This may be a blog and it may not…either way it is up and you get to read it.
A little over a month ago I (Aaron) gave the guys on the board a copy of “The Celtic Way of Evangelism” by George Hunter. I then ask them a couple of questions which I thought would be helpful for you to see our thought processes. Hope you enjoy it…
Aaron
In chapter one we read that the Roman churches saw its job in missions as “Chritianizing and Civlizing.” They essentially made the goal of Christianity barbarian propriety rather than Jesus. How can we keep from doing this at Element ourselves?
Churches lose focus and can tend to think that if they get people thinking and believing like they do – then they have done their job. Churches tend to take up popular causes – pro life, pro marriage, pro republican – (these are the current “civilizing” issues) – with the belief that if a person believes in these things then they are ok, and a “real” Christian….churches will “program-ize” people to death in the belief that we are meeting their needs.
A church can introduce someone to Jesus to be saved – but do they bring them back to Jesus for solutions to their life issues. Jesus, as Aaron says, “we have one drum and that is Jesus.” After the person is saved do we continue to point them to Jesus as the source of life, hope & true change or do we tell them what to believe and what to do now that they are a believer. Life gets more difficult after one becomes a Christian and that is where we at ECC longs to come along side that person and instruct, counsel and love that person as Jesus would if He were in the flesh here on earth.
We remember that Jesus is the source – and in Jesus there is not only salvation but there is transformation, redemption, hope & unconditional love. So we at ECC focus on these things, not on making sure someone believes that gay marriage is wrong or that if you are a democrat you are somehow “lesser than” or whatever the case may be – we preach, teach, walk and talk Jesus.
In the Preface of the book, George Hunter states that people today, like the celts are looking in the wrong places to make sense of their lives and find their souls true home…where do you think they are looking?
Hunter states they are looking everywhere, “from Astrology to Zen.” In our culture, I don’t think the vast majority are really looking very hard, or considering their soul that seriously at all. I think the longing in their souls is often drowned out and pushed aside by consuming anything that will bring pleasure and make them feel alive. This usually takes the form of pursuing and acquiring material possessions (better houses, cars, boats, etc.), and physical gratification like overindulging in eating, self-pampering, various sorts of sexual activities, and drugs and alcohol.
For those today that realize that there must be something more, they seem to be willing to look almost anywhere–from A to Z as mentioned above–except traditional Christianity for “spiritual” answers. Millions of spiritually thirsty people in this country and around the world right now are finding water in Oprah’s toilet as she hopes to usher in a “spiritual awakening” through the ancient eastern philosophies and practices that have been repackaged by Eckhart Tolle. What is especially sad to me is the fact that many experiencing this “awakening”, like Oprah, are coming out of the traditional Christian church. We as a church, the people of God, need to demonstrate the power of the only true and living God by how we live and how we love. This will only happen as we seek first to experience God’s grace and power in our daily lives to transform us into the image of Jesus.
SO, there you have part of our first discussion…hopefully there will be more to come.