file footage on "hippie" Christians
Revoltution in Jesus Land
this is a blog about something I've been waiting to see happen for a long time. I'll let the author tell you about it from the page of that blog itself.
Elizabeth and I have been traveling the country for the past few months working on a couple of different projects. Right away, we kept bumping into these amazing communities of “progressive evangelical” Christians—that is, people who hold a lot of progressive (even radical) political views, but who believe in an almost fundamentalist theology. It’s a huge movement—possibly of up to twenty million active participants. And so I decided to start this blog as way of explaining it to my secular progressive friends and colleagues back in DC.
I have been watching this “Revolutionary Christian” scene for a couple years already. Honestly, I thought I was exaggerating its size when I was trying to get my friends excited about it. But, as it turns out, it’s far bigger than I ever imagined.
When Elizabeth and I got married, I started going to church with her. We were in North Carolina then, and explored many different non-denominational and charismatic evangelical churches. I was shocked at how radical they were when it came to social-economic issues. They all seemed to be whipped up in the beginnings of some sort of conscious mass return to the spirit of Early Christianity—of leaving your wealth behind, not just helping the poor but joining the poor, adopting kids lost in the foster system and HIV+ babies, etc….
Only small handfuls of people in the congregations were actually doing those kinds of things, but they were being held up as the ideal, while the preachers relentlessly laid down the new/ancient theology of building “the Kingdom of Heaven” here on Earth, and of a Jesus who is “the God of the poor and oppressed.”
For me, surprise turned to feverish curiosity when a mostly upper-middle class/suburban/Republican mega-church had a sermon, based on the New Testament Epistle to the Colossians, that railed against the “Empire” of Pax Americana—the empire of “might makes right” and idolatrous consumerism.
People are finally getting tried of pretense and want to be Christians for real. Me too! sounds great. I want to join them!
thanks to Tim for the info on this.
There's some kind of crazy convergence going on here, I swear. I have Zack linked from my blog (and he has me linked on his), and I've discussed this exact post you discuss on probably 3 other blogs in the past day or so.
ReplyDeleteGod is doing something here, I think.
Equating Christianity with particular political views is a folly of the left and the right.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me too much of Lewis' "Christianity and...(take your pick)" example of false faith.
Oh, I see you are moderating comments.
ReplyDeleteMakes it too difficult to have a discussion, never knowing what will qualify for posting.
Bye Bye
I shared this on my blog as well. Do any of your local churches have this kind of theme? I ask since you said you wanted to join this revolution.
ReplyDelete(Jason Barr) There's some kind of crazy convergence going on here, I swear. I have Zack linked from my blog (and he has me linked on his), and I've discussed this exact post you discuss on probably 3 other blogs in the past day or so.
ReplyDeleteGod is doing something here, I think.
9:31 PM
Yea it's great. well you know how it is, God is always doing something!
quating Christianity with particular political views is a folly of the left and the right.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me too much of Lewis' "Christianity and...(take your pick)" example of false faith.
Yea I agree. I don't think I'm equating it with anything. I just helping people is fundamental to God's program. I guess that's the kind of fundamentalist I am.
Oh, I see you are moderating comments.
ReplyDeleteMakes it too difficult to have a discussion, never knowing what will qualify for posting.
most things you say will qualify. I wont allow negativity. I mean by that not "here's a problem in the world" that's ok. But "here's a problem with you, or with so and so, that's not allowed. No negative stuff about individuals and their personalities.
I shared this on my blog as well. Do any of your local churches have this kind of theme? I ask since you said you wanted to join this revolution.
ReplyDeleteNo but I can point to people at all the churches I've been to who would like it. that doesn't mean none of the churches I've been to did anything good. they all have done some good things.