Why It Matters

I sincerely appreciate all of your comments on the threads. If I have overlooked anyone, please let me know. This blog takes more work than what I originally thought, but I must say that I am enjoying the discussions so far.

In the last major post, I discussed the concept of the church having become "extinct" and how it should potentially respond to such a situation. I used an excerpt from Bonhoeffer because I feel his comments are profoundly prophetic. But there are a few things I think all of you should understand about me before we proceed. First, my rhetoric in these posts is harsh, abrasive, and even offensive at times. But what you must realize is that, first, this is bar talk, and second, it really is the way I express myself with these matters, believe it or not. This weblog in many ways is a true representation of who I am and what I represent right now. For those who know me, this most assuredly contradicts the pleasant walrus with whom you are accustomed to engaging. But I assure you, I am not creating a personality here. This is who I am. More importantly, this is precisely where I am supposed to be right now, and that's all that matters. I offer no apologies and I hold no regrets. In Luther's words, Here I stand. Second, in order to properly engage these issues, you must take that into consideration. In other words, just let me be a voice that speaks to you. Where I am or where you think I am or where you think I should be should not take away from the fact that what I'm saying is something worth hearing. If you do not engage what I'm saying for what it is (and not just what it is coming from me, or your idea of me), then you're wasting your time. I'm inviting you to this bar to sit down, have a drink, and chat. I'm not looking for any of you to express concern or love for me because I really don't care about that right now. What I do care about and expect, however, is that when you walk in the door to thesecondchance, you respect me for who I am. I will never ask that you like or approve of who or where I am. What I will require, however, is that you respect it.

Some of you have told me, directly or indirectly, that my profanity and offensive rhetoric are unnecessary. But please, please, please hear me out guys. You're walking into a bar. What do you really expect? What is happening here is a microcosmic example of what is happening in the church. If you disrespect me by giving too much notice to the "offensive" side of me rather than what I'm saying, then you will never reach me. And if you can't reach me, believe me, you won't even come close to reaching the others outside the church who are where I am but don't have the theological background and training that I do. This is really what it's all about, folks. You must find a way to LET GO of your inhibitions, LET GO of your personal understanding of morality, LET GO of your understanding of what people should be, and LET GO OF WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS TO BE CHRISTIAN. I don't mean throw it out. Just let it go. You think God's not big enough and powerful enough for you to answer such basic questions? You think He can't handle you questioning these things, even if they're seemingly offensive? Well, then what kind of God do you believe in? Certainly not the God depicted in Scripture. It's like the story of Job. God didn't punish them for asking questions. He just reminded them that He was the person who gave them that capability in the first place. Again, it's all about respect. Like it or not, but respect is and will be the "social currency" at thesecondchance.

I say all of this to demonstrate why the Bonhoeffer post matters. Read it again. Don't read it as me saying it. Read it for what it says. And read my comments in the threads that help explain it. And for God's sake, post some comments! I'm not trying to just start a "bitch" session here and rave against the church. I couldn't care less about that. I'm trying to speak from where I am and truly ask those of you in the church to "wake the fuck up" because I (and my friends) really don't care right now. Really. We have no reason to because no one's listening and no one's bothering to ask the hard questions in the hard way. The church is too concerned with "self-preservation" (DB) and not with "self-emptying" (somewhere in Philippians?). Show us that you care and we might decide to care, if just for the company. And you should take this with all seriousness. IF YOU DON'T DEMONSTRATE THAT YOU CARE, NO ONE ELSE WILL EITHER, INCLUDING ME. How do you do that? Let go, engage the issues, allow yourself to be questioned by people like E, allow yourself to be ripped in half by the questions that haunt you, and most of all, show it. Show your vulnerability but stand up and be proud of your strength within it. Because if Christ truly is Lord, then you have nothing to lose, nothing to fear, and the respect of the world to gain...and, speaking as someone who has earned it, let me tell you, there is no better feeling, no greater acknowledgement, and no higher honor than that. If the Church learns that basic fact, it will once again have something to say. It will rediscover its true calling. It will, indeed, live again.