Posted: 22 Jan 2015 03:42 AM PST
“The desperate need today is not for a great number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.”
~ Richard Foster
In this post, I want to provide
a platform for the sentiments of those who have moved “beyond
evangelical” and are part of “the deeper journey.”
Countless Christians I’ve met
have uttered these statements in face-to-face conversations, over
emails, over coffee at conferences, and on this blog. I’ve compiled them
all, editing them slightly for consistency.
Together, they form a
collective confession of sorts reflecting the thoughts and feelings of
those of us who are on “the deeper journey.”
–
*We have grown tired of the media routinely characterizing “evangelicals” as if we were all part of “the Christian Right.”
*We have become weary of
Christian progressives deeming themselves to be the “new evangelicals”
in reaction to “the Religious Right.”
*We are turned off by the left vs. right posturing and the left vs. right political/theological debates.
*We’ve looked to the right and
do not wish to venture there. We’ve looked to the left and do not wish
to venture there either. The direction we feel pulling our hearts is
above and forward.
*We believe that both the
Religious Right and the Religious Left have vital truths to contribute.
We also believe that they are both missing vital truths. We believe
their focus is mainly “issues” rather than Jesus Christ.
*We want to see the Christian
Right and the Christian Left learn from one another as well as learn
from those of us who are not part of either stream. We feel that all
Christians should be open to learn from one another, for we are all
parts of the Body of Christ. None of us has the lock on all truth. Each
member of the Body has a portion of the riches of Christ.
*We are sickened that so many
evangelical Christians are either legalists or libertines. We want
Christ’s lordship and we want His liberty as well. We wish to follow
Jesus without being legalistic or libertine.
*We hold to the orthodox
teachings of Scripture regarding the Person of Christ, His work on the
cross, the inspiration and truth of the Bible, the Triune nature of God
(the Godhead), but we are weary of Christians dividing over peripheral
doctrines and their own private interpretations of Scripture on
non-essentials. We passionately agree with Augustine’s sentiment: “In
essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.”
*We’ve grown weary of the way
that Christians routinely mistreat their fellow brothers and sisters in
Christ, being quick to judge their motives, thinking the worst of them,
condemning them, slandering them, gossiping about them, etc. We believe
that being a Christian means treating others the same way you want to be
treated (Matt. 7:12)—the forgotten words of Jesus. With deep remorse,
we empathize with the words of Gandhi: “If it weren’t for the
Christians, I’d be a Christian.”
*We’ve grown tired of the
shallowness that marks so much of evangelical Christianity today. The
same sermons, the same principles, the same teachings, etc. We are
looking for depth in the Christian life. We know there’s more to Jesus
Christ, more to His church, and more to the spiritual life than what’s
been promoted in establishment Christianity. There is a cry in our
hearts that says, “There’s got to be more than this.”
*We are saddened that the
doers, feelers, and thinkers of the body of Christ have separated and
isolated themselves from one another instead of learning from each
other.
*We’ve grown sick of the
entertainment-driven, duty-driven, guilt-driven message that’s laced in
most Christian sermons and books today. Human-induced guilt and the
conviction of the Holy Spirit are two very different things.
*We are tired of the tendency
of some Christians to elevate certain sins that others commit while
minimizing or justifying their own sins.
*We’ve grown tired of Christian
leaders attacking and competing with one another, instead of networking
together and supporting one another.
*We’re weary of the “good ole’
boy system” that’s present in much of establishment Christianity today
because it ends up elevating and protecting the status quo and silencing
the voices of the prophets.
* We’ve grown sick of
Christians saying nasty things about their fellow brethren (whom they
don’t know personally) on social media networks. And then justifying it
in the name of God.
*We are saddened that so many
Christians will believe what they hear about other believers second or
third-hand, instead of going to those believers themselves and simply
asking them questions in good faith.
*We’ve grown weary of some
Christians falsely branding their fellow sisters and brothers in Christ
with the words “heretic” and “apostate” when those same believers
actually uphold the orthodox creeds of the faith.
*We’ve grown tired of Christians trying to rope us into the liberal
vs. conservative battles of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
*We abhor elitism and
sectarianism. We are open to all Christians of all stripes, receiving
all whom Christ has received (Rom. 15:7).
* We stand for the unity of the
Body of Christ. At the same time, we fiercely and passionately stand
firm on our convictions regarding the absolute and unvarnished supremacy
of Jesus, His indwelling life, God’s timeless purpose, and the church
as a Christ-centered community.
*We want the Lord. We want
spiritual depth and reality. We want HIM in all of His fullness.
Everything else is secondary to us, and often, we find them to be
largely a distraction.
If you resonate with any of the above sentiments, then be encouraged: You are not alone.
—
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