Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Us for Them: Chapter 4: The Day of Small Things

Us for Them: Chapter 4: The Day of Small Things

Last updated on: June 23, 2024 at 4:20 pm by Roger E. Olson

0 Comments

Us for Them: Chapter 4: The Day of Small Things 2024-06-23T16:20:45-05:00 Roger E. Olson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Here I continue discussion of Austin Fischer’s excellent book Us for Them: Seeking Higher Ground in the Cultural Holy Wars (Cascade Books, 2024). I, we, come now to Chapter 4: The Day of Small Things: Learning to Think Little.

I can’t help but point out a bit of irony here. Austin, my former student and now (and forever) friend, pastors a mega-church. I’ve visited it. It’s big. It’s mega. In this chapter, however, Austin advocates thinking and acting locally. And enduring them of the chapter, foundational to it, is “think little, live local, love your neighbor.” (50) Fleshing this out, Austin quotes Robin Dunbar as famously positing that “150 people [is] the out limit of a human’s social network—beyond this ‘we simply do not have the computational capacity to manage social relationships effectively.” (48)

So what’s the irony of which I speak? Well, it should be obvious to anyone who read the chapter: It seems that Austin should be against mega-churches!

However, even he cannot stop hordes of people flocking to hear him eloquently and prophetically preach the gospel relevantly! How many preachers do you know who can quote both Spider-Man and Fyodor Dostoevsky in one brief chapter?

Here is the special passage I always look for when reading a chapter: “Before you storm the Capitol, teach your children to pray. Before you save the country, break bread with your neighbor. Before you make America just, make your community more just. Before you imagine yourself responsible for the world, responsibly submit to and serve your household of faith. Before you compose a grand opera, play your part well in the simple tune of the gospel.” (59)

What is the gist of this chapter? It is a call for especially Christians to stop focusing on global or even national political movements, events, problems and possibilities to the exclusion of staying faithfully in a community, striving to make it a true outpost of God’s coming kingdom.

In this chapter Austin continues his theme of people, including American Christians, hating other people because they are different or because they think differently. His message is: They are going nowhere. Within the church, commit yourself to them as partners for the gospel. Don’t seek a place far from home where you can gather only with like-minded people or people who share your values and perspectives.

I could go in several different directions responding to this chapter. I have already confessed, in an earlier response to a different chapter, that I have personally violated at least some of what Austin advocates. I have fled, possibly when I shouldn’t have. But I’m not sure about the “shouldn’t have.”

Here I am provoked to bring up again my experiences in some churches. When I was twenty-five years old I fled the denomination in which I grew up simply because I couldn’t take it anymore. Small-mindedness, anti-intellectualism, knee-jerk conservatism, rampant spiritual abuse, unethical leadership (some, not all), unjustified dogmatism, all and more caused me to run as soon as I viably could. That denomination was my “top soil” (a reference readers of the chapter will get), my place, my spiritual home, but it was unbearable. Years later I fled a church that had become so broad-minded it was shallow, empty of spirit, dry, knee-jerk liberal, exclusive except for people who thought like “good moderate Baptists,” that I could find no place in it. The beginning of the end for me and a couple others was when I suggested the church needed a good revival.

Well, I have to remind myself that I know what Austin is talking about in this book and it isn’t what I experienced or did. I think. I hope. He pastors a church where SOME people have trouble staying ONLY because they there encounter people who are different in some way, mostly different in terms of political commitments. And I discern that he is exasperated with (probably mostly young) people, university students (?), who are obsessed with big, global, national social and political problems to the exclusion of local ones.

I will plan to take up Chapter 5 in a week.

*Note: Only comment if you have read this chapter. If not, you may ask a question (or questions). In any case, keep you response relatively brief (no more than 100 words), on topic, addressed to me, civil and respectful (not hostile or argumentative), and devoid of pictures or links.*

Uncategorized

Previous Post

June 21, 2024

What If There Is Extra-terrestrial Intelligence?

Next Post

June 25, 2024 Does God Know Everything?

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"No doubt Lewis was inspired by earlier thinkers. Ironically (or perhaps serendipitously) I am now ..."

Roger Olson

The Abolition of Man: Chapter 3: ..."

"I am sure Lewis would agree. After all, as a Christian he believed in original ..."

Roger Olson

The Abolition of Man: Chapter 3: ..."

"If I’m not mistaken, the quote from Lewis is his interpretation of the “Conditioners’” own ..."

Roger Olson

The Abolition of Man: Chapter 3: ..."

"Thank you! It's been a great re-read of a thought provoking, but somewhat dense, little ..."

Øyvind J. Karstad

The Abolition of Man: Chapter 3: ..."

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Against Liberal Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was the prophet who pronounced doom on Jezebel and Ahab?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Isaiah Elijah Elisha Hosea