4 Letter Words
Everyone born, raised and still living in the southeastern U.S. might want to avert your eyes for the next few lines. I'm about to pontificate a bit about the use of a word that we should take another look at perhaps, and maybe, just maybe begin to incorporate it into our everyday lives. Are we ready now? Everybody in their collective seats? Good, 'cause here we go...
LIBERAL
O-kay, I said it. I'll give you time to pull yourselves back up into your seats before we proceed. Just a few more moments before we go on, so you still have time to catch your breath or wipe that stinging sensation from your eyes. Ready?
I was just putting together some notes for class tomorrow when I came across this small tidbit of heresy, formulated as a sentence, but yet subversively attempts to slip this one past us. I found it in reading about 3 types of Christianity described as: 1) the parachurch, 2) liberalism and 3) fundamentalism. Each type has their own set of problems but can easily be summed up by the lack of love for one of the following: 1) the Lord, 2) our neighbor or 3) our brother.
The parachurch loves the gospel and culture, but at the forsaking of the love of our brothers, i.e. the church corporate. Liberalism loves culture and the church, but lacks in a true love for the Lord who is at the heart of the gospel. Fundamentalism loves the gospel and the church, but could generally care less about our neighbors in this lost and dying world.
Now that the foundation is set, here comes the statement. "Reformission is a gathering of the best aspects of each of these types of Christianity: living in the tension of being Christians and churches who are culturally liberal yet theologically conservative and who are driven by the gospel of grace to love their Lord, brothers, and neighbors. Nothing like a 4 letter word to spice up a sentence hunh?
This sentence sums my existence at this very moment. I pray that I could only make it incarnate in my life. I've existed and operated from a fundamentally "safe" position for far too long. I've said that I've loved, but have not. I've loved Him and His own...alone.(PERIOD)
I apologize for my delay. I can't make up for lost time, but I intend to not apologize any longer for the present or future to come. Make me the very thing that I thought that I should despise, while still grasping tightly to You, to become incarnate.
LIBERAL
O-kay, I said it. I'll give you time to pull yourselves back up into your seats before we proceed. Just a few more moments before we go on, so you still have time to catch your breath or wipe that stinging sensation from your eyes. Ready?
I was just putting together some notes for class tomorrow when I came across this small tidbit of heresy, formulated as a sentence, but yet subversively attempts to slip this one past us. I found it in reading about 3 types of Christianity described as: 1) the parachurch, 2) liberalism and 3) fundamentalism. Each type has their own set of problems but can easily be summed up by the lack of love for one of the following: 1) the Lord, 2) our neighbor or 3) our brother.
The parachurch loves the gospel and culture, but at the forsaking of the love of our brothers, i.e. the church corporate. Liberalism loves culture and the church, but lacks in a true love for the Lord who is at the heart of the gospel. Fundamentalism loves the gospel and the church, but could generally care less about our neighbors in this lost and dying world.
Now that the foundation is set, here comes the statement. "Reformission is a gathering of the best aspects of each of these types of Christianity: living in the tension of being Christians and churches who are culturally liberal yet theologically conservative and who are driven by the gospel of grace to love their Lord, brothers, and neighbors. Nothing like a 4 letter word to spice up a sentence hunh?
This sentence sums my existence at this very moment. I pray that I could only make it incarnate in my life. I've existed and operated from a fundamentally "safe" position for far too long. I've said that I've loved, but have not. I've loved Him and His own...alone.(PERIOD)
I apologize for my delay. I can't make up for lost time, but I intend to not apologize any longer for the present or future to come. Make me the very thing that I thought that I should despise, while still grasping tightly to You, to become incarnate.
posted by lee at 1:50 PM
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