Well it's time to do some updating and get back to blogging. Who knows, twitter might even be in the future. I wanted to share briefly about what I am seeing on the church landscape these days. I often go back to Isaiah 58 for a dose of "Hey it's not about me." It's also "not about us"...by "us" I mean the "church" ...specifically the church in America.
We have been asking (perhaps with different words) the following question, "Why have we fasted and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?" The only thing worse would be a total lack of expectancy. Back to the question, we have moved through the church growth movement, saddleback sam, seeker sensitive, small groups, emergent church, and now multi-site church just to name a few. The Big Question...Where are we today?
Perhaps we intentionally ask the wrong questions in an attempt to stay satisfied and feel good about ourselves. What about this question...Is the CULTURE being impacted by the church? Do we recognize that our faith should include costly sacrifice and passion for seeing lives and communities transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
3 comments:
Hello! I absolutely love this blog post and I couldn't agree more with what you've written. Right away I noticed similarities between your message and what we're doing here at 58: (www.live58.org). Live58 is a ministry dedicated to calling the church to live out the true fast of Isaiah 58 to end extreme poverty by 2035. It seems like the mission of our organization is something that is close to your heart, as you've written about here. I'd love for you to check out this video we call “Not Always” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uZV90fsoCY) to learn more about what we're all about. We'd love to partner with you, as you encourage your audience. I’d be happy to talk to you more if you’re interested in getting involved with Live58. Feel free to email me at HannaB@live58.org if you have any questions.
Thanks so much,
Hanna
I love your questions at the end. I am seeing culture impacted by the church but on smaller levels. I think part of the problem is that media only gives one side of the story and is not a true representation of the overall culture of America.
I think part of the challenge is how to dialogue with the ever present, in your face, see it our way only media that is calling the church out on hypocrisy (that really is there) but completely ignoring (and/or quoting out of context) the overall message and love that the modern day church is all about proclaiming.
Hanna, that is an excellent video. One of my concerns is that the church has relegated it's responsibility to other non-profits, ngo's, and para-church organizations. The church must be in th middle of the battle to end extreme poverty. We have to be "hands and feet" carrying help and the Gospel to the neds of the earth.
Hope, I agree with your assesment and believe the best way to impact the culture and also influence the media is by living passionately for Christ at all times and in every context.
Post a Comment