manna?

The suburban mindset has invaded our churches. Our desire for peace, rest, and refuge become the subtle subtext behind what we do. We wish to maintain the illusion of community at all costs. We forget that the reality of community is often messy and larger than our suburban “wish dream” (Dietrich Bonehoffer’s term) of and idealized Christian community.

True community cannot exist in such a context. Like a family, it requires the honest interaction between people. It allows for conflict and confrontation within the bounds of Christian love. The suburban quest for community becomes a subtle idolatry. (This holds true for the emerging expression of church as well.) We have forgotten that true peace and rest is in Jesus alone as we look for it in our relationships with one another. Our idea of a deep Christian community becomes a trap. This corporate illusion of what christian community is must die if we are to develop into the community God intends us to be.  Full Post >>