Faith for This Moment

Have you noticed that things have changed over the past few decades? Good, because most things have changed. And I say most, because it seems that the Church in the West is lagging behind.  In no way am I suggesting that the message of the Gospel has changed. I’m not suggesting that the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection has changed, or that the need for grace has changed. But for many churches, many Christians, we seem reluctant to change the way we tell the story, the way we do business, the way we live out our faith. Unfortunately, the way we share the gospel is received differently in every culture, every context, and in every city. So we need to know what matters and how to share that important stuff in the context of the culture in which we live.

                We wonder why we can’t just turn on the lights and unlock the doors on Sunday morning and have the sanctuary full. That might work in a city in the Bible belt; but what about some places in Utah where more than 90% of the population is Mormon? What about places near Detroit with large Muslim populations? What about cities with large Hindi or Buddhist populations? What about places like Portland, OR, which is considered to be largely unchurched?  And of course there are major population centers where each of these religious groups are represented. What works in one place, might not be effective in another.          

                And then along comes Rick McKinley’s latest book, Faith for this Moment: Navigating a Polarized World as the People of God. (Baker Books, 2018). I’ll be candid from the beginning here. I was not as enthusiastic about this book as I was a couple of the author’s earlier books. Rick is a dynamic speaker, and his experience as Pastor of Imago Dei Community in Portland Oregon certainly gives him a lot to speak about, but somehow his excitement and enthusiasm didn’t come through as clearly in this book as it did in say “This Beautiful Mess” (Multnomah, 2006/2013)

                McKinley addresses such issues as Demonstration of faith. What are the distinctives of Christianity, and how do we manifest that faith? What does exile look like today—we know it was 40 years in the desert for Moses. What is the Babylon facing us today, and how do we respond? What does faithfulness look like when we are in exile? There are also several chapters devoted to different spiritual practices, and the book ends with an all-important chapter on loving the city: “Bless the City for the Sake of the King”.

                The title of the final chapter might seem a little misleading…it’s not just a ‘how-to’ chapter, nor is it just an exhortation or command, rather it sums up how the community is blessed when Christians know the history of the church, of the faith, and put into practice what we should have been doing all along.

4/5

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review. The thoughts expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.

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