Over the last two decades, I've felt a steady pull towards the house church movement. My soul longs for its slow pace, warmth of hospitality, depth of community, and conscious removal of all the bureaucratic crap that usually dominates church life. I've quietly read books by its leading authors. Not gonna lie, there are times when I feel like Frank Viola and Neil Cole are … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Merges House Church Community with High Church Worship
Archives for January 2023
Beatnik Christianity Overthrows Spiritual Authoritarianism
Britannica defines authoritarianism as the "principle of blind submission to authority." Spiritual authoritarianism demands rank and file submission to religious leaders who've ascended to positions of institutional power. It's a centralized structure that functions through a chain-of-command mentality like the military. Christian culture justifies this with nesting set of … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Overthrows Spiritual Authoritarianism
Beatnik Christianity Trusts Spiritual Directors More Than Pastors
I revere excellent pastors. Unfortunately, they're few and far between. Not only that, they're getting harder to find as American Christian culture's implicit expectations are shifting to more of a "Church CEO" model. These days pastors are chiefly responsible for overseeing programs, increasing attendance, maximizing participation, managing the board, and serving as the … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Trusts Spiritual Directors More Than Pastors
Beatnik Christianity Contends That the Greatest Heresy Is the Failure to Love
Down through the centuries has come a Latin phrase that's full of wisdom: In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas. Translated into English it reads, "In necessary things, unity; in doubtful things, liberty; and all things, charity." I first came across this in an intro. course to historical theology. It immediately became a central plank of my ecumenical … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Contends That the Greatest Heresy Is the Failure to Love
Beatnik Christianity Restores the Tension Between the Individual and the Community
Not only is contemporary Western society the most radically individualistic in all of human history, but American society is at the apex of that hyper-individualism by a long shot. It'd be like building the Burj Khalifa skyscraper atop Mount Everest. Our lifestyle of relentless self-interest is truly unprecedented. Yet any call for the restoration of a healthy balance or … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Restores the Tension Between the Individual and the Community
