"Jesus wants to save our church from the excile of irrelevance.
If we have any resources,
any power,
any voice,
any influence,
any energy,
we must convert them into blessings for those who have no power,
no voice,
no influence."
I just turned the last page on a peculiarly titled book, "Jesus wants to save Christians" by Rob Bell and Don Colden. Uh... aren't Christians already saved? Isn't it implied in the name? That was the question foremost in my mind as I began my swift journey through this book. A few pages in I soon came to realise that it was going to surprise me.
A lot of the books I read address individuals; let us tell you how you can improve in prayer, studying the bible, live a good life, make friends and influence people... Bell & Colden are going against the flow, they're not writing to their reader in iscolation. They're writing to a body of people - the body of the American church (and I think you could reasonable extrapolate to the church thronghout the Western world).
Their carefully crafted words paint beautiful, broad strokes across the narrative of the Bible. They highlight patterns, lessons, potential pitfalls and hold up a mirror to today's church. I thoroughly loved the exploration through the story of the people of Israel. I had to pause in places to consider my response and think about my community... Mostly I felt like this book was a start... A foundation... An excellent precursor to a long and detailed conversation about how the church of the US, or UK, or any western nation could use wealth, influence and energy to benefit those who don't have such privilege.
I finished this book feeling it was unfinished...
Thinking about it - that's not a criticism. I think I need to continue the thought process with my community...