grace and dogma

Church & Culture Blog: Whatever happened to evangelism?

Worth a read...

Interesting.

In many cases he's probably right, but he seems to ignore the integrity that comes with social evangelism. To use his example, why should "Tom" listen when i witness to him if my Converse shoes and their widely publicised inhumane factory policies communicate a different message? Surely in Toms shoes, whatever I say is supported by my clearly ethical choice of clothing? He does sort of say that towards the end in talking about bread for soul and stomach but he talks about us needing to provide both, still ignoring the fact that perhaps both can or should go hand in hand. What was that cliched saying? "People don't care how much you know..."

Obviously my response is a simplistic as his original view and the reality is neither as black nor as white. But both baby and bathwater can be useful sometimes...

Oooh - you got into it there. I am about to switch off for the night so reply will be disappointingly short.

Let him who weareth not Converse cast the first stone...

Even Jesus was rude to people sometimes, and it would have been the religionists like us he would have been rude to. So grace and dogma probably ok but you have to know what you are on about.

hope of the world?

Church & Culture blog: Is the church the hope of the world?

What would you answer?

Good question.

Is the church the hope of the world? No. God's love is the hope of the world, and his grace, his mercy, demonstrated through Jesus, made possible today by the Holy Spirit. And the church is the vehicle through which God has chosen to deliver that hope to the world.

I like what she says below - being part of the Meck church has obviously impacted the lives of her and her family. But what's actually made the difference is God. Perhaps she wouldn't have encountered God in that way if it weren't for the church. But the hope that she has found is from God through the church, not from the church. If we get this focus wrong, surely we're heading towards idolising the church rather than using it/being it to glorify God?

What would you answer?