The following is the begining of my box analogy. It is an analogy to raise questions, not really give answers. I want to make a difference in the church, in fact I want to be a catalyst that changes the church. And I don't want to help create the next wave of church trends, but really change it, tear it down to its most basic parts and then reconstruct it for the emerging culuture that surrounds me. And at this point in my journey I have way more questions than answers.
Is the church broken? I'm not asking if God is broken and we know people are broken, but is the church, how it's done and what it's become broken in North America? For thousands of people in America the answer is no. Their Sunday morning routine, the worship set, the 3 point sermon - it works for them. And if it weren't for the numerous friends of mine, who don't connect to the church - it would probably work for me still. Unfortunately, for millions of Americans, church is irrelevant, close minded and not for them. This pains me, how can I be so in love with the church and yet have friends who think of it as a plague. How did being religious become synonymous with being a hypocrite? How did we lose the ability to dialogue with people who don't think like us? How'd we forget that loving others (not just those who fit in our box) is the second most important commandment in scripture? How?