Wise words from a Facebook friend:

Just some other thoughts to throw into the melting pot; Modern contemporary christianity is a little like Dr Phil with a bit of spirituality thrown in. It’s all about living a successful life based on changing one’s thinking and behavior.

Its context is a consumer culture, so it is something that is consumed rather than someone who is followed.

It is modernest and “truth”-based and has become hoarse from shouting across the divide to a post modern world who aren’t listening.

It has become fossilised by institutionalisation and is no longer the organic, somewhat chaotic, cutting edge, rabble that followed the Holy Spirit who were the early church.

It is largely a business comprised of programs, structures, budgets, events, groups, marketing, advertising, products, buildings, conferences.

We have our own alternative parallel “world” replete with “heroes”, books, films, music, shops and subculture that ends up being a bunker to shelter in, or a ghetto to wither in until Jesus returns.

Solutions?

We need to experiment with new (or really old) ways, ideas, approaches, leadership. We need to return to the original story and become part of it. We need to be a community of people in whom God lives again. We need to know we are loved and love in return. We need to simplify and minimalise. We need to learn how to be modern-day contemplatives. We need to learn how to walk with him.”