Can't keep quiet any longer
Fred at Abductive has posted some notes about the Nexchurch Conference at Kentucky Christian University.
I think I can get right behind a lot of what Len Sweet says, the "church moderne" is so addicted to the process! May God grant that the age of the driven church is over! I am so sick of the emptiness. This Jabez quoting, semi-present, plastic unenthusiastic they sell as spirituality is superficial and disconnected at best, and a Jesus based theme mall at worst..
They have no notion how to get where they want to be, so like two ticks with no dog - they just suckle each other on the latest marketing scheme to make Jesus sellable. Pastors are not ministers they are CEO's or department heads - middle managers ...
I'll stop - the rant would be too long otherwise.
Just ask yourself - when you next meet a professional cleric. "Did I just meet person who is about being and living holy, or someone just trying to sell me on the idea?"
The Christ followers with the greatest clarity want to know how to own who they were created to be - "as is." (NOT listen to the next sermon on the "seven easy steps to never fail spirituality." The of clowns who write that crap would do well just to meet that person God created them to be.)
But people who want to be like Jesus start with the hard work of meeting their true selves - shortly after they meet Him. How can anyone get from one place to another without knowing their starting point? A map is only useful if you know where you are in relation to your destination.
But relentless self knowledge has been mostly abandoned by the church moderne. They seem to aspire to reconcile the Kingdom with their dreams of Corporate American success. Just look at the cover notes of the books they write for each other.
But most people quietly fear our extended (or immediate) family may end up as an episode of Maury or COPS. We are collectively screwed up! What if I'm not upwardly mobile (or trying to be) is there room enough for me in the pew without being checked off as someone's outreach trophy?
The only thing these driven churches ultimately end up with is a desire to escape the "quiet desperation" it offers as spiritual life by "planning the work and working the plan." Doing takes over for being. They all swim in a little row - like Dory says in Nemo "Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming" -with only the vaguest notion of where they are headed. "If we're swimming we must be getting there! We have all of these programs - we HAVE to be spiritual!"
Remember that the goats thought they were doing it all for God just before they got kicked to the infernal curb.
love much, pray more,
K
>>Fundamental heresy of modernism is that trees move the wind
>>But wind moves the trees; forces are spiritual
>>Jn 3
>>It's not by might, not by power, but by the Spirit
>>Modernism saysnot by might, not by power but by process (programs)
>>We need to exercise the muscles that move our lips when we say "Holy Spirit."
>>Church hasn't yet got its mind in Spirit theology
>>But wind moves the trees; forces are spiritual
>>Jn 3
>>It's not by might, not by power, but by the Spirit
>>Modernism saysnot by might, not by power but by process (programs)
>>We need to exercise the muscles that move our lips when we say "Holy Spirit."
>>Church hasn't yet got its mind in Spirit theology
I think I can get right behind a lot of what Len Sweet says, the "church moderne" is so addicted to the process! May God grant that the age of the driven church is over! I am so sick of the emptiness. This Jabez quoting, semi-present, plastic unenthusiastic they sell as spirituality is superficial and disconnected at best, and a Jesus based theme mall at worst..
They have no notion how to get where they want to be, so like two ticks with no dog - they just suckle each other on the latest marketing scheme to make Jesus sellable. Pastors are not ministers they are CEO's or department heads - middle managers ...
I'll stop - the rant would be too long otherwise.
Just ask yourself - when you next meet a professional cleric. "Did I just meet person who is about being and living holy, or someone just trying to sell me on the idea?"
The Christ followers with the greatest clarity want to know how to own who they were created to be - "as is." (NOT listen to the next sermon on the "seven easy steps to never fail spirituality." The of clowns who write that crap would do well just to meet that person God created them to be.)
But people who want to be like Jesus start with the hard work of meeting their true selves - shortly after they meet Him. How can anyone get from one place to another without knowing their starting point? A map is only useful if you know where you are in relation to your destination.
But relentless self knowledge has been mostly abandoned by the church moderne. They seem to aspire to reconcile the Kingdom with their dreams of Corporate American success. Just look at the cover notes of the books they write for each other.
But most people quietly fear our extended (or immediate) family may end up as an episode of Maury or COPS. We are collectively screwed up! What if I'm not upwardly mobile (or trying to be) is there room enough for me in the pew without being checked off as someone's outreach trophy?
The only thing these driven churches ultimately end up with is a desire to escape the "quiet desperation" it offers as spiritual life by "planning the work and working the plan." Doing takes over for being. They all swim in a little row - like Dory says in Nemo "Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming" -with only the vaguest notion of where they are headed. "If we're swimming we must be getting there! We have all of these programs - we HAVE to be spiritual!"
Remember that the goats thought they were doing it all for God just before they got kicked to the infernal curb.
love much, pray more,
K
You were utterly brilliant in the way you said this. (Comment this)