Greetings to all on 10 DEC 2009

Word for the Day
Insula – isle, lit. (Latin), also used to refer to adjoining apartment-like housing in the first century.

Quote for the Day
The gospel isn’t “Follow Jesus’ example” or “How to raise good children.” The gospel is: Jesus Christ came to save sinners – even bad parents, even lousy parents, even lousy followers of Jesus.
Michael Horton [1]

Website for the Day
www.youtube.com Go there and search for Bubble Creek Canyon; it is a great satire on post-modern American Christianity. You can also find it on Mike Cope’s: http://preachermike.com Scroll down the right side to find Archive, then select NOV 2009, look back to the left and you will see the choice for the Bubble Creek Canyon video.

Thought for the Day
Have you noticed the proliferation of Christian businesses? My guess is that the three largest marketing avenues are Christian education, publishing and radio. Christian conferences probably rank near the top as well. And then there’s Christian car repair, plumbing, remodeling, counseling, dating services … and the list goes on. By the way, if you skipped the Bubble Creek Canyon video, go back and watch it before continuing.

Now don’t get me wrong. I enjoy listening to contemporary Christian music on the radio. You know I order plenty of books from Christian publishers. I prefer doing business with Christians. And, yes, Pam and I met through a Christian pen-pal exchange. If we had met 20 years later, I suppose we would have used an online dating service like Christian Singles.

During the NT times, families were close knit and tended to live beside each other in what we would call a compound. Between the engagement and the wedding day, the groom would be busy constructing an addition to the insula for his new bride. [2] When Jesus said “I go to prepare a place for you…” he used that same imagery. [JOH 14] When Christians moved out from Jerusalem and were dispersed to places like Asia Minor, they lived in proximity to one another for safety and support. [3] So, I don’t think there is anything wrong with preferring one another. [ROM 12.10]

But lately, our practice of this has begun to bother me. I’m wondering if we have run to the extreme degree on this. Is it possible to become so clannish as to no longer be “in the world?” [1COR 5.10] It seems that for many Christians, our goal is to be neither of the world nor in the world. Our motives may be noble, often to shield our children from the evils of the world. Have we been overzealous, even misguided, toward that goal? Fortunately, our children seem to be much more comfortable than us in engaging the world and taking the good news with them wherever they go.

My observation is that the corporate church gladly bought into the concept of insular thinking. Through the implementation of on-site education, child-care, entertainment, etc. we encouraged parents to keep their children in a protective bubble. As parents, we all want to protect our children, but I’m beginning to realize that it’s also possible to be overly protective. In the education business, we refer to those folks as “helicopter” parents.

I recently read an article in Christianity Today about Derek Webb and his family, who left their safe suburban neighborhood and moved into inner-city Nashville. Their purpose is to bring good news to those people; they are taking a risk for Jesus. [4] Sisters and brothers, how many of us are willing to do something like that? The safety and security of the insulated church is powerful, even addictive. Our invitation to “come visit us” no longer works – if it ever did. Jesus said “Go into all the world … and I will be with you.” Jesus was always leading the way, telling the disciples to “come, follow me.”

I wonder where he is leading us in today’s post-modern world. Where is he leading you and me?

May God Bless
Mike Toole
Lori Moores, ed.

1. Christ At The Center, Christianity Today, NOV 2009, p.46
2. Ray Vander Laan, www.followtherabbi.com
3. Ibid.
4. A Different Kind Of Neighbor, Christianity Today, NOV 2009, p.37
Derek Webb was formerly with the group Caedmon’s Call.