I disagree with the Church, which is why I stay.

If you have not picked up anything in the "New-Monastic" movement, then I want to encourage you to do so.


I have been given the gift of the Prayer Book called "Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals".  It has quickly become my favorite devotional each day.


Each month takes one of the 12 marks of New Monasticism and explains it just a bit.  The "mark" for April is "Submission to Christ's Body": the Church".


I will not post the entire entry, but I think this is one of the more profound essays related to the '12 marks' in the book.  This is the first paragraph of this wonderful essay, and I share it for all those who have left the Church, those who disagree with the Church, and those who do not understand why some of us stay in the Church to ponder.  I would love any responses to this opening paragraph:

"Discontentment is a gift to the church. If you are one of those people who has the ability to see the things that are wrong in the church and in the world, you should thank God for that perception. Not everyone has the eyes to see, or to notice, or to care. Bur we must also see that our discontentment is not a reason to disengage from the church bur a reason to engage with it. As Gandhi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." Our invitation is to "be the change" we want to see in the church. There are things, worth protesting, but we also have to be people, who  "pro-testify," proclaiming the kingdom that we're for, not just the evils we're against."

We need to be considerate of other generations

There are things that happen in the life of a church in which the staff need to address.  Some of these things involve changes to the way things go or happen in the life of the church.  

Many times in these conversations I hear a voiced concern that we ought to be careful not to leave anyone out as we make changes.  If someone does not have a computer or email then we have to be careful to make sure that even those people keep getting notifications and publications by standard mail.  

I get it.  We do need to be considerate of generations. 

The problem I have with this "consideration" is that it is really care for one generation at the expense of others.

While we are slow to adopt new technologies and changes, for fear of leaving behind some in an older generation, we are also loosing the young generations who look at cumbersome changes as un-engaging and ill-relevant.  

It seems as though young generations are asked to tolerate the slow changes and status quo for the sake of others, but I do not see much reciprocation from other generations.  Not upsetting one generation becomes the expense of losing another generation.  

So yes, we do need to be considerate of ALL generations.  

Iconoclast

Recently I completed reading Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist reveals how to think differently. While this book was rather redundant and perhaps would have been better as a pamphlet or a series of slides than a book, there is a rather simple message I gleaned from this book.

1. Those who do things that others say is impossible are iconoclasts.
2. Iconoclasts have brains that operate differently.
1. Their brains see things differently 
2. They mitigate fear that comes with change
3. They pitch ideas to others in convincing ways
3. We all think like iconoclasts even if we are not born with the brain of an iconoclast.
1. As our brains are plastic they are able to change and adapt to new norms.
2. If we expose ourselves to the novel then our brains will begin to adapt and see the novel as the new norm
3. If novel is the new norm then we no longer fear the novel/change and we can move forward.

This is a major thesis I gleaned from this book which gives me great hope.  You and I can become iconoclasts in the world if we are willing to expose ourselves to novelty often. If we are open to novelty then our brains will no longer be allowed to be lazy and must work at understanding the world around us. If our brains are working to understand the world around us then our brains will begin to make connections that others have overlooked. 

Of course I think Jesus was an iconoclast in this sense - he was able to see that which others could not or refused to see. 

How did Jesus expose himself to the novel? He befriended those who others deeded as "sinners".  He threw ideas and concepts alongside one another such as love and enemy. He engaged in the Roman world, the Jewish world, the Hellenistic world, the Zealot world, the Herodian world, the spiritual world, the poverty world, and the like.  He traveled all around his country and saw new things, new foods and new ideas. 

Perhaps you and I can become more Chirst-like if we begin to embody the simple act of encountering the novel in our lives. 

So drive to work a different way. Read a different book then you normally would. Buy different shampoo. Eat new foods. Attend to the Arts. Travel. Pray. Befriend new people. Change your patters and routines. Work outside. Listen more than talk. 

Who knows what iconoclastic actions God might be calling you into.