The Church Experiment: 52 churches in 52 weeks
The experimenter:
"In 2000, I became a Christian at the age of 23. Two years later, I was working at one of the largest churches in the country. After two more years, I left that job to help start a church plant. Four years later, I stopped attending church because I was burnt out and frustrated with the Body of Christ. I am still a Christian. I still love and follow Jesus. But now I am stepping out of my comfort zone to begin a new chapter of my spiritual life."
What do you predict?
Comments (2)
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At the VERY least, a deeper understanding/comprehending of the religious/theological views of "others" will be gained.
In some ways, I too am like Steve. I had to leave my comfort zone of religion to truly find God. While the experience was troubling and disconcerting at times (due to the growing pains), I learned and feel that I am a much better person for having done so.
My beliefs and parameters were stretched and grew as a result of my seeking. That is a very essential key in one's faith journey....SEEKING. If one ceases to seek God in more full terms, then the seeking lessens, sometimes to the point of non-seeking.
I feel that Steve may have come to a similar point. He became so involved and engrossed in his church work that he lost sight of God. Now, he is seeking to find a place to call "home."
I look forward to reading all of his blogs and hope that he will find an unprogrammed Quaker (Religious Society of Friends) Meeting to attend. Should this happen, I look forward to reading his blog on that occasion.
Shalom
Posted on April 13, 2009 12:37 PM
Unforutnately, there is no inevitable virtue in seeking. It all depends on what one finds. I too nurture a healthy cynicism about churchianity and conventionality when it comes to the expression of the NT reality; but I still hold to my Reformed Confessions and orthodox theology. It's one thing to question changing forms and conventions: quite another to reject the underpinings of orthodox theology and biblical inspiration.
I find it exhilerating to be in a testing-and-proving mode when it comes to the EXPRESSION of the Faith, even while it's powerful truth remains fully intact. But I do see radical ways in which it may be applied today. In fact, it truly MUST be reworked and creatively redesigned if it is to be dyanically applied. This does not mean that ALL forms are passe: simply that many are, and hinder the Faith rather than facilitate it.
But God bless anyone who truly engages the Faith with a sincere heart of re-discovery - just be careful not to become unanchored to the Solid Rock. Seeing Jesus for who He truly is is radical and challenging enough!
Posted on April 19, 2009 11:34 PM