Today’s Readings: Psalm 147; Obadiah 1:15-21; Mark 13:9-16; Philippians 3:17-21; Psalm 94
When I was flying back from my vacation in Philadelphia last week, I grabbed a book in one of the airport bookstores to read during the 3 ½ hour flight. The title of the book caught my eye almost immediately; its title was “What Americans Really Believe”, and it was written by Rodney Stark. While the author and I came from very different theological positions, I did enjoy reading sorting through some of his data regarding the beliefs of Americans. I found one of his conclusions particularly interesting. In examining Christian faith communities that thrived, Rodney found they shared a common characteristic: they were what he called high contrast faith communities. What Stark meant by this is that thriving faith communities presented a faith that was at odds with the values of the larger American culture around them. Faith communities that had either plateaued or were declining, on the other hand, were faith communities that went the extra mile to seamlessly “fit in” with the larger culture around them. In other words, these were faith communities that did everything possible to make the faith as easy as possible. Paul touched on this theme when he wrote to individuals at Philippi and said: “I’ve warned you many times; sadly, I’m having to do it again. All they want is easy street. They hate Christ’s Cross. But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live their make their bellies their gods; belches their praise; all they can think of is their appetites” (Philippians 3:18-19 from The Message). I can certainly understand the temptation to live a low-contrast life where our faith mirrors the values of the larger culture around us. Such an approach makes it easier to fit in with those around us. But at what cost do we fit in? Today I would invite you to take a personal inventory of your life. Do you lead a low contrast life, or a high contrast life? If you find the results of your personal inventory unsettling, use your time during this upcoming season of Advent to make some adjustments and ratchet up your level of contrast. While such an adjustment may take some work, you’ll be amazed at the way such efforts enhance your spiritual life. Til next time…
When I was flying back from my vacation in Philadelphia last week, I grabbed a book in one of the airport bookstores to read during the 3 ½ hour flight. The title of the book caught my eye almost immediately; its title was “What Americans Really Believe”, and it was written by Rodney Stark. While the author and I came from very different theological positions, I did enjoy reading sorting through some of his data regarding the beliefs of Americans. I found one of his conclusions particularly interesting. In examining Christian faith communities that thrived, Rodney found they shared a common characteristic: they were what he called high contrast faith communities. What Stark meant by this is that thriving faith communities presented a faith that was at odds with the values of the larger American culture around them. Faith communities that had either plateaued or were declining, on the other hand, were faith communities that went the extra mile to seamlessly “fit in” with the larger culture around them. In other words, these were faith communities that did everything possible to make the faith as easy as possible. Paul touched on this theme when he wrote to individuals at Philippi and said: “I’ve warned you many times; sadly, I’m having to do it again. All they want is easy street. They hate Christ’s Cross. But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live their make their bellies their gods; belches their praise; all they can think of is their appetites” (Philippians 3:18-19 from The Message). I can certainly understand the temptation to live a low-contrast life where our faith mirrors the values of the larger culture around us. Such an approach makes it easier to fit in with those around us. But at what cost do we fit in? Today I would invite you to take a personal inventory of your life. Do you lead a low contrast life, or a high contrast life? If you find the results of your personal inventory unsettling, use your time during this upcoming season of Advent to make some adjustments and ratchet up your level of contrast. While such an adjustment may take some work, you’ll be amazed at the way such efforts enhance your spiritual life. Til next time…
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