After having had a weeny little splurge (posting below), I went over to SB's blog where I haven't been for a week or two and read this. Fitted how I was feeling perfectly. I'm pretty sure Stuart won't mind me quoting him and Shane Claybourne (what book is that from Stuart?)
"The things that 'deceive' us I suspect are much more likely to be subtle temptations of suburbia than some big heresy issue.
On this Shane Claybourne writes:
‘Sometimes people ask me if I am scared living in the inner city. I usually reply, ‘I’m more scared living in suburbs’. The Scriptures say we should most fear not those things that can destroy the body but those things that can destroy the soul. While the ghettoes may have heir share of violence and crime, the suburbs are the home of the more subtle demonic forces – numbness, complacency, comfort – and it is these that can eat away at our souls’.
I think we need some folks to create a few collisons for us between commonly accepted values and behaviours in our church life and the inconvenient ways of Jesus.
(Excerpt from a sermon preached last night at an ordination and induction)
Hey Lynn, Don't you wish now you'd done more classes on cross-cultural mission? Enjoying your experiences sencond hand as I've still had more Edinburger time than Weegie time - hope to catch up soon...
ReplyDeleteJurgen
Hey J - you def should come over as every second person in the church shares your accent :-)
ReplyDeleteThink homesickness is hitting us all this week. Sorry 'bout the Starbucks (assume that was you - or maybe it was M???!!) - they have a plaque saying they do ethical trading now....
...but I don't drink coffee anyway. Happy with a Tetley in a cup in the office :-)
Oh no, is Tetley ethical?? Checked today and there is fairtrade teabags in the church office :)
ReplyDeletePerhaps here is another quote, this time from a writer on consumption and capitalism that can add a bit of grist to the east dangers of suburban security: 'the pathologies of liberty can be as perilous as the pathologies of tyranny; and far more difficult to discern or remedy.'
ReplyDeletegood quote rev!
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