"Ask no questions and you'll be told no lies". I have heard that many times over the course of my life. One of the problems in asking questions is that people don't always want to give the answers, others don't want to open the box for fear of what will fall out and others just know that they will nt be able to put the contents back afterwards. When I was a young boy I took my sisters watch and took it to pieces to see how it worked. She was not exactly pleased, even less so when I failed to put it back together again.

The purpose of de-contruction is to understand how things work: when theologians and philophers de-construct the scriptres the intention is to unsderstand both text and culture more completely. At a time when the institutional church is under such pressure and when attempts are being made to see how we can be more authentic and real in the contemporary world it is important to ask the right questions. Jesus tells us that "The truth will set you free" and the acceptance of light from any quarter has to be good but it is understandable that some will be afraid of damaging the tried and tested ways and others will gear that the baby will be lost along with the bath water. Yet we, surely, have nothing to fear from the truth.

I agree with those who want to loose the boxes and the definitions we have made over the years. Some of what we haver come to acept as true and b iblical have more to do with our evangelical or liberal or conservative or charismatic/pentecostal culture than they do with what the bible actually says. For that reason we must keep asking the questions.

In the continuing conversation in the emerging/emergent church movement we must talk with a sense of humility and provisionality: anythong ese smakes of arrogance. The Doctrinal systems which stem from systematic theology are like the curate's egg- good in parts. As a presbyterian I have learnt much from the Reformers like Luther and Calvin but there is much in the teaching of Wesley also. Some of the comments made on bloggs and on YouTube about the thoughts and thinking of the oppostion are really dreadful and lack any grace. I am constantly horrofied at some of the comments I read and hear about the contributions from people like Brian McLaren frpom what some would consider the emergent liberal wing of the emergening conversation. Rob Bell is another pastor who is frequently attacked for apparent error. Personally I find the contribution that these and other thinkers make very stimulating in helping me to think through what I believe.

The bible teaches me to love my brothers in Christ and to listen to all men. As one who lives in Norhtern Ireland, a place which is often considered to be a veery negative culture, I understand how difficult it is to be certain about what one considers to be the truth and to do so in a gracious way. Why do Christians have to so arrogant in our attitudes? Are we insecure? We seem to lack the capacity to be critical of ideas, without being critical of the peole themselves.

If we are going to recapture the missio dei in the contemporary church we will need to question everything that we become sure of what we believe and how we are to live.

The Fellowship of the Brethern

Christmas and New Year have come and gone. This gives us all another opportunity to start again. but I doubt that nothing will really change. The lesson of history is that we seldom learn from history. So we continue to have the famines we were told must never happen agaon; children continue to be abused in Africa, in Ireland and in Romania, to name a few; the war on terrorism continues unabatted and young men and women contin ue to die on all sides of the war in Afghanistan.

As I write "The Wire" is on the TV: a gritty, realistic police drama set on the streets of Baltimore. For "gritty and realistic" read the use of the "F" word every other word. Trying to get passed the street language I find myself viewing what I see through what I know about Baltimore and what looks like a similiar situation at the doors of our church building.

Everyone thinks themselves to be unique and in some respects we are all special yet in other ways we are not. Baltimore in the richest country in the world is one of the poorest communities, West and North Belfast, in a very different way, is also in great poverty despite being part of a country that looks after all its citizens from cradle the grave. Unemployment, dependency, poor health, drug and alcohol abuse affects those who are the most vulnerable the most. That's not to say that thwre are no problems in the middle class homes for there are but the real edge is in the places least able to help themsleves. While all this is going on there is a parallel universe in the middle class areas of the country where the grit of The Wire is no mpore than a television drama which goes away when the TV is switched off. While the walls of division and protection go up and the economic life of the community shuts down and the Christians take flight the subburbs grow but while the people leave the problems behind the problems remain.

The New Testament warns us of the fierce spiritual battle that rages as we live our daily lives and tells us of the protection provided. To be effective we need everyone to be protected, we need the support of fresh soldiers but believers from outside the community want to get involved: such is the extent of fellowship more than a shared cup of tea and a few tray bakes. When will we see support from our brothers and sisters? Show All