The Definition of "Love Your Enemies"

A Victim Treats His Mugger Right

A New Alternative, Continued

Sorry for the delay, but I keep finding it difficult to sit down and write anything these days.

I appreciate the comments from the last post and I have received a few others from friends face-to-face. Naturally, both phrases - "alternative to church" and "alternative church" demand a little bit of context in order for the idea in my head to make any sense. For the past seven years, our community has acted primarily as an alternative for people that have, for one reason or another, grown weary of church-as-we've-known it in a North American context. In most cases, we have not attempted to define what the future might look like or provide a strong redefinition of church in order to attract people. Someone in our community recently had a dream in which they saw themselves standing in an open place between a deep mine shaft and dark forest. Jesus was present telling him to admonish the people fumbling around in the mine shaft to come out and follow him (Jesus) into the forest. The emphasis was not on moving from one idea of church (the mine shaft) to another idea of church (the forest), but rather from following our own dreams and ideas to following Jesus into the unknown where we can only be led by his Spirit. Our community, in my estimation, has been firmly positioned in this open space between the mine and the forest, helping to encourage those who are finding their way out of the darkness. The shift I see beginning to occur is that Jesus, as he was in the dream, is challenging us to become more intentional about both continuing that task and beginning to make ventures out into the forest with him.

This is what I mean by becoming an "alternative church". It is not "doing church" differently. It is grabbing hold of our identity as an alternative People, centered on the person of Jesus and participating in his kingdom project. This transcends just simply being different than other churches in some form or fashion as in "we're a home church" or "we're an emerging church" or "we are a reformed church". That, honestly, turns my stomach a little. It also moves past the valid recognition that "We are the church". That is certainly true, and is a helpful idea for people who find themselves in the clearing between the mine and the forest. But this is where blending the language of missiology and ecclesiology becomes appropriate: "The mission of the church is to discern, celebrate, and participate in God's redemptive mission in the world." Learning what that means in a particular context, with a particular group of people, and investing in the embodiment of particular 'missions' as they are conceived, incubated, birthed, and grown into maturity is a natural next step for a community such as ours.

But mission alone does not differentiate between "alternative to church" and "alternative church". In fact, mission does not amount to much without a strong backbone of people who are in love with Jesus and who design their lives around his teachings and way of life. This, of course, leads to specific community practices that help to sustain and reaffirm the way of life the community has intended to follow. At the center of those practices is becoming immersed in God's ongoing Story and relentlessly communicating truths about God's kingdom to each other. What flows out of this is a church that begins to become convinced of who they really are, what God is calling them to be, and the future that he intends and plans. Now that's alternative.

A New Alternative

While in Peru, I had this thought regarding our faith community:

"What if we thought of ourselves less as an alternative to church and more as an alternative church?"

Do you see the distinction? It may appear subtle at first, but I think it potentially could mean a significant shift to our ethos. More on this later.

The 15 Things I've Learned While in Peru

It's our last week here in Arequipa (we leave for Lima on Wednesday and then back home on Saturday), so I thought I'd download some of the lessons learned here over the past four weeks...in no particular order of course:

1. DSL in Peru is a rip-off.
2. However, if you don't mind downloading the episodes overnight, Lost is fun to watch in hi-def on a wide-screen laptop.
3. I have a great new weight-loss plan. Go to Peru for a month, get sick three times, lose 10 pounds.
4. Children who don't speak the same language can still have a rip-roaring time together.
5. My haircut the other day cost $3.50. I should have gotten two.
6. The Chechuan people (native, mostly mountain-dwelling folks) will eat pizza until they are sick.
7. Cuy (Guinea Pig) tastes okay fried, until you see them in their little cages.
8. NEVER drink Long Island Ice Tea at high altitudes.
9. But the Pisco Sour is a nice mixed drink.
10. Cipro is the El Capitan of antibiotics.
11. Ticos rule. I want one for a commuter car.
12. Not all children's play areas in restaurants comply with US safety standards.
13. It will take me 460 years to become fluent in spanish.
14. Case in point. I suggested to a taxi driver that I pay him "Dos cientos soles" (200 soles, or about $70) instead of "Dos cincuenta soles" or about 90 cents. He was kind enough to correct me.
15. I did master the most important phrase in spanish if you have small children -

Lo siento.