broken

I had a conversation with a close friend this morning. Her husband is on staff at a church so she was sharing remarks made from church members which can become frustrating at times. I find it intriguing how many people within churches (it primarily seems to be the more conservative churches) that promote life in a christian subculture. The idea that we would only listen, watch or associate with things bearing the adjective christian is far from what I believe being a follower of Jesus is centered around. When I see ministries focused on pushing morality in the direction of its own liking it makes me quite uncomfortable. Anyone, no matter how scholarly, learns to manipulate at an early age. We can all portray or pretend to be whatever we like. It doesn't take much effort to walk in a church building and impress others with knowing only contemporary christian songs, not watching anything greater than a PG rating and not saying certain words a culture has shaped to be seen as bad. Promotion of sheltering doesn't promote a gospel of grace, rather it makes us feel control and more righteous than someone else.

I pray as our faith deepens that is bears fruit, fruit that is developed by the holy spirit, not by our own efforts to follow rules or ascribe to what we feel a subculture is promoting. May we seek to be like Christ and allow him to transform us as we desire to see the world through his perspective. I close with a quote from Aaron Niequist, I couldn't agree more...

"I no longer believe that there are a few super-spiritual people that God uses to change the world, and then there are the rest of us.  This distinction is false.  There is one group of people on earth – the broken – and we all belong to it.  Even Billy Graham.  Even your hero.  Even your next door neighbor.  Even you.  Even me."