The surreal truth of Harstine
Greetings again friends. Its good to see that we are all on board, twill be good I believe.
I was just thinking today and was reminded of some conversations that Mr. Barrett, Mr. Jamis, and I had a few semesters ago; I realize that as I've grown here at friends, so has my passion for the Church. I think that we sometimes forget the unbelievable blessing that we have here on campus, or alongside our brothers (Bonhoeffer has a great section on this in Life Together, really the only part i've read of that one. As we sit in Mr. Harstine's roasting classes, we are surrounded by equally bogged down but amazing brothers and sisters in Christ. Our classes are filled by people that are passionate for Christ, and actively pursuing holyness, ready to give much of themselves at our expense. But the truth is, is that this awesomeness, in my eyes, seems to translate to the American church with only a low percentage. Is it because we are religion majors? Absolutely Not!
What I am getting at is that I look around (and cannot speak for every church), and find a body of believers bored with God; in other words, they are bored with the life that they profess as their joy. What has happened, what can happen? I personally believe that the understanding of the salvation of man through Christ has been diluted into a much less filling form. I'm reading a article by Foster in which he shares the same sentiments as myself, Ill comment on that as soon as i finish. Perhaps this is a step into having the passionate people within the church not be the minority. Let me know what you think. - Beardo
I was just thinking today and was reminded of some conversations that Mr. Barrett, Mr. Jamis, and I had a few semesters ago; I realize that as I've grown here at friends, so has my passion for the Church. I think that we sometimes forget the unbelievable blessing that we have here on campus, or alongside our brothers (Bonhoeffer has a great section on this in Life Together, really the only part i've read of that one. As we sit in Mr. Harstine's roasting classes, we are surrounded by equally bogged down but amazing brothers and sisters in Christ. Our classes are filled by people that are passionate for Christ, and actively pursuing holyness, ready to give much of themselves at our expense. But the truth is, is that this awesomeness, in my eyes, seems to translate to the American church with only a low percentage. Is it because we are religion majors? Absolutely Not!
What I am getting at is that I look around (and cannot speak for every church), and find a body of believers bored with God; in other words, they are bored with the life that they profess as their joy. What has happened, what can happen? I personally believe that the understanding of the salvation of man through Christ has been diluted into a much less filling form. I'm reading a article by Foster in which he shares the same sentiments as myself, Ill comment on that as soon as i finish. Perhaps this is a step into having the passionate people within the church not be the minority. Let me know what you think. - Beardo
posted by Mike Beardslee at 8:34 PM
7 Comments:
Is the movement of the emergent church an attempt to rekindle this passion for the church, for the body of Christ, that us religion majors and the unfortunate minority have?
Thoughts anyone?
I'm not too familiar with the nuts and bolts of the movement, but I believe that this is the heart of their motivation. My only fear is that they (the forerunners of the emergent church) are going to try and do it asthetically (especially with its postmodern emphasis). But yeah,I believe that the movement is rooted in the same concern that I have, the lack of passion within the body of Christ. I'm still workin on that Foster stuff, ill have a good comment when i finish. I have many thoughts on the topic.
Brilliant, Justin! BRILLIANT! I always believe that I am not growing in my faith when I am comfortable. I need to be uncomfortable in order for me to grow. When I step up and become that way, I'm challenged, I'm tested, it shakes the very foundation of even my simplist beliefs. However, I grow and I'm anything but bored with my faith.
How can you spread this message to the overall church though? Yeah, maybe a few churches do this and even a few youth groups understand it. But how many churches are there that are preaching a gospel of comfortablilty?
I love you guys, yup. Jamis, I think that we could take the thought further in saying that not only is the gospel not boring, but yes challenging. Perhaps the Gospel that we hear (fire escape, social reform, etc...) preached are so popular because they are much easier; even diehard legalism is easier to digest! The thing is, is that the Gospel is the power of reconciliation with God, it restores the communion that we have without the seperation caused by sin. In short, it is the power to give life, in its truest form. in this way, to follow Christ is not a legalistic mandate, but the complete reformation of the person. How hard is it when God begins to break us of the habit of sin! but indeed how exiting is it to begin to experience life. Perhaps this is why your kids have reacted the way they have Jamis. Let me know what you think...
-Mike-
The sounds good guys; you are men after my own heart. My question for you all, has this truth...the truth of the the Gospel, been lost somewhere in the Church's preaching or even understanding? Is this evident in the lack of passion from many churches?
-Mike-
Beardslee, I'd also like to see more people engulfed in/by the Spirit- but it starts with a minority. Maybe even one. Just one.
Though, I guess it always starts with One: God. But if you see those few whose passion is great, then make them to appear pedestrian! For those with great passion who seem to exist on some higher plane cannot inspire others who in fact are no different. Using the evolutionary chain as a paradigm, it would be as one chimpanzee saying of another, "I can never be like that chimp, he's become something better, more aware/understanding- a human."
What I mean to say is perhaps the thing (rather, one possible) keeping the majority at bay from the divivne fire is its supposed unapproachable nature. As if only a select few -the learned, the priests, the levites among us- can approach or understand, that they understand because they can approach, and that they approach because they understand.
It's 1:40am. My brain is a crowning achievement of loopy-ness.
I just had a conversation with a friend who was disturbed over the whole "limited atonement" discussion. It wasnt altogether the doctrine but the way he thought it was forced unto people that bothered him. I may have said something that could carry over to our topic. I told him, that to see any resolution, either in the people doing the talking, or especially in the people that are being approached, it would not come from any counter argument. If anything, that would fuel the fire. Perhaps, then, we as Mr. Barrett said just by practicing our faith, by being who we profess - in the reality of our humanness as Mr. jamis said, we will show people the truth of the gospel. I liked the bit about the monkeys sir. So if the problem lies within the Church not believing the Gospel - i.e new life, then perhaps we need to begin with the people that start the trickle effect...that is the people leading the flock. Does our clergy truly acknowledge their sin, understand that they are not just "hypothetical sinners," and truly believe the Gospel as Justin so poetically put?
By the way, I love you guys, this is what I was hoping for - to see new lights on old topics. Perhaps, just perhaps, we can discovers something here. You all rock.
-the presently mellow Beardo
Post a Comment
<< Home