Daley Ponderings

I've just started reading a book I ordered from the library. I don't remember who recommended it - probably either someone at Jubilee, or else a blog I read.

Based on the number of things I've liked so far, and I'm only through the introduction, I suspect I'm going to really like this book. They start out by giving four people with different stories. I'll quote this one because it is exactly me:

"Cathy became a Christian in her first year at university. It was great. She spent hours hanging out with her Christian friends, talking through their faith, praying together, sharing the gospel with other students. But two years after graduation she feels spiritually flat. She goes to church each Sunday and attends a home group on Wednesday evenings. But she misses the intimacy of the relationships she had at university. She misses the discussions, the enthusiasm, and the late night prayers. She laughs to herself at how immature they were sometimes. But she can't help wondering whether 'grown-up' Christianity is any better. If only there were a different way of doing church."

As I read the one sentence to Heather just now, I realized that the "discussions, enthusiasm and late night prayers" are exactly how I just spent my last week in the Dominican Republic with various college-aged folks. I do truly miss it - I know various people who have told me that I inspire them in these areas - where they feel too caught up in "life" to slow down or something. But, I don't think I know anyone who has really changed much, though they might say they'd like to.

More quotes from the book:

"The theology that matters is not the theology we profess but the theology we practice."

"Being both gospel-centered and community-centered might mean ... having churches that are messy instead of churches that pretend."

"In practice, conservative evangelicals place a proper emphasis on the gospel. Meanwhile others, like those who belong to the so-called emerging church, emphasize the importance of community. Each group suspects the other of being weak where it is strong. We agree with the conservative church that the emerging church is too often soft on truth. We also agree with the emerging church movement that conservative evangelicals are often bad at community."