Yesterday I gave an overview of a book I recently read, Colors of God". Written by leaders of a church in Canada called neXus, it forced me to consider my beliefs yet again. I don't think this is a bad thing. Jeremiah, in the midst of all his whining..er...weeping, said, "Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD (Lamentations 3:40).
So what the authors, Randall Peters, Dave Phillips & Quentin Steen, did was to write about the core beliefs that drove their actions. This first part was by far the largest section. But laying a foundation is the most important part of any building or project, right?
The part that forced me to pay attention was in their explaining what kind of church they wanted to be. They were at a National Pastors Convention (always a rowdy party) and were listening to an exchange between 'someone from the floor' and Doug Pagitt, an Emerging Church pastor and author and also a presenter at the convention.
Someone: You must have some non-negotiables. I mean, certainly, we must maintain the deity of Christ beyond all other things, right?
Pagitt: Or not.
The Colors of God authors loved this line. I paused.
This was clearly new ground for someone who had been raised, and continues to work in, admit-ably conservative corners of the Church. If nothing else, it made sure I paid attention for the rest of the book, for fear that something would just be slipped in.
As I continued in this book, it became clear that while they were not attempting to start a new fad or religion, they did think that questions were good. I'm not sure I can disagree. If questions lead us to truth, then questions are a very good thing. Why should we fear the process? Is God too small to reveal Himself to a new generation? The language may change a bit and the process may look more like a pre-school art contest than a C.S. Lewis essay.
As I said yesterday, I am not sure I agree with everything they said they believed, but the non-negotiables that we often tend to fret over were held firm. By clearly defining their terms and showing how it impacted how they lived, they perhaps opened up a path to freedom in Christ that many have not experienced.
Know what you believe. Live out that belief. Never be afraid to allow Truth stand up to a new challenge. Lies and deceit will always be told like God told the son of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 5:27, "You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting."
So what the authors, Randall Peters, Dave Phillips & Quentin Steen, did was to write about the core beliefs that drove their actions. This first part was by far the largest section. But laying a foundation is the most important part of any building or project, right?
The part that forced me to pay attention was in their explaining what kind of church they wanted to be. They were at a National Pastors Convention (always a rowdy party) and were listening to an exchange between 'someone from the floor' and Doug Pagitt, an Emerging Church pastor and author and also a presenter at the convention.
Someone: You must have some non-negotiables. I mean, certainly, we must maintain the deity of Christ beyond all other things, right?
Pagitt: Or not.
The Colors of God authors loved this line. I paused.
This was clearly new ground for someone who had been raised, and continues to work in, admit-ably conservative corners of the Church. If nothing else, it made sure I paid attention for the rest of the book, for fear that something would just be slipped in.
As I continued in this book, it became clear that while they were not attempting to start a new fad or religion, they did think that questions were good. I'm not sure I can disagree. If questions lead us to truth, then questions are a very good thing. Why should we fear the process? Is God too small to reveal Himself to a new generation? The language may change a bit and the process may look more like a pre-school art contest than a C.S. Lewis essay.
As I said yesterday, I am not sure I agree with everything they said they believed, but the non-negotiables that we often tend to fret over were held firm. By clearly defining their terms and showing how it impacted how they lived, they perhaps opened up a path to freedom in Christ that many have not experienced.
Know what you believe. Live out that belief. Never be afraid to allow Truth stand up to a new challenge. Lies and deceit will always be told like God told the son of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 5:27, "You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting."
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