Maybe not. Maybe it depends whether you want help or not.
Dave hears the call in his well-hidden earpiece and gives the hand signal to acknowledge. Dave waits for me to walk past his post near the door. He smiles. “Hi there, howya doin’?” A smile that is just a little too practiced and a handshake that is just a little too enthusiastic.
I have entered Art Van Furniture.
----------------------------------------------
I wonder if that is how some people feel when they walk into a church building?
I guess it's better than being completely ignored. Maybe not. Maybe it depends whether you want help or not.
Tuesday, July 22, 2003
Yesterday morning it was raining... hard! I needed to get the kids to the daycare where they spend part of the day with their cousins.
Well, as I said, it was raining. I covered my nine month old son as I picked him up, and my daugheter of almost four years was just behind - we made a mad dash for the car.
As we are making the forty foot dash, unknowingly I dropped my wallet. As it hit the cement, it opened and my bankcard popped out too. My first inkling of it dropping were my daughters words... "Dad, you dropped something." As I turned, she stopped, picked up the wallet and bankcard, and she gladly handed it to me -- all this as we got really quite wet.
As I reflected on the incident throughout the day, I had a few more thoughts. Anna, at almost four, is really quite helpful. Sometimes she is also very selfish. Yet, I am not so sure she is am more selfish than most adults. In fact, I think she is less selfish than most of us.
I wonder if this comes from a sense of needing mom and dad, being part of a larger family? It seems to me that maybe her sense of belonging is often more important than her need for independence. Perhaps it's a more biblical sense of being part of family than I have; perhaps it's not unlike being part of God's family?
As I watch my kids grow, I continue to realize that Jesus was entirely serious about the "faith of a child." I doubt it was some kind of analogy for us; I am quite conviced that kids have a better sense of God and his story that we often do!
Christ is in our midst!
Randy
Well, as I said, it was raining. I covered my nine month old son as I picked him up, and my daugheter of almost four years was just behind - we made a mad dash for the car.
As we are making the forty foot dash, unknowingly I dropped my wallet. As it hit the cement, it opened and my bankcard popped out too. My first inkling of it dropping were my daughters words... "Dad, you dropped something." As I turned, she stopped, picked up the wallet and bankcard, and she gladly handed it to me -- all this as we got really quite wet.
As I reflected on the incident throughout the day, I had a few more thoughts. Anna, at almost four, is really quite helpful. Sometimes she is also very selfish. Yet, I am not so sure she is am more selfish than most adults. In fact, I think she is less selfish than most of us.
I wonder if this comes from a sense of needing mom and dad, being part of a larger family? It seems to me that maybe her sense of belonging is often more important than her need for independence. Perhaps it's a more biblical sense of being part of family than I have; perhaps it's not unlike being part of God's family?
As I watch my kids grow, I continue to realize that Jesus was entirely serious about the "faith of a child." I doubt it was some kind of analogy for us; I am quite conviced that kids have a better sense of God and his story that we often do!
Christ is in our midst!
Randy
Monday, July 21, 2003
some thoughts I've been thinking...
I think we might do well to 'reverse engineer' our 'statements of faith.' Maybe we would start by evaluating what we have done over the past year, three years, fifty years--whatever-- and ask, "What can we say we believe based on what we've done?"
It becomes the question of an achaeologist or an anthropologist. The answers might terrify us, but perhaps it would drive us to change our lives so they line up with what we profess.
Some areas we might be professing one thing while believing another:
-Loving sinners
-Hating sin
-"Priesthood of all believers"
-"Jesus is Lord"
-"Love one another"
-"Make disciples"
-If you can think of some more, add them in the "Shout Out" below
Some areas where there is flat-out confusion (in pop-evangelicalism) about what things mean:
-kingdom of God
-word of God
-community
-church
-Christ (as title)
-Charismata
-Saved
-justification
-truth
-righteous
-culture
-missional
-evangelism
-gospel
I think we might do well to 'reverse engineer' our 'statements of faith.' Maybe we would start by evaluating what we have done over the past year, three years, fifty years--whatever-- and ask, "What can we say we believe based on what we've done?"
