Comments on: Death to Churchville! Long live the Mission.

By: ChrisMorton82

ChrisMorton82 — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:21:53 +0000

@RevKenHacker Ken, send me an email at chrismorton82@gmail.com to talk about it.

By: RevKenHacker

RevKenHacker — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:04:44 +0000

May I print this blog entry in the church newsletter?

By: ChrisMorton82

ChrisMorton82 — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:49:01 +0000

@ollwenjones I think you summarize the problem well (which I made no attempt to do here.) As far as cultural influence goes, the issue at hand “what does Jesus-like power look life?” You are right that if the mission is gaining traction, there should be some cultural change. However, the church often has tried to enforce cultural change through methods that look nothing like the incarnation. Because of that, the church will never have power the way that governments, militias or corporations do.

By: ollwenjones

ollwenjones — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 13:30:17 +0000

Was the problem with Churchville really that the church had become a central part of the culture, or that the church at the center of the culture had lost the Gospel? I guess where the Gospel is lost, it ceases to be The Ecclesia Church, and leaves behind a mere social institution… a footprint of Jesus, but not his presence. Sad.

I do think where the Gospel permeates a culture (the success of Mission), the church will grow in influence. I’m not sure cultural influence should be avoided or criticized as such, but the influence of the church should be the influence of the Gospel, not that of the aforementioned institution throwing its earthly weight around. The mission of the Church is faithfulness in persecution and in prominence. History shows which of the two is harder.