The Messenger - December 9, 2010 - The Unlikely Disciple

Pastor's Corner

The Unlikely Disciple

Here in the United States, California leads the way in many cultural and political trends, but other parts of the country definitely have their "niche." One of those niches is the Christian Publishing Industry, much of which is anchored in the Southeastern United States. The Southeast has Christian Stores that are probably twice as large as the Target Store in San Pedro, and they sell every kind of media imaginable: books, albums, videos, T shirts, posters, bumper stickers, and the rest. I'm not very big on T shirts, but I do love to read good books, so I usually come home from my visits to the Southeast with a lot of books that I simply haven't seen anywhere else. One of those books was called The Unlikely Disciple, and it has truly been a joy for me to read.

The Unlikely Disciple was written by a Brown University student, Kevin Roose, who spent a semester at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty was founded by the late Jerry Falwell, founder of the "Moral Majority," and most students who go there share his political and religious views. By contrast, Kevin Roose was raised in a very liberal family. Two of his aunts are gay, and his parents aligned themselves with the Quakers (when they went to church at all). Thus, all of his relatives worried about the decision of this sophomore to undertake his "foreign studies" in an environment that was much more "alien" to them than Paris, Berlin, or Rome. Fortunately, his Brown faculty advisor loved it, so Kevin went anyway.

Having never been involved in evangelical religion, Kevin found much of the Liberty University environment to be confusing and some of it to be repulsive. But he also found a pervasive sense of joy among the students that he had never seen before, and he couldn't help but be impressed by young women and young men who found so much passion in their religion and so much purpose in their lives. This discovery causes Kevin to wrestle with his own convictions in many and varied ways. I haven't yet finished the book, so I still don't know how this struggle ends, but I have already found Kevin's story to be amusing, disturbing, challenging, and endearing at the same time. That's because, in Kevin's eyes (and the eyes of countless others), there's so much beauty in a strong evangelical faith--and so much baggage, too.

I believe that the central task of a vibrant Christian church is to maximize the beauty and minimize the baggage of our Christian faith. By baggage, I do not mean traditions, because some traditions can be helpful. Nor do I mean challenges, because some challenges are good for us as well. By baggage, I mean "turn offs"-- cultural and political biases that alienate non-Christians (and "post-Christians") from our faith. All of us have them, and all of us need to set these traits aside when we socialize with those outside the faith.

At some point in the next few weeks, almost everyone you know will be talking about the birth of Jesus Christ. Yes, they might obscure it with food, gifts, and trees, but everyone knows these trappings are just cheap tinsel wrapped around the "real thing." The Kevin Rooses of this world are craving that reality. They know it isn't in the packages, and they can't quite grasp it in the story. So, they look to us. They want to see God's grace in us. The question is: will they find it?

As you prepare your heart and home for extended family and friends in this Christmas season, my prayer is that God helps you to change those words and deeds that deface the love of Christ so that many may come to see God's grace in us. Then, they will be eager to come with us to church.

I'll see you on Sunday!

Christmas Carol Sing and Dessert

Friday, December 10, 2010
6:30 PM =96 8:00 PM
McCormick (Fireside) Room

Take a break from the frenzy of the Christmas season and enjoy an evening of Christmas carols, fellowship and dessert. All ages welcome.

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Family Christmas Festival

Sunday, December 19, 2010
Start at 4:00 PM

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