I’m Repeating Myself! I’m Repeating Myself! I’m…

Last updated on: June 16, 2008 at 1:29 pm by David Hayward

I’m Repeating Myself! I’m Repeating Myself! I’m… 2008-06-16T13:29:10-04:00 David Hayward

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One of my more faithful commentators made this comment on my post last week called Designer Theology:

nakedpastor, do you find that you have to have the same arguments over and over again with yourself? Or are there things you take as a given? It seems to be you could realign your foundation over and over again and never really get as far as installing windowsâ€¦

I realize I seem to be repeating myself. But it’s only because what is true is very simple and only so much can be said in a variety of ways. We live in a world swimming with principles, secrets, methods, truths, strategies, and more. It is a veritable ocean of ideas. I, in a sense, reject all this. I thoroughly refuse to believe that anyone can come up with a better idea or method or strategy to revolutionize, change or renew the church. I reject it all. Simple as that. So, all the ideas, methods or revolutions… I question at a most fundamental level. Axe to the roots! Shake the foundations!

Again, I’ll compare our community to my family. I don’t want anyone coming along with how to make my family better. I don’t want strategies to use on my family to improve things. I don’t want steps to increase the quality of our relationships. We are a family, so in a very real sense I’m not trying to build it. It is built. It is there. Love it. I am a part of a community. It is already a church. It is there. Love it. That’s all there is. I’m not trying to build it. Now… as soon as I say that I know that people will quote me scriptures about building the church. But those passages aren’t talking about church growth, strategies to improve it, programs to support, promote or advertise it, or visions to expand it. I think it is talking about truth. I think it is talking about, in biblical terms, the gospel. I think a person and a community grows through the acknowledgement, acquisition, appropriation and application of truth. Numbers aren’t the concern primarily.

So, yes, on the one hand I keep repeating myself. On the other hand, what else can I say in a world exploding with a new idea and strategy for me to consider and adopt every day of the week? I realize too that some say that my anti-strategy is actually a strategy. Call it what you will, but I don’t think so because there is no movement in it. It is a place of rest I have great difficulty describing. But I will keep doing so, no matter how many words it takes or how often it is misunderstood. Why? Because I believe it is a place of rest and peace that all people have a right to, including people in religious communities.

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