My head is a little messed up of late, I have been trying to blog, but just can't seem to get out what I want to say!
I have read a book called The Irresistible Revolution by a guy called Shane Claiborne, in all honesty it has been the most challenging thing I have looked at in years. I read loads of books, but this one I want to read slowly and a few times. I, like many of us, live with the niggle in the back of my mind that "There has to be more" my problem is I often focus on what I don't want without ever truly coming up with a new way of how I want to be. I feel this book giving me some answers, but also frustration.
I think this guy is a prophetic voice for our generation, I wrote a rant last week about the prophetic, but didn't publish it as it is more out of my own hurt than informed thinking. However I do think that the church has to find it's prophetic voice in this generation, it's just that the framework I have seen the prophetic modelled through doesn't seem to fit.
We need to become a voice, but how? I love personal prophecy, it's very encouraging and builds me up, which is what it is meant to do. So on one level I am there but the other level of church being a prophetic voice some how alludes me.
What do I stand for? How do I live? What marks me out as different? Surely it has got to be more than my beliefs? Or should I say my beliefs should affect the way I live and on one level they do, but am I really that different than anyone else? Have I been living out a westernised materialistic version of my faith? Have I been engulfed in a system that is contrary to the system or life style of Christ? Church culture is a powerful thing and I am scared that we talk about breaking out of this culture and transforming the culture around us, scared because it is sad that the very culture we have created can restrict us from affecting the other culture of the world...
I am happy living with these questions at the moment, I would value your thoughts....
3 comments:
Brian, I haven't read the book that you mention although I tend to agree with its thesis (as decribed in the synopsis of it written on Amazon.com). Nonetheless, I have a 'word' for you -
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."
From what I can tell about you from our electronic exchanges you are right in there "doing the stuff" at the coal face, walking in the Spirit, led by the Spirit and by the grace of God free from all condemnation - be free in what you do - as we used to sing "seek ye first the kingdom of God..."
My opinion (and I'm not expecting it to be popular with some of our mutual bloggers!), feed the spirit a little more and the intellect a little less by "doing what you see the Father doing". That might mean reading less books........... after all, there is noting new under the sun [Slight Aside: I consider myself a Post-Emergent Christian, although as we used to say in one place where I worked - one more right angled turn and we'll be right up our own as*].
Yes, some will be led to be poor among the poor, though more will be like most of us working for our employers as we would for the Lord and we'll benefit from some of the material(ism) of the world - like the wedding at Cana - with the occasional glass of wine, Xbox, internet, etc.
Peace to you.
William
benefiting from the material(ism) of the world doesn't necessarily relate to the benefit of the kingdom...
also, what exacltly does "post-emergent christian" exactly mean?
just seems like mixed messages.
Anon,
[1] part of "being in the world but not of it" means that we don't shun what capitalism and materialism has done for society / culture - healthcare, vaccines, winemaking, pepsi-max (favourite of mine), blogging, air travel, etc - we just don't worship that "stuff" and seek after it. On the contary, we seek and worship Him. Just like our Lord did when he wore tailored clothes, slept within a man-made structure, drank wine. Hence, we benefit from what is available to us in our culture (e.g. cars in the western culture). The benefits of the Kingdom are clearly another topic altogether.
[2] Post-Emergent Christian - sick and tired of the "worship" of human intellect, creativity and mysticism, and the need to rebel in a slightly trendy way. Seen too much of that over the years. In my exerience, Po-Mo emergents have 'created' even more opportunities for idolatry...
Well - you did ask!
I could go on but this is not what Brian's post was about. Send me an e-mail or post at my blog for a comeback.
William
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