More often than not churches resemble the campsite. It's the place where we preserve, build walls, fortify and safely talk about the great hiking adventures. As important as stories are we can't forget where the majority of the adventures come from. They come from the trails, out in the mountains, out on the edge.
A authentic 21C church provides an intersection where the safe and the unsafe collide. Playing it safe will not build prevailing churches any more than it will build a prevailing life.
"Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." Hellen Keller
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"A authentic 21C church provides an intersection where the safe and the unsafe collide".
Isn't that the slogan of Costco? -"Where the safe and unsafe collide!"
Jesus turned the tables on the church of his day, literally, he went into a violent rage where he saw injustice and dishonesty in a building dedicated to his Father. He threw a one man brawl to extradite filth in a house designed for purity. That made it safer for all. But it was at the edge. So, unsafe might be in the status quo, and safe is flipping from religion to relationship.
As we define the safe from the unsafe we might find a surprize.
These collisions are constant in the human heart, and, there is only one safe place for it..
interesting... what i hear you saying is that when we play it 'unsafe' (as Jesus did when he "turned the tables") we make it 'safer' for others.
interesting... what i hear you saying is that when we play it 'unsafe' (as Jesus did when he "turned the tables") we make it 'safer' for others.
hmmm. I like the simplicity of the way you phrased it. It also reminds me of the principle of dealing with difficulty in relationships. Being passive and building resentments or getting things in the open to understand and heal and reconcile. Someone called it "entering the tunnel of chaos", knowing there is always light at the end of the tunnel.
Avoiding conflict seems safe when its really not in the longrun.
there's light at the end of the tunnel of chaos!
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