For both our sakes
In an effort to both promote my own cleverness and wit as well as point to great words of another I hereby post the following amendements to American Christianity, as found on Kyle's blog:
1. No more TV preachers. I am convinced that no good comes of them. And even if it did, Joel Osteen burns my nostrils so badly that I don't think it even makes up for it.
2. Protestant rapprochement with Rome. Most of the Protestants I know only think of the Catholic Church in terms of medieval stereotypes. It's perfectly valid and even needful to have calm, fair, accurate criticisms of another church, but at least base it on something real.
3. Halting of religious activities. I'd like to see church-going people stop all of their religious activities and vet them all according to one single, all-important question: will the thing I'm doing really make me (and us!) more like Jesus?
4. No more labels. Most of these people out there don't know what liberal really means, or what a heretic really is.
5. Quit insisting that people affirm certain code words as a litmus test for biblical orthodoxy. Instead, let's look at the lived practice of the Christian commitment, and then ask whether somebody seems to have a high view of Scripture or not.
Mabley offered this:
6. No more "altar calls." Encourage more emphasis on communal accountability.
And I offered this gem:
7: No more evangelism tracts. Ever. Seriously, if you really want to go out and make disciples of all people it's probably a good idea to have one person over for dinner at a time. Casual evangelism is like casual sex. It might make you feel good at the time but in the end it not only leaves you empty but cheapens both of you as human beings. Real relationships change lives not 4 spiritual laws.
Anyways, go read the whole post and the follow up discussion. It's worth it. Seriously.
1. No more TV preachers. I am convinced that no good comes of them. And even if it did, Joel Osteen burns my nostrils so badly that I don't think it even makes up for it.
2. Protestant rapprochement with Rome. Most of the Protestants I know only think of the Catholic Church in terms of medieval stereotypes. It's perfectly valid and even needful to have calm, fair, accurate criticisms of another church, but at least base it on something real.
3. Halting of religious activities. I'd like to see church-going people stop all of their religious activities and vet them all according to one single, all-important question: will the thing I'm doing really make me (and us!) more like Jesus?
4. No more labels. Most of these people out there don't know what liberal really means, or what a heretic really is.
5. Quit insisting that people affirm certain code words as a litmus test for biblical orthodoxy. Instead, let's look at the lived practice of the Christian commitment, and then ask whether somebody seems to have a high view of Scripture or not.
Mabley offered this:
6. No more "altar calls." Encourage more emphasis on communal accountability.
And I offered this gem:
7: No more evangelism tracts. Ever. Seriously, if you really want to go out and make disciples of all people it's probably a good idea to have one person over for dinner at a time. Casual evangelism is like casual sex. It might make you feel good at the time but in the end it not only leaves you empty but cheapens both of you as human beings. Real relationships change lives not 4 spiritual laws.
Anyways, go read the whole post and the follow up discussion. It's worth it. Seriously.
posted by -mike- at 8:04 PM
5 Comments:
Mike,
I work part-time at Macaroni Grill. The other day one of the servers there was left a miniature Book of John as well as an "amazing" tract depicting the Devil as a cartoon goat-like-thing with wings destroying everything in its path. Both were left during the same shift! He showed them to me and laughed because of the "stupid Christians" who thought they would get their message across... SO, I think I'd have to agree with you. Relationships are key!
-Josh
www.eternaldialogue.blogspot.com
hhmm,
I agree, Christianity spreads most naturally and effectively through regular, everyday relationships. However, as much as I don't really like tracts, they do however have their uses. Hudson Taylor, missionary to China and my hero became a Christian after reading a tract. More recently, my dad would probably still be a hard drinkin' Marine Corp officer (as compared to a pastor) if he hadn't converted to Christianity after reading the "Four Spiritual Laws"
No more TV preachers.
I'm so with you. The ones that get famous end up making a really bad case for Christianity specifically and all religions in general.
Without getting into the pros and cons of religious tracts...I was many times guilty of distributing them...From the perspective of the distributor (at least, in my case) instead of the distributee, it left me feeling guilty: I never passed out enough tracts...It left me feeling like an ass: I rarely got the reception that I wanted...The only things, it seems, that I could focus on were how many tracts I passed out and how people reacted to me...It had nothing to do with the beauty of the Good News.
That's why they're useless and bad to me.
Josh: Yes, they are. There simply is no greater good to come out of it. The "machine gun" metaphor has got to go.
Michael: I'm sure there was more than just an emotional response followed by a dedicated commitment to the christian way to your father's conversion. Perhaps the "4 spiritual laws" opened a door to conversation but no true change can come outside of relationship with the triune god and other humans in god's image.
Day: Word.
Mabely: Welcome! I don't know you but hello. I'd agree as I too have a similar past with tracts. I gave it up finally and decided to get to know these people as simply that: people. People with both baggage and a brain.
We have to be trusting that the same spirit that works in us is also in the whole world. we could be just as wrong as we think they are... and tracts don't allow for that type of vulnerability.
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