I really like Dan's observation that if Christians remain "in the bubble," only the loudest and most strident voices will be the ones the outside world associates with Christians. The challenge then, for us non-strident types, is not only to get outside the bubble, but to be sure to speak Jesus' name in meaningful ways.

I loved Dan's message and i totally agreed with it. In fact I was in Dan's Point Leader session yesterday and we went over the same thing for 3 1/2 hours. Yet I ran into a wall last night when I was talking to my wife about it. I realized we not only need to change how we reach the emergent generation we also need to change how we communicate that message to people inside the bubble as it were. How do we do that? How do we bring people like my wife, who believes we need to seperate the church from emerging culture, into a mindset of reaching the people in this new culture?

I had a profound conversation on the way home with one of our college interns. We started talking about the college he attends and I graduated from...there was a regular herd of "screaming preachers" who rolled through preaching the "Gospel". They hurled insults at every person who passed, calling women whores and men vipers; needless to say, people ended up defining the Christian movements of the campus by these blowhards.

This was the perfect example of the loudest defining us as Dan Kimball talked about. This simple and enlightening thought shed new light on why so many of us are battling so hard to bring people into the church.

I thought of something I wish I would have done and still might in order to counteract...simply going up when I see one of these boisterous ministers with a sign that says "The Loudest Do NOT define US".

Good. We need more of this, and we need to follow it ourselves. Our actions need to drown out the words that are not representative of who we are in Jesus.

Simply put we need to be a light to the World, and not hide it as the Bible teaches. But along the same lines we need to be in the World not of it. We must be separate and above the way the World lives, we must be different. That doesn't include sugar coating sin or compromising our faith or God's world, but living Christ's example. I believe what worked 2000 yrs. ago to win people to Christ still works today, preach truth and the Word of God and people will respond.

We have defined and reduced the Church to a cancer of 'local churches' - autonomous, marketable units of Christian life.

And then we are suddenly surprised when people see us as isolated bubbles!

This thin (albeit 'pop-able') veneer of so-called separation will inevitably cause misunderstanding between Christians and the rest of the world as the latter increasingly perceives us as having erected social barriers that cosily insulate and isolate 'us' from 'them'.

The basic unit of humanity is the human being and individual Christians are all equally ambassadors of the truth and lights in the darkness. When did this embassy change from Christ to local institutions?

It really is pretty simple isn't it? I posted on my blog about McClaren's analogy of the bridge in Honduras (also shared here and at Shift). Several asked the question, "What was the church doing trying to 'get over' the culture in the first place?" It's a great question. And as Dan pointed out here, we really just need to heed our commission of being sent into the world. The root of all bias is to characterize a whole movement by its most extreme elements. I doubt this will ever change. So, if we want the perceptions to change we will have to get out there and let our light 'out shine' the obnoxious clanging of 'God Hates Fags'-types and other extremists who are currently defining our faith in the eyes of the world.

Ryan, you mention "...a regular herd of "screaming preachers" who rolled through preaching the "Gospel". They hurled insults at every person who passed, calling women whores and men vipers..." My goodness, what college did you and your intern attend anyway?

And Johnathan, you describe "...the obnoxious clanging of 'God Hates Fags'-types and other extremists who are currently defining our faith in the eyes of the world."

I've been traveling in Christian circles through nearly every denomination for my entire adult life and I have never encountered these people. Because you use such inflamatory language I think we all need to know exactly who these terrible folks actually are.

Meolody,

There are extremists out there who you see when not in church circles but when you are out in culture. The extremisits unfortunately paint a stereotype for many others.

Just last week when attending a concert outside the venue where 20,000 were walking in - a group with megaphones, holding signs about hell and shouting out to people were there. So it is not uncommon to see folks who have good motives, but I don't think realize the negative impact they have.

Dan, I still go back to Ryan's and Jonathan's comments. Aren't these comments classic hyperbole(meaning a gross overstatement)? Why is that necessary to make the point?

As to the concert you attended, I'd be curious to know what band - I'm not trying to say this has never happened; I know it has; but it is so far outside the ordinary that no reasonable person really thinks that is what Christians are. They may say that, but when pressed they will admit they know better.

For the record,I am fully in favor of Christians getting outside the 'Christian bubble' and taking the gospel to the unsaved. It's hard to do because we all want to be liked and sharing the message of the cross makes people uncomfortable. Admitting that one believes homosexuality to be outside of God's will can cause one's popularity quotient to drop dramatically in some circles. Certainly, walking up to an openly gay person and announcing that they are going to hell would be the wrong approach. Actually, when you think about it, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life" has a rather nice ring to it.

Melody,
That "regular herd of "screaming preachers" who rolled through preaching the "Gospel"." were around in the late 70's when I attended a midwestern Big-Ten university. And they are still around. One of my friend's children saw the same guy I used to see just a few years ago at the U. of Missouri. I've heard many comments in the past few years about the lack of action by moderate Muslims against the Islamists. But I have to think, where are we Christians when one of our own is standing on a street corner, red faced, calling people whores and whoremongers, or holding up signs that say "God hates fags?"

Hi again Melody!

It was at a Bruce Springsteen concert. I have also seen them at an ice capades event there and several other concerts I went to there. It isn't a hyperbole as this is a real thing that happens, not a fictional account of something. And as 20,000 pass by them, they have the over-exagerration reinforced. That is why I plead for people to be in the world, so the extremists aren't the only ones representing Christianity. As i encounter and dialogue with non-Christians, so often this caricature is what comes up in their minds and many other types of those on talk-shows wearing suits and pinched faces pointing out the wrongs of the world and in other Christians etc., so the caricature gets reinforced again. When I have asked non-Christians how may Christians or pastors do they personally know, and it is amazing to hear that they don't know any well at all to then have this caricature broken. I understand that in different parts of the country, especially the Bible belt this may not be as extreme in the absense of Christian friendships from non-Christians. But it is very real and that is why the book "Un-Christian" also has backed this up with statistics, not just my opinion or personal experience. Hope this makes sense!

Ummm...

It doesn't just take getting out of some bubble.

It also means no longer supporting public leaders who perpetuate the image...even if they happen to be "right" about certain issues.

It means strong, public rebukes from within the Church to men like Pat Robertson, Dobson, etc. etc. etc.

It means encouraging our people to not give money or support them. Even if it means going without "christian" entertainment, etc.

It's not good enough to just get out of the bubble.

Dan, I have given alot of thought to what you have said and I really do agree with you. You said, "When I have asked non-Christians how may Christians or pastors do they personally know, and it is amazing to hear that they don't know any well at all to then have this caricature broken.", this really got to me. I believe that the problem is not that Christians have lost their relevancy to the culture (men in suits with pinched faces notwithstanding) but that we (including me) have become so like the world in which we live that there is no discernable difference and thus the only voices heard are those you mention. I teach in a public high school and there is not too much that I haven't seen or heard. My way of beling relevant to my students has been to let them know I care for them by my words and deeds. I don't find it necessary to dress like them as I am older than their parents and they would think I looked silly. They have come to me with all kinds of questions about life - even kids struggling with homosexual tendences - and I am always truthful about what I believe. I am always there for them as the majority are missing one or both parents. When the opportunity presents itself I share my relationship with Jesus. I wish I had more boldness.

The one thing that frustrates me about blogging is the limitations of the typepad on conversation.