Thursday, February 24, 2005

Spiritual understanding...

In "Reimagining Spiritual Formation," by Doug Pagitt and the Solomon's Porch Community six members of the community write journal entries throughout the book. This method of writing a book offers great insight to the community.

Javier wrote about a man who told him that he had handed out a bag of tracts at a hockey game. Here's what Javier wrote:
"Don't get me wrong; I am a whole-hearted proponent of telling people the story of the gospel. I just thought that giving someone you have never met a pamphlet and saying something like 'Here; take this and read it when you have the time' doesn't amount to much in the way of retelling any stories, much less telling the story of redemption"
He continues:
"If you are going to take the time to give someone a little pamphlet with the words 'Secret to Life,' please at least have the courtesy to talk to them and dialogue with them. And if you are out eating and even thinking about leaving one, let me save you the mental anguish you will go through...you are just wasting your time."

I don't think it was Javier's ambition to use this journal entry as a platform for th emergent cultures view of tracts, but postmodern Christians tend to hold to "relational ministry/evangelism." here's my question though, does the emergent church put so much emphasis on "relational evangelism" that they might miss an oppourtunity to listen to the Holy Spirit encourage them to do something that they don't understand?

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