It becomes the question of an achaeologist or an anthropologist. The answers might terrify us, but perhaps it would drive us to change our lives so they line up with what we profess.
Some areas we might be professing one thing while believing another:
-Loving sinners
-Hating sin
-"Priesthood of all believers"
-"Jesus is Lord"
-"Love one another"
-"Make disciples"
-If you can think of some more, add them in the "Shout Out" below
Some areas where there is flat-out confusion (in pop-evangelicalism) about what things mean:
-kingdom of God
-word of God
-community
-church
-Christ (as title)
-Charismata
-Saved
-justification
-truth
-righteous
-culture
-missional
-evangelism
-gospel
Thursday, July 17, 2003
I just posted a picture of a painting I did in San Diego. Jason sent it to me so now I can share it with you all. here's a thumbnail.
I painted it while listening to Anne Lamott at the Emergent Conference. I was pretty surprised at how it turned out.
Also, here are some thoughts from the message I've put together for tonight at Jenison. It's on 1 Samuel 17, David and the giant from Gath.
I wonder how often we do things without really depending on the resources of God to accomplish them.
We talk a lot about trusting God, but that’s really hard for us when reality is standing in front of us, nine feet tall, five hundred pounds, covered in armor, and armed to the teeth. It is so easy to be tempted to think in terms of our own abilities and resources.
Like we have to have all the right answers before we can talk to people about God.
Like we have to have our lives ‘together’ before we can serve God in some way.
Like we have to have the ‘right programs’ before we can be an effective church.
Like we have to have a big enough group of people before we can make a positive impact on our community.
Like we have to have a president, congress, and supreme court who agree with us before we can do anything about the evil in our society.
I wonder how often we do things without really depending on the resources of God to accomplish them.
I wonder whose reputation we care about more: ours or God’s?
David was offended that Goliath was insulting the armies of Israel—and thereby the God of Israel—and no one was willing to do anything about it. They were all running for cover whenever the giant stepped closer to their front lines.
The fear of losing their lives was greater than their confidence that ‘the battle is the Lord’s’. David went into battle, not to show that Israel was great, but that the God of Israel was great.
The battle wasn’t really between Israel and the Philistines. It was between God and the idols of the Philistines. It wasn’t about which nation was the greatest. It was about who was going to be proved to be the true God.
I wonder if sometimes we get upset about certain issues because we feel it is an attack against us, while we ignore other things that are damaging God’s reputation. For instance, we get so upset if people say certain vulgarities, but we ignore the contempt we have for those people. It is the contemptuous way we treat people who offend us that is hurting God’s reputation among them.
What is worse? Saying a vulgar word, or having contempt toward another person? We can condemn someone for speaking vulgarity, but we can justify someone’s contempt as ‘righteous indignation.’
There are many cases where I think we can be more concerned with what we consider to be proper and respectable that what is really lining up with the will of God. When will we start caring more about the poor and hungry and oppressed than what style of music we have in our worship gatherings? When will we be more concerned with living in the kingdom of God (sharing in the revolution of God; living with God as our king) than ‘extending our borders’? When will we see that other Christians (and even unbelievers) are not our enemies—that our enemy is the one who opposes God? I wonder.
I wonder how often we pray ‘in the name of Jesus’ without thinking of acting with the resources and abilities of Jesus.
David came against Goliath in the name of the Lord. That doesn’t mean that he just came with a nametag that read “God’s servant.” In the scriptures, the phrase ‘the Name of the Lord’, Ha-SheM YHWH in Hebrew, stands for God’s essential nature known to people as an active force in their lives. To do something ‘in the name of the Lord’, in Ha-SheM YHWH was to do it with all the abilities and resources of God behind you. When someone fought ‘in the name of the Lord’, they fought with God’s power.
To do something in the name of the Lord meant that you stood beside God in what he was doing.
It’s like the story of the flea and the elephant. A flea was riding an elephant across one of those old, rope bridges. When they reached the other side, the flea said, “man, we really shook that thing, didn’t we?”
So when you pray, ‘in the name of Jesus’ it’s not just the phrase you say before you say Amen. It’s not just the ‘over and out’ or ‘I’m going to hang up now, okay God.’ It is your statement that what you ask for and engage in is being done with confidence in the abilities and resources of Jesus.
