"Dung-ho................................"

Dropping by the old “Internet Monk” site the other morning, I discovered a log-post written by a fellow who “pastors” a retreat camp somewhere in the hills of New Hampshire. His fidelity must belong to those formal mainline Protestants, having labeled the rest of us as (a) liberals who can be counted on to fit their ever shrinking theology into the latest intellectual fashions, and (b) evangelicals who “package the Gospel in the latest pop culture, so that it’s hard to tell whether you’re worshipping, attending a rock concert, or are part of some sort of weird reality show”. Using an analogy where both offenders are riding horses in what he calls “the great American parade”, he likens his own bunch to those people who have to follow behind with brooms and shovels