NextReformation » becoming

NextReformation » becoming

“…We need not look far to find that our religious communities , influenced as they are by the movement known as modernity, have tended to emphasise the idea of ‘being’ and ‘destination’: one becomes a Christian, joins a church and is saved. From this idea of destination flows our understanding of evangelism as a means of sharing our faith and encouraging others to embrace it for themselves. For those involved in the emerging conversation, this view distorts the deeper meaning of evangelism, for once we acknowledge that we are becoming Christian, becoming Church and being saved, then the other can be seen as a possible instrument of our further conversion. Even a brief reflection upon the darkness in our own lives bears testimony to the fact that we need to be evangelized as much, if not more, than those around us…†(How NOT To Speak for God, p6)

I hear a lot thrown around about "modern" vs "postmodern" I think I understand the basic idea of it, but my reaction has always been, to one degree or another, "so what?" But the above paragraph really spoke to me. I found it extremely liberating. "Modern" apologetics comes at faith as a debater might, from a position of strength, looking for weaknesses in the oppoent. The paragraph above speaks instead to a sense of mutuality. A recognition that I don't have "the answers." We can learn from each other.
I've already ordered a copy of the book the quote is from.

I'm reminded of the comparative religions class I took back in college, when we learned about Taoism. Specifically (remember, this is from a class I took over 20 year ago, so my terminology may be fuzzy) the "wheel of being." If I remember correctly, the basic idea was that everything existed along a wheel that was rotating between the states of "being" and "becoming." Actual and potential. And that everything existed somewhere along that continuum, in an endless cycle. And once the state of fully "being" was reached, progression began immediately away from that state, toward "becoming."

Taoism may not be Christianity, but that doesn't mean it doesn't possess wisdom of use to Christians.