How many days do we approach life as if God has left us to make it through on our own abilities and resources?
How often do we undertake projects according to our own agendas and in our own abilities and resources instead of according to God’s agenda and in his abilities and resources?
How often do we find ourselves at the end of the day exhausted and frustrated and defeated—only because we tried to do it all on our own?
I think it’s far too often for far too many of us.
I painted it while listening to Anne Lamott at the Emergent Conference. I was pretty surprised at how it turned out.
Also, here are some thoughts from the message I've put together for tonight at Jenison. It's on 1 Samuel 17, David and the giant from Gath.
I wonder how often we do things without really depending on the resources of God to accomplish them.
We talk a lot about trusting God, but that’s really hard for us when reality is standing in front of us, nine feet tall, five hundred pounds, covered in armor, and armed to the teeth. It is so easy to be tempted to think in terms of our own abilities and resources.
Like we have to have all the right answers before we can talk to people about God.
Like we have to have our lives ‘together’ before we can serve God in some way.
Like we have to have the ‘right programs’ before we can be an effective church.
Like we have to have a big enough group of people before we can make a positive impact on our community.
Like we have to have a president, congress, and supreme court who agree with us before we can do anything about the evil in our society.
I wonder how often we do things without really depending on the resources of God to accomplish them.
I wonder whose reputation we care about more: ours or God’s?
David was offended that Goliath was insulting the armies of Israel—and thereby the God of Israel—and no one was willing to do anything about it. They were all running for cover whenever the giant stepped closer to their front lines.
The fear of losing their lives was greater than their confidence that ‘the battle is the Lord’s’. David went into battle, not to show that Israel was great, but that the God of Israel was great.
The battle wasn’t really between Israel and the Philistines. It was between God and the idols of the Philistines. It wasn’t about which nation was the greatest. It was about who was going to be proved to be the true God.
I wonder if sometimes we get upset about certain issues because we feel it is an attack against us, while we ignore other things that are damaging God’s reputation. For instance, we get so upset if people say certain vulgarities, but we ignore the contempt we have for those people. It is the contemptuous way we treat people who offend us that is hurting God’s reputation among them.
What is worse? Saying a vulgar word, or having contempt toward another person? We can condemn someone for speaking vulgarity, but we can justify someone’s contempt as ‘righteous indignation.’
There are many cases where I think we can be more concerned with what we consider to be proper and respectable that what is really lining up with the will of God. When will we start caring more about the poor and hungry and oppressed than what style of music we have in our worship gatherings? When will we be more concerned with living in the kingdom of God (sharing in the revolution of God; living with God as our king) than ‘extending our borders’? When will we see that other Christians (and even unbelievers) are not our enemies—that our enemy is the one who opposes God? I wonder.
I wonder how often we pray ‘in the name of Jesus’ without thinking of acting with the resources and abilities of Jesus.
David came against Goliath in the name of the Lord. That doesn’t mean that he just came with a nametag that read “God’s servant.” In the scriptures, the phrase ‘the Name of the Lord’, Ha-SheM YHWH in Hebrew, stands for God’s essential nature known to people as an active force in their lives. To do something ‘in the name of the Lord’, in Ha-SheM YHWH was to do it with all the abilities and resources of God behind you. When someone fought ‘in the name of the Lord’, they fought with God’s power.
To do something in the name of the Lord meant that you stood beside God in what he was doing.
It’s like the story of the flea and the elephant. A flea was riding an elephant across one of those old, rope bridges. When they reached the other side, the flea said, “man, we really shook that thing, didn’t we?”
So when you pray, ‘in the name of Jesus’ it’s not just the phrase you say before you say Amen. It’s not just the ‘over and out’ or ‘I’m going to hang up now, okay God.’ It is your statement that what you ask for and engage in is being done with confidence in the abilities and resources of Jesus.
How many days do we approach life as if God has left us to make it through on our own abilities and resources?
How often do we undertake projects according to our own agendas and in our own abilities and resources instead of according to God’s agenda and in his abilities and resources?
