Comments on: How Sufjan Stevens and Brene Brown Kept Me in Church

By: ollwenjones

ollwenjones — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 16:16:38 +0000

This is a great post, Chris. A lot of honest emotion soaking through. It’s always amazing to me to hear the different things the Shepherd uses as a rod or staff to guide his sheep. Praise him that he is faithful even when we are feeling lost.
The example I see in Christ isn’t so much vulnerability, *period.* It’s vulnerability rooted in an unshakable faith that the Father has a plan and has things under control.
I don’t think I’m unusual in saying that probably what holds me back from vulnerability in Christian community or loving the broken dangerously is *fear* based in a *lack* of faith in the Father. Faith that he’s in control even if he allows hardship, so I don’t have to fear it. Faith that his future plan is best, so I don’t have to guard my safety or comfort here and now. Faith that he is really present and really good and really faithful.
To me that trust is the other shoe of vulnerability that needs to be cultivated as we seek to follow Christ’s example of vulnerable incarnation.

By: ChrisMorton82

ChrisMorton82 — Sat, 19 Oct 2013 20:58:38 +0000

timoteostewart When I say “the church is becoming a minority, I am referring to the transition to post-Christendom. (Here’s a brief and uncited description of what I mean 😉 http://www.chrismorton.info/2013/04/09/death-to-churchville-long-live-the-mission/) More simply, we can think of this in terms of pluralism. The church was once the dominant voice, and now it is one of many. Perhaps the best analogy is how caucasians are on track to be a “minority majority” in the U.S. There are still more of them, but overall, they are in the minority.

By: timoteostewart

timoteostewart — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 17:24:37 +0000

Chris, thanks for opening up about your history with the church. I know a lot of folks who embrace the Christian-like spirituality in the music of folks like Sufjan and Mumford. Even if people feel like they haven’t found any answers, I’m grateful that at least they are still considering and questioning. Music is a great medium in which to contemplate those cosmic questions.
Surveys report that 60% to 80% of Americans identify as Christian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_United_States#Statistics). When you say Christianity is becoming a minority subculture, what’s your definition of “Christianity” and “minority subculture”? Are you saying that you have in mind a specific form or expression of Christianity as being in the minority, such as anabaptist missional Christianity? Capital C “Christianity” encompassing the variety of mainline churches, Christmas-and-Easter Christians, and so forth is still pretty much a majority in the United States.
I’d agree with you that some sectors of the American church could stand to be revived a bit. But thank God that Jesus isn’t checking attendance or tithing allotments when he counts the sheep in his fold.
Tim