The following question begins a short series on evangelism…

In our church language for evangelism, has our focus on people (apart from Christ) being ‘lost,’ detracted from the idea that (according to the parables in Luke 15) they are also profoundly ‘treasured?’

Nothing profound today, just a picture with the following question…

What were they thinking?

The following question was inspired by a quote on a Starbuck’s cup. It made me reflect on the interconnectedness of our world and how often we, for our selfish benefit and comfort, embrace the illusion of “separate disconnected worlds.”

Do we, for our own comfort and convenience, believe in the myth and illusion of disconnected worlds?

In general, I don’t think we (in North America) know what to do with what is happening in Rwanda, Kenya, Indonesia, etc., so we consciously disconnected it from our worldview. In fact, the irony of globalization is that as our world becomes increasingly interconnected by the internet, plane travel, etc., we prefer to live in denial of the interconnectedness of global issues (poverty, famine, disease, genocide, HIV, human trafficking, environment, etc). The fact remains, the decisions I make everyday in Canada are not made in isolation, disconnected from the rest of the world. I may choose, for my convenience and comfort, to prefer the illusion of separation and isolation, but is that a good and healthy decision? Is it okay to believe a delusion? As a Christian, can I honestly and authentically choose isolation over reality because it is comfortable and simple? Maybe our understanding of the world needs to change, seeing our place in the largely global community? Maybe that change needs to make its way into some of the simple decisions I will make today, realizing that they are not made in isolation.

I have been doing detailed study in the area of Christology for a Direct study class I am taking this semester. It has forced me to address some questions and lines of thought that I would not have normally considered; it has been stretching, challenging and interesting. So today I ask a question with no real answer, just the conviction that it is an important question to regularly reflect on…

What are the implications of what I believe (theological, practical, personal, relational, etc.)?

My good friend James asked a great question about this picture on his blog:

Is this picture a good metaphor for the church in our culture and context?

I agree with James that for the most part it is. Although I struggle with the picture of the building moving and the implication of the “institution” moving (identifying the “brick and mortar” or our “structural models” as somehow definitive for the Church), I like the general idea of the Church moving into the community rather than simply expecting people to come to the Church. I think the Church needs to be on the move and that the Church needs to be mobile; however, I also believe the Church is people rather than simply an organization, denomination, building, structure, etc. Along with replacing the image of a stationary church, I think we need to shed the picture of the Church as the physical building or organization and instead, see is as the community of faith and local Churches and local expression of this larger community. Maybe a better picture would be people joined together, shedding the trappings of the modern building and structures (all of which are important but not a defining point of the Church) and moving freely, influencing culture, spreading hope, love and new life.