What will it look like if we focus on the story of God in our time, rather than simply repeating the stories of the past, of others' experiences? (So many of my experiences with church focus on the past, i.e. "Bible times", but do not pay more than lip service to the idea that God is just as active now.)
Has there really been an Asian absence in Xianity? What about Eastern Orthodox? The big churches in Korea? Well, ok, perhaps EO is different. (Is Turkey considered Asia?) How will Buddhism interact w/ the experience of Jesus? How will their expression of Xianity be different? The version in Africa is very different from that in the US.
When the Bible is translated, how well does the story of God truly translate? I feel that the story I know is very different from the version the earliest Christians knew. How much of that is due to cultural differences? How much to language, the imprecision of translation?
Did Jews have the preferred expression of God?
Can gentiles be Xian w/o converting to Judaism?
Can Buddhists be Xian w/o having a western world view? W/o taking on our cultural experience of Jesus? How would Jesus interact with a Muslim?
Dogma - unquestionable "truths" - what dogmas do I currently believe/hold to? what am I rejecting? How many of our dogmas come from cultural understanding?
What did early Xians think of God's hopes & dreams of the world BEYOND the synagogue & temple? What will we think of God's hopes for the future, beyond our sense of church & cultural expression of Xianity? Can people follow Jesus from within another faith tradition? Who has authority? Who is "in charge"? This is a living, burgeoning hope. God's activity is active & present every day & everywhere.
Who is in charge? Who has authority? Do I believe what pastors tell me? The church? The Bible? Why? These days I find myself giving the Bible much less authority in my life than I did in the past. What does it mean for us to think a church looks a certain way? How will this change in the next 50 years as other cultures interact with Jesus? What if the "traditional" church building becomes seen as a negative thing?
Technological advances - genetics, space-time, information - so much has changed and grown just in the 32 years I've been alive. What does the increasing use of artificial body parts (pacemakers, etc.) mean for our humanity? What about genetic manipulation? I read recently that a high-school junior will encounter more information in one day than someone 100 years ago would have encountered in his entire life? How does this affect my understanding of God's place & activity in the world? How do I think about the ethical questions involved in new technology? How will communities of faith help us find answers to these questions?
Doug - the gospel is far better positioned for interaction in a spiritual society than it was in a secular society. In some ways, I agree. In my experience, I always found people involved in the new age & those who considered themselves "spiritual" to be far more open to & interested in God than those around me who were completely focused on the material world.
Christ's return - what happens if/when this takes place? How will we recognize it? Since the first coming was unexpected (and largely unnoticed), will the second coming be equally unexpected & unnoticed? Will we reject it? Will I believe in the Jesus who appears, if he doesn't match up with my idea of who he is?
Be mindful of God's engagement in this world.
What makes Xianity so fundamental that it can transcend time & circumstances?
Good news: God's alive in the world right now. Rearrange your life & get involved in the agenda of God.
What will it look like if we give up the trappings of Christianity & simply live lives that follow Jesus? (My thoughts: less time spent memorizing Bible memory verses, more time loving the people around us, less focus on buildings & creating our own little culture so that we don't have to interact with "them")
I really like serving communion to people. There's something personal and intimate in tipping the glass of wine to my friends' lips and saying "The blood of Christ shed for you, Jeff/Doug/Erik/Janelle."
Posted by rachel at October 2, 2005 06:18 PM