betterthanblank

This just in from the ol’ Google Reader. This from Alan Hirsch:

There is something about middle-class culture that seems to be contrary to authentic gospel values. And this is not a statement about middleclass people per se; I myself am from a very middleclass family, but rather to isolate some of the values and assumptions that that seem to just come along as part of the deal. In the chapter on discipleship we noted that much of what goes by the name middle class involves a preoccupation with safety and security developed mostly in pursuit of what seems to best for our children. And this is understandable as long as it does not become obsessive. But when these impulses of middle class culture fuse with consumerism, as they most often do, we can add the obsession with comfort and convenience to the list. And this is not a good mix. At least as far as the Gospel and missional church is concerned.
ht: ‘The community for me?’ or ‘Me for the community?’ : The Forgotten Ways.

I really find myself aligning with much of what he writes - I’m just trying to figure more out about where I stand on certain areas of what we call ‘church’ or ‘ministry’. I fugure most of us who blog are at the very least middle-class - and how does that translate into middle-class christianity…

We want to see people come to Christ - but what does that mean?

We want to see churches planted & then grow - but what is healthy growth?

We want to raise up our children to embrace their community in love - how do we instill that into them, while trying to be authentic ourselves..?

ahh the questions. And all the while, how to I be a great husband, provide, protect, and love my own family?

Just some thoughts.

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Today was a special day for our church. We closed the doors and headed out to a local school that gives hopes to troubled teens. I wasn’t really sure what to expect - but today was awesome.

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I got an email from this guy today. No offense, but I usually don’t get emails from guys like that.

He’s Alistiar Brown and he’s the president of Northern Seminary. I’m not sure why, but I read through it and caught this little nugget that grabbed me - thought I’d share:

We use vocabulary of community, of the body of Christ. Yet 21st century Christians often treat the church as a resource supermarket to meet individual needs. Leadership styles can be more suited to business than Christian family. The Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future challenges this, and to re-experience what real unity can mean for the church and its mission.

What I’m saying is: if we don’t get church right we’ve lost something foundational, and nothing good is built on a bad foundation.

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