Saturday, September 03, 2005

Becoming Scattered

I have written in earlier posts about how isolated and encapsulated in a church bubble we as christians have become. Rather than in the world, we've focused on the "not a part of them." Fearing all things worldly that might contaminate, we have developed an entire culture that is separate and completely disconnected from the world. But as a group we are also striving to establish influence within the economic and political realms of the world.

"Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." Genesis 11:4

Let us be prominent and influential and comfortable within our fortresses. (paraphrase)

So God would deconstruct all they had planned and raise up instead a diverse, uncertain, even confusing world of cascading voices and clashing cultures. A world in which God could call forth a unique people out of the obscurity and marginalization feared by those who build towering empires, who resist the scattering, who despise new languages.

Read this great post titled "A Towering Failure" by Jimmy Shaw in its entirety here.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

didn't like this post - it's too close to home.

I went to sign up for a uni course today (not accepted but that's another story) there were about 200 foreign students there at the meeting - and I struggle with the fact that we - as a church - are doing nothing to meet them as they are in their need. In spite of the fact that we are a young oriented church and situated across the road from the university.

end of rant.

Linda said...

Lorna,
I meant to respond to you here earlier.

Yes, it is close to home and a sad reality.

God forgive me for my part in it.