If you've fallen asleep to my previous 2 posts, you know that I read and reviewed Colors of God by Randall peters, Dave Phillips and Quentin Steen. It's subtitle is Conversations about Being the Church.
It is that topic which they spend the last 3 sections (out of 4) discussing. I appreciated that because while theology and philosophy can be intriguing, it will not make a difference what you say you believe unless it transfers to your daily life. I can talk machismo all I want about being able to stop an oncoming car, but you won't actually find me in the middle of street during rush hour.
Likewise, what we believe about God has implications in how we live out our faith. For instance, they talk a lot about authenticity being a highly valued commodity at their church, so confession is a daily part of church life. In another section they discuss how they feel the word 'sin' no longer does what we as Christians wish it did. This alone will have extreme fundamentalists racing to their favorite pew and hugging their hymnal while crouched in a fetal position. While I don't agree that 'sin' has lost its power as a word, I do like their style of searching for language that will connect us. As God surely knows, we already have too much disconnect.
This is where their chapters on frequently asked questions come in handy. While I would wish for there to be more questions answered, at least they have thought out what they believe.
So, let's get interactive. Do you consider how your faith affects your daily life? What is one area you see us as a Church missing this connection between what we say we believe and what we actually live out?
It is that topic which they spend the last 3 sections (out of 4) discussing. I appreciated that because while theology and philosophy can be intriguing, it will not make a difference what you say you believe unless it transfers to your daily life. I can talk machismo all I want about being able to stop an oncoming car, but you won't actually find me in the middle of street during rush hour.
Likewise, what we believe about God has implications in how we live out our faith. For instance, they talk a lot about authenticity being a highly valued commodity at their church, so confession is a daily part of church life. In another section they discuss how they feel the word 'sin' no longer does what we as Christians wish it did. This alone will have extreme fundamentalists racing to their favorite pew and hugging their hymnal while crouched in a fetal position. While I don't agree that 'sin' has lost its power as a word, I do like their style of searching for language that will connect us. As God surely knows, we already have too much disconnect.
This is where their chapters on frequently asked questions come in handy. While I would wish for there to be more questions answered, at least they have thought out what they believe.
So, let's get interactive. Do you consider how your faith affects your daily life? What is one area you see us as a Church missing this connection between what we say we believe and what we actually live out?
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