As an evangelical minister, I found myself both disappointed and a bit disturbed as I watched my portion of the church respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, racial strife, and political polarization of 2020 and beyond.
I tried to copy my previous comment so I could delete then re-write, but it didn't copy, so I'll just write something new.
Mike, thank you for joining Emily on this writing journey. I'm one whose heart has been shattered by what I have experienced at the hands of "church" people in this past year. My faith in *Christ* is firm. My faith in the *church* has been severely battered.
Twenty years ago, our family returned from nearly 11 years of life in Japan. We had a teen, pre-teen, and a five year old at the time. I saw some disturbing trends in the church, trends toward a "shock-jock radio" style of outrage fomenting in "Christian" media. After a year or two, I quit trying to listen to Christian radio. Our older children did not fit into a church where there was little place for serious faith formation. They still struggle years later to have a place where they truly fit. 2020 was the year that so much of what I have observed in the last 20+ years came to a head, on full display for the whole world to see.
Hi Marie, Thanks for your comment. 2020 was indeed a troubling year when a lot of things came to a head. I hope that we evangelicals can identify a new faithfulness for a new day, and I fully expect that the new way forward will reject the outrage and offense that you described. If the church is to reflect Christ, we need a different posture.
During social distancing it has been so difficult to connect with others who are also grieving all of the things in this post. That has amplified the sense of “homelessness.”
I tried to copy my previous comment so I could delete then re-write, but it didn't copy, so I'll just write something new.
Mike, thank you for joining Emily on this writing journey. I'm one whose heart has been shattered by what I have experienced at the hands of "church" people in this past year. My faith in *Christ* is firm. My faith in the *church* has been severely battered.
Twenty years ago, our family returned from nearly 11 years of life in Japan. We had a teen, pre-teen, and a five year old at the time. I saw some disturbing trends in the church, trends toward a "shock-jock radio" style of outrage fomenting in "Christian" media. After a year or two, I quit trying to listen to Christian radio. Our older children did not fit into a church where there was little place for serious faith formation. They still struggle years later to have a place where they truly fit. 2020 was the year that so much of what I have observed in the last 20+ years came to a head, on full display for the whole world to see.
Hi Marie, Thanks for your comment. 2020 was indeed a troubling year when a lot of things came to a head. I hope that we evangelicals can identify a new faithfulness for a new day, and I fully expect that the new way forward will reject the outrage and offense that you described. If the church is to reflect Christ, we need a different posture.
During social distancing it has been so difficult to connect with others who are also grieving all of the things in this post. That has amplified the sense of “homelessness.”