and 18:17). He needs living and visible models of this new kind of life—to show
that the Christ people really are different from mass consciousness—people who
“can be innocent and genuine...and can shine like stars among a deceitful and
underhanded brood” (Philippians 2:15). In his thinking, we were supposed to
live inside of an alternative society, almost a utopia, and from such fullness go
out to “the world.” Instead, we created a model whereby people live almost
entirely in the world, fully invested in its attitudes toward money, war, power,
and gender—and sometimes “go to church.” I am not sure this is working!
People like the Amish, the Bruderhof, Black churches, and members of some
Catholic religious Orders probably have a better chance of actually maintaining
an alternative consciousness, but most of the rest of us end up thinking and
operating pretty much like our surrounding culture. Surely foreseeing this, Paul
intended that his new people “live in the church,” as it were—and from that
solid base go out to the world. We still have it all backward, living fully in the
worldly systems and occasionally going to church.
Many people, however, are now finding this kind of solidarity in think tanks,
support groups, prayer groups, study groups, projects building houses for the
poor, healing circles, or mission organizations. So perhaps without fully
recognizing it, we are often heading in the right direction these days. We are
creating many para-church organizations, and some new studies claim that if we
look at the statistics, we will see that Christians are not leaving Christianity as
much as they are realigning with groups that live Christian values in the world,
instead of just gathering to again hear the readings, recite the creed, and sing
songs on Sunday. In that sense, actual Christian behavior might just be growing
more than we think.
Remember, it is not the brand name that matters.
It is that God’s heart be made available and active on this earth.
The direct result of the preaching of the Gospel is, surprisingly, “secularism,”
where the message has become the mission itself and not just the constant
forming of the team. The important thing is that God’s work gets done, and not
that our group or any group gets the credit. I do encounter Christians who are
living their values almost every day, and more and more are just doing it
(“orthopraxy”), without all the hype about how right they are (“orthodoxy”).
Training instead of teaching, as today’s coaches often put it.
Just as the Universal Christ moved forward for billions of years without any
name at all, so the Still-Evolving Christ continues to do the same. God is quite
obviously very humble and patient, and will get the job done without us as his