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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

it's time the church do some self-assessment

i was reading the blog of my friend, chris maxwell, this morning. it's an interview with gary moon, an author and christian psychologist, who has written a new book. i wanted to share a question that chris posed and gary's very wise and timely response. to read the article in full, click on the link at the bottom. also included is the info on where to purchase gary's new book.

this is why i wanted to share this: i believe it would be wise for the church (in general) to do some fearless, honest self-assessment. i was actually thinking that myself this morning. have you read any religious articles recently from mainstream media? or better yet, the comments from readers? the "world" doesn't view the church in a good light. the good news is that this negative view is not so much about GOD. unfortunately, it's more about the people within the church. we've earned that poor reputation by our attitudes and actions. it's time the church step out of its bubble and see what the negative vibes are all about. we may be surprised. time to ask the tough questions? yeah, i think so. it may be time to rebuild on the solid foundation.

chris: How can local churches in our culture begin grasping the truth about Apprenticeship?

gary: Dallas Willard has said that the two biggest obstacles to authentic transformation are: 1) caring too much about the opinions of others; and 2) caring too much about money. Along those lines, I think the first thing a local church would need to do is a fearless self-assessment, asking the tough questions, have we come to care too much about our reputation and about money. What I'm trying to say is that it is very important to get first things, first, to build on a solid foundation. An apprenticeship model cannot work if the foundation of a church or a person is sand, instead of solid ground. After that, and at the risk of seeming redundant, I think spiritual transformation is a matter of vision, intention and means.

http://www.chrismaxwellweb.com/blog/2009/10/apprenticeship-conversation-with-gary.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Apprenticeship-Jesus-Learning-Live-Master/dp/080106841X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254596961&sr=8-1

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