...to hit us between the eyes with truth about what we profess to believe. Let me unpack a little before you get to the video.
This has been a strange couple of weeks for me. I'm finding myself beginning to question what, for many, would be missional and/or emerging orthodoxy and I do not mean to conflate the two streams. Though there may be much cross-over, they are not the same.
Too often much of the missional conversation appears to be based upon using that famous St. Frank get-out-of-jail-free card "Preach the Gospel always, if necessary use words." As I quipped in a note to a friend who is about to publish a provocative post on growth and conversion, "Hey, man. St. Frank said use words IF NECESSARY. I'm just lovin' on my neighbours, man. I don't wanna turn them off with any Jesus talk."
This is not me switching my position on the "metrics" around the recent Kimball et al conversation - but it is me saying that a conversion-less Christianity is not good news to anyone - no matter what metrics you use.
We must live missionally in our communities with both deed and word - ever ready to talk about the Hope we have within us. And gee, maybe even be willing to refer to the Bible - well, at least once a decade.
When I read Triple D's blog this morning, this hit me squarely between the eyes,
"I don't respect people who don't proselytize. If you believe that there's a heaven and hell, and people could be going to hell, and you think, 'Well, it's not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward'...How much do you have to hate somebody not to proselytize?" *
This is a prophetic wakeup call - from the least likely prophet - an avowed and rather brilliant, atheist, Penn Gillette.
HT EarlMarshall via Dashhouse - from whence the transcribed quote* was taken.
