Counter Culture

Many years ago, John Stott (maybe the finest Christian theologian of our era) wrote a commentary on the Sermon on the Mount called Christian Counter Culture. (I would let you borrow it, but like many of my books, it seems to have disappeared for the moment!) I have always loved the title of the book and have always been struck by how much we are Christians in the US aren't a counter culture. Outside of attending a few group meetings, we tend to live much like everyone else does. We use our time and money in pretty much the same ways. From outside observation, we tend to value the same things that everyone else does. If we live in a "me-centered" culture, we have certainly made our Christianity into a "me-centered" religion.

"Did I enjoy the music? Did I enjoy the preacher? What did I get out of it? Who was there? Did the right people talk to me? How will this help me?"

Please understand that I'm not pointing my finger at anyone particular. In fact, I struggle with this as much (or more so) than anyone else. Though I am supposed to be "in, but not of, the world", I often find myself more "of it" than I want to admit.

In light of that, I encourage you to read this article that my friend, Derek, pointed me to on his blog. You might not agree with all of it, but I did find myself resonating with it - especially with our tendency to major in peripheral issues and miss the heart.

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For those who actually look at this site, I apologize for not writing recently. Though it is summer and school is out, it seems like I haven't had time to write. I've been traveling (track meets in Sacramento last week and LA next week), "orientating" (meeting incoming students and their parents, as well as going through orientation with Stacy), and trying to finish up the financial reports for the last fiscal year, as well as the budget for the coming year. I vow to do better!