A Domesticated Faith

One of the knocks against organized, mainline churches in North America has been that we're "boring." I'm learning that there may be better terminology to express the same issue. More specifically, too often we are tame or domesticated. Too often we have taken a gospel that was revolutionary and high risk and turned it into something manageable and safe. First century followers of Jesus were ready to die for their Savior and their mission. Too many twenty-first century Christians just want the same Savior to keep their bankbook solvents and their bodies healthy.

Here's the difference, as Erwin McManus shares it in The Barbarian Way: "The civilized build shelters and invite God to stay with them; barbarians move with God wherever He chooses to go. The civilized Christian has a routine; the barbarian disciple has a mission. The civilized leader knows the letter of the law; the barbarian disciple knows the spirit of the law. The religiously civilized love tradition; the barbarian spirit loves challenges..." (pages 78-79.)

Bold and risky verses tame and predictable. There's a reason that some gatherings of Jesus followers flourish and others drift away. I'll see you around the next bend in the river.