the future & community teaching
“It seems to me…. that what God is doing right now is dismantling the denominational systems as fast as possible” (Loren B. Mead, The Once and Future Church, p. 39).
Yesterday while I was teaching at my church, I took great delight in being frequently interrupted by people with questions, comments, and even quips. It makes the “preaching event” fun, engaging, communal, and anti-authoritarian. I do not have all the answers. No one does, and all of us together don’t either! But when we, as a community, gather around a text and try to understand it together, with anyone allowed to give input, it just seems, and I think is, more just, non-coercive, non-manipulative, and free. I personally agree with Mead’s quote above, and think that the sooner we cooperate with the dismantling, the better off we’ll be.
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The result of globalization.
The differences between denominations are minimized when the differences between world religions are brought to the surface. And the religious are famous for focusing on the differences.
God is not doing anything - people are.