conversations

a few weeks ago i was listening to a friend of mine give a sermon. as always, my mind drifted and i started thinking about why it seems so hard for believers to talk about their faith with each other. we sit 'in church', participate more or less (usually a lot less than more), most often sing about god and jesus and salvation, listen for a while to somebody talk about same, then when its all over (usually to everyone's relief, most of all the pastor/leader) we stand around drinking our cup of tea or coffee and talk about everything but god and jesus and salvation.

why is this? what makes it so hard? why does it feel so unnatural?

i've continued to think about this on and off since then, trying to come up with an answer (as is my want). i think part of the reason is the 'personalisation' of faith - we've had it drummed into us, by our surrounding culture as well as church culture, that faith is a personal thing, so we keep it inside and respect other people's similar desire to not talk about it. added to this is the elitism which seems almost an integral part of evangelical christianity - most of us haven't been trained theologically, so we don't feel competent or comfortable to talk about 'the faith'. this is perpetuated, among other things, by the focus of our gatherings being 'up the front', usually on a raised stage or dais if not a towering pulpit, where the chosen ones do their stuff, usually using language and other subtle (or not so subtle) hints which accentuate their superiour knowledge and distances them from the 'common people' in the audience. the pervasive academicism also gives the impression that talking about our faith means discoursing on theological ideas, not speaking of how jesus is real to us in our everyday lives. this highlights a further issue, probably the most pertinent (and tragic) of all: most of us don't feel that jesus or our faith really connects to our everyday lives.

mark strom has this to say in his book reframing paul: conversations in grace & community:

Evangelicals like to distance themselves from the ritual traditions of Catholicism and Orthodoxy. To be sure, we are a long way from the more overt religiosity of the Graeco-Roman cults and clubs. Yet when we consider the entirely nonreligious character of Paul's ekklesiai and his struggle to keep them free from the religious mindset, we may well ask how much of that same mindset we have perpetuated. Church services are religious occasions structured around formal proceedings conducted by authorised leaders – a far cry from the spontaneity of the ekklesia and the central place it gave to conversation between all participants. Even more informal and relaxed modes of meeting, such as seeker services and 'sharing times,' remain more in the domain of entertainment or of a token nod in the direction of egalitarianism. Rarely do they accord the dignity and freedom that Paul attributed to the conversations within his ekklesiai.

How far have we drifted from the spirit of Paul? We need only consider our loss of the capacity for sustained conversation about Christ and the affairs of our everyday lives. It is no wonder so many struggle to imagine a world of rich conversation integrating faith and everyday life, a world of sustained conversation unfettered by irrelevant sermons and theological disputes, a world of sustained conversation freed from the confining agendas of the professional elites of clergy and theologians. (p. 141)

mark and his wife sue have put this into practice with cafe grace, which is the most refreshing experience of 'church' i've had in a long time, if not ever. while undoubtably mark's theological training adds significantly to the 'meat' of the discussions at cafe grace, the hallmark of the gatherings is the relevance and immediacy of the subject matter to our everyday lives. i think a large part of this is because more than anything else it is a conversation in which all are free to participate, with the topic moving fluidly as people share their perspectives and how it relates to their lives. in addition, the teaching that mark gives isn't delivered in an abstract or remote manner which highlights his academic credentials and distances his listeners, but his enthusiasm and 'realness' invite and engage those present, imparting a sense of excitement about the life of faith in jesus and its relevance to our whole lives. there's also a strong awareness throughout these gatherings of the significance of every believer and of what each one contributes to the whole.

ok, i didn't intend this to be a mark strom admiration post, but i do really respect the guy and what he does. sadly, we're going to lose him again soon, as he takes up the post of principal of the bible college of new zealand in auckland in the new year. but the cafe grace gatherings have given me an experience of what i believe church should be like, and inspiration for getting something similar started in our own area. to bring this back to the original topic, i believe that it is by moving away from the existing church structures and patterns to a conversational model which relates the gospel to everyday life and work and imparts a sense of the true equality and significance of all believers by involving everyone in the conversation that we will be able to re-integrate our lives and our faith and thereby bring the good news back to our lips as we speak to each other, in a way that is spontaneous and natural. imagine that!