How often do we find ourselves at the end of the day exhausted and frustrated and defeated—only because we tried to do it all on our own?
I think it’s far too often for far too many of us.
Tuesday, July 15, 2003
Friday, July 11, 2003
I just posted the text of the message I gave at Jenison last night. It was on the story of Samson in Judges 13-16. It's a long read, but check it out and let me know what you think. Click here.
Aslo, I met with Travis this morning and we talked through the third chapter of "Renovation of the Heart". Good stuff. We got to talking about the analogy of physical training and progression in Christlikeness. I said that I think the analogy breaks down in that physical training is conditioning of bodies that are in various stages of decay, whereas spiritual transformation is about becoming a new kind of person--it is a qualitative, fundamental change in who we are. It's not like physical training where you can stop running and get flabby.
The point of spiritual transformation is that you become a new kind of person. In a surrealistic twist of the analogy, it would be like a runner's feet being morphed into wheels or something. Or maybe more like someone who doesn't 'go for a jog' or 'go running', but like Forrest Gump, anywhere they went, they were 'ruunn-ning'.
I don't know if that's right on for an analogy, but I hope you get the point.
Aslo, I met with Travis this morning and we talked through the third chapter of "Renovation of the Heart". Good stuff. We got to talking about the analogy of physical training and progression in Christlikeness. I said that I think the analogy breaks down in that physical training is conditioning of bodies that are in various stages of decay, whereas spiritual transformation is about becoming a new kind of person--it is a qualitative, fundamental change in who we are. It's not like physical training where you can stop running and get flabby.
The point of spiritual transformation is that you become a new kind of person. In a surrealistic twist of the analogy, it would be like a runner's feet being morphed into wheels or something. Or maybe more like someone who doesn't 'go for a jog' or 'go running', but like Forrest Gump, anywhere they went, they were 'ruunn-ning'.
I don't know if that's right on for an analogy, but I hope you get the point.
Thursday, July 10, 2003
I've been doing some thinking on the relationship between vocation, giftedness, and character. Dallas Willard said something about giftedness not producing character. I think one difference between them is that in giftings, God does for us what we cannot produce. God gives it independent of our efforts. Character, however, God does not impose on us. We must do the necessary things to develop our character (Col 3:1-17)--and yet even then it isn't entirely of ourselves.
Maybe it is like learning to dance: You need someone to lead, but you still have to move your own feet.
As I write this, I realize how indebted I am to Dallas for this image of dancing. I think he was talking about grace and said that grace is never entirely active or passive: much like dancing. If you've ever tried dancing with someone who was either entirely active or entirely passive, you know that it doesn't work very well. Funny stuff.
Thanks Dallas.
Maybe it is like learning to dance: You need someone to lead, but you still have to move your own feet.
As I write this, I realize how indebted I am to Dallas for this image of dancing. I think he was talking about grace and said that grace is never entirely active or passive: much like dancing. If you've ever tried dancing with someone who was either entirely active or entirely passive, you know that it doesn't work very well. Funny stuff.
Thanks Dallas.
Wednesday, July 09, 2003
Randy and I are meeting with some folks today at the Urban Mill. I'm really going to be in trouble for doing this because Torie wanted to take me there (it might be the first time she ever found a good coffee bar before me!). Well, I already got in trouble for going once, and now it will be twice and neither time with her. I owe her big time I guess.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the conversation with some guys who are wondering about what's going on with the church--so-called 'emerging church' guys. These folks (and I hope there is a female voice in the conversation today) are really trying to make sense of our vocation and culture and all that. Good stuff is happening there.
In other realms, I'm working on some thoughts for my message at Jenison this Thursday on Samson. There are some fascinating insights here related to vocation. It's the tragedy of so many lives to have a vocation and disrespect it. It gets me thinking about whether or not I am disrespecting my vocation. I'm sorry to say that often I do. I don't want to, and there are times when I really feel like I'm living out my vocation. Those are good days. Anyway, I'll post the manuscript on my other blog when it is finished--maybe tonight.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the conversation with some guys who are wondering about what's going on with the church--so-called 'emerging church' guys. These folks (and I hope there is a female voice in the conversation today) are really trying to make sense of our vocation and culture and all that. Good stuff is happening there.
In other realms, I'm working on some thoughts for my message at Jenison this Thursday on Samson. There are some fascinating insights here related to vocation. It's the tragedy of so many lives to have a vocation and disrespect it. It gets me thinking about whether or not I am disrespecting my vocation. I'm sorry to say that often I do. I don't want to, and there are times when I really feel like I'm living out my vocation. Those are good days. Anyway, I'll post the manuscript on my other blog when it is finished--maybe tonight.
Monday, July 07, 2003
So I got to deliver a message at Jenison last Thursday night. For what it's worth, I'll post the manuscript here. Torie said it was like two sermons in one. Maybe it's a sign that it's not that good, but I think there are a few good things inside. If I can get the comment stuff up, I welcome your comments.
Here's one part of the message...
God doesn't look for the most gifted or attractive people to cooperate with his purposes--God is looking for a few people who simply want to cooperate with him in his plan to bring healing and wholeness to the whole world.
A friend of mine mentioned to me that we might be doing a disservice by praising people who have seriously screwed up their lives and then turned their lives around to follow Jesus. This makes people feel bad if they haven’t made serious mistakes in their lives because they don’t have a dramatic testimony.
What an awful thing it is to make people feel like they should have done something dumb like drugs or gambling or murder so they could have a more entertaining testimony.
If you are someone who has felt bad because you have been blameless among the people of your time, I just want to bless that and say that God is pleased with you.
Noah was honored not because he thoroughly screwed up his life, but because he was righteous—because he walked with God. There are people among us who don’t have dramatic testimonies except for the shocking fact that they have walked with God their whole lives.
But God invites everyone to be a part of his family—remember God’s purpose is for the healing of the whole world—alcoholics, drug addicts, adulterers, thieves, murderers, and even good people! God invites us to play our part in our generation as his cooperative friends.
Here's one part of the message...
God doesn't look for the most gifted or attractive people to cooperate with his purposes--God is looking for a few people who simply want to cooperate with him in his plan to bring healing and wholeness to the whole world.
A friend of mine mentioned to me that we might be doing a disservice by praising people who have seriously screwed up their lives and then turned their lives around to follow Jesus. This makes people feel bad if they haven’t made serious mistakes in their lives because they don’t have a dramatic testimony.
What an awful thing it is to make people feel like they should have done something dumb like drugs or gambling or murder so they could have a more entertaining testimony.
If you are someone who has felt bad because you have been blameless among the people of your time, I just want to bless that and say that God is pleased with you.
Noah was honored not because he thoroughly screwed up his life, but because he was righteous—because he walked with God. There are people among us who don’t have dramatic testimonies except for the shocking fact that they have walked with God their whole lives.
But God invites everyone to be a part of his family—remember God’s purpose is for the healing of the whole world—alcoholics, drug addicts, adulterers, thieves, murderers, and even good people! God invites us to play our part in our generation as his cooperative friends.
Wednesday, July 02, 2003
I wrote the following last Friday morning and have been debating whether or not to post it. Well, I think there are some worthwhile questions, so here goes...
I don’t know why it grates on me so much. It may just be morning radio shows in general, but something about this ‘Christian’ version of it just gives me a stomach ache. I keep thinking, “O God, please make them stop.”
Here’s an equation: Commercials + Inane banter + trite Christian parodies of Motown songs + commercials = making me sick.
Really. Something in me is physiologically rebelling—crying out in gastro-enteric protest. All of the sudden I’m thinking about how compromised the so-called ‘Christian subculture’ in America really is.
Some questions I have…
Why do I feel like a heretic when I tell people to stop giving to a church budget and start giving to people in need?
Why is NPR more intellectually compelling than nearly everything I hear on ‘Christian Radio’?
Why are television stations and radio stations (not the Christians ones, by the way) the champions for feeding the hungry?
Why are suburban churches largely ignoring the mentally ill? (Too busy listening to Point of Grace, I think…)
Why are people ‘outside the church’ asking better questions than we are?
Why are we so excited just because people say, ‘Jesus’ on the radio? Are they really listening to what he said or does saying his name just make them feel good? Do they really want to share in his revolution or just a scrubbed up version of the greater culture—palatable to us of more polite tastes.
Are American churches really preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God or a milk-toast version of our American-dream-have-it-your-way-have-a-nice-day culture?
Is the current system sustainable?
Can we keep building buildings?
Can we sustain the structures that are in place?
Or better, can the present structures sustain us?
What will sustain us? It will be those who are seeking to follow Jesus in his revolution. It will be the vision of a new way of being a Christian—which is really the oldest way—the way of suffering (and joy) that comes from following Jesus—for lifestyle testimony to the Messiah.
They turned the radio station off at my request. I don’t like being negative about well-intentioned people, but we can’t let things continue this way. I guess I’m thinking that the current Christian subculture is not sustainable as is. Obviously things always change, but I’m suggesting that we may be in for a cataclysmic collapse of the current evangelical superstructure—like an ancient building collapsing under its own weight. Maybe it won’t be a cataclysmic collapse—maybe it will be more like a gradual collapse, but I feel like our churches have become less about following Jesus and more about producing attractive programs that rival those of our ‘non-Christian competition’ (i.e., Christian radio, booksto—I mean giftstores, etc.).
I don’t want to produce a ‘postmodern product’. I want to follow Jesus, and I’m willing to get rid of ‘church-as-I-thought-it-was’ if that is necessary.
I guess it’s not so new. Jesus’ disciples had to get chased out of Jerusalem before they went to the rest of Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Man, that sounds pessimistic. Really I am more hopeful, just not about the current trajectory of pop-evangelicalism.
I don’t know why it grates on me so much. It may just be morning radio shows in general, but something about this ‘Christian’ version of it just gives me a stomach ache. I keep thinking, “O God, please make them stop.”
Here’s an equation: Commercials + Inane banter + trite Christian parodies of Motown songs + commercials = making me sick.
Really. Something in me is physiologically rebelling—crying out in gastro-enteric protest. All of the sudden I’m thinking about how compromised the so-called ‘Christian subculture’ in America really is.
Some questions I have…
Why do I feel like a heretic when I tell people to stop giving to a church budget and start giving to people in need?
Why is NPR more intellectually compelling than nearly everything I hear on ‘Christian Radio’?
Why are television stations and radio stations (not the Christians ones, by the way) the champions for feeding the hungry?
Why are suburban churches largely ignoring the mentally ill? (Too busy listening to Point of Grace, I think…)
Why are people ‘outside the church’ asking better questions than we are?
Why are we so excited just because people say, ‘Jesus’ on the radio? Are they really listening to what he said or does saying his name just make them feel good? Do they really want to share in his revolution or just a scrubbed up version of the greater culture—palatable to us of more polite tastes.
Are American churches really preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God or a milk-toast version of our American-dream-have-it-your-way-have-a-nice-day culture?
Is the current system sustainable?
Can we keep building buildings?
Can we sustain the structures that are in place?
Or better, can the present structures sustain us?
What will sustain us? It will be those who are seeking to follow Jesus in his revolution. It will be the vision of a new way of being a Christian—which is really the oldest way—the way of suffering (and joy) that comes from following Jesus—for lifestyle testimony to the Messiah.
They turned the radio station off at my request. I don’t like being negative about well-intentioned people, but we can’t let things continue this way. I guess I’m thinking that the current Christian subculture is not sustainable as is. Obviously things always change, but I’m suggesting that we may be in for a cataclysmic collapse of the current evangelical superstructure—like an ancient building collapsing under its own weight. Maybe it won’t be a cataclysmic collapse—maybe it will be more like a gradual collapse, but I feel like our churches have become less about following Jesus and more about producing attractive programs that rival those of our ‘non-Christian competition’ (i.e., Christian radio, booksto—I mean giftstores, etc.).
I don’t want to produce a ‘postmodern product’. I want to follow Jesus, and I’m willing to get rid of ‘church-as-I-thought-it-was’ if that is necessary.
I guess it’s not so new. Jesus’ disciples had to get chased out of Jerusalem before they went to the rest of Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Man, that sounds pessimistic. Really I am more hopeful, just not about the current trajectory of pop-evangelicalism.
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