What’s Going On? (Or Not Going On . . .)

 

 

“Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.”  (Romans 12:2, J. B. Phillips paraphrase)

 

 

I. Required readings

 

            Psalm 10

Amos 5:6-24

 

Matthew 5:13-16

Romans 12:1-2

Revelation 3:14-22

 

Christian Biography for the Day: Francis of Assisi

 

Ronald J. Sider, “The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience:
Why don’t Christians live what they preach?”
(Copyrighted article through Angel; see Course Resources)

 

 

95 Reasons from Highland Christian Church on Vimeo.

 

II. Quotation for the day

 

A Franciscan Benediction

May God bless you with discomfort,

“Francis Preaching to the Birds” by Giotto


At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger,
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears,
To shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain to joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness,
To believe that you can make a difference in this world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

Amen.

 

 

   

           

III. Journal prompts

 

Sider’s article is painful to read and one of our initial reactions is likely to be defensiveness. Yet perhaps all of those who claim Jesus as Lord and who desire to follow him faithfully need to listen for the voice of God speaking to us through these words.  Also try to remember that Sider isn't pointing fingers at "those Christians"; he is himself a Christian and trying to figure out what is going on with "us."

 

1. It’s possible to get bogged down or sidetracked by all the statistics in Sider’s article; nevertheless, they may offer us a kind of mirror that allows us to see some things we’d rather not see but probably need to.  What most surprised, shocked, saddened or bothered you about what you saw in the mirror that Sider held up for us in this article?

 

2. As you think about the overall image of American Christians reflected in this article, how would you account for the apparent gap between what we say we believe and the way we live?

 

3. What was your initial reaction to the "95 Reasons" video?  Do you think this is a proper Christian response to the failings of the church?  If you were making such a video in your congregation, what else do you think would need to be confessed?  Did the video make you more defensive or less defensive than the Sider article?  What do you make of the difference?

 

4. Do you think followers of Jesus are called to live differently in the world than others?  If so, why does this matter?  If not, why doesn’t it matter?

 

 

 

IV. Links of possible interest

 

Sider makes reference to the research on Christian giving patterns done each year by John and Sylvia Ronsvalle.  They run an organization called empty tomb that seeks to serve the church in a number of ways, not least of which is pushing the church to think hard about discipleship in the area of economic resources.

 

 

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