In rediscovering the gospel of salvation by faith and grace alone, Luther started to reform the Church through a reformation of theology. In the 18th century through movements like the Moravians there was a recovery of a new intimacy with God, which led to a reformation of spirituality, the Second Reformation. Now God is touching the wineskins themselves, initiating a Third Reformation, a reformation of structure.
People who have not grown up in a healthy family are at a disadvantage. Rather than sensing an unhealthy group leadership style they will frequently be misled by slogans such as "we really value relationship here" or "diversity is one of our greatest values." Instead of listening to the talk, watch the walk! Learn to look beyond what leaders say to how they relate and to the feeling climate of the group.
The mirrors on my eyes are always focused in surprise,
My mouth is covered by a smile
you’ll never know what lies behind these public alibis,
I’ve turned my revolt into style
-Bill Nelson lyrics "Revolt into Style"
In 1980, I was clueless...(no surprise, you say)....that i was about to be met by the Kingdom (in two years)n, let alone could i intuit then that i would be an interim pastor in six years...
..but i think i DID somehow know that the jarring punk-laced nervous tick of Bill Nelson/Red Noise CD (uh, record!) was prophetic (Nelson was a Pentecostal around that era, I later learned) on a number of levels.
Just today I felt like part of the fulfillment of that came to me in prayer...
..through the lyric "I'm turning my revolt into style." By default, we emerging provocateurs in the church do the opposite. But if the style/form/structure concerns that are in one sense so neutral and nontheological , yet in another sense profound and profoundly theological (like how you set up a room for a Christian gathering) are so key to us..
then let them flow naturally, organically and Spiritaneously out of our revolt/deconstruction/new reormationing, and not be the motive or motivator of all we are wanting to be and see.
Otherwise we become smug heroes who refuse to ride the downward-mobility incarnational "model" we preach..
or at least the Luther-wannabes in this current Reformation; the next reformation that's already here
But we don't need Luther this time.
As Nelson said (prayed) in another song on that record:
The old world is burning, there’s ice in my veins
Your breath it inflames me, it fills me with flames
It’s a brave new world for young moderns
It’s a zero hero euro lifestyle.
More on the Nelson record here.
And this is the guy who wrote "Blazing Apostles" in 1976:
Just keep up with the payments and we'll make your misery whole
We've got albums of redemption and confessions on cassettes
All on easy hire from the following address
All on easy hire from the following address
Blazing Apostles Flat 99, South Revelation Row City of Lost Souls, Land of the Blind
It's a wonderful place to go... A wonderful place to go...
Blazing apostles thieves in the night Messengers of the fall...
If you are needing an angel of light Why don't you give us a call?
Why don't you give us a call? Why don't you give us a call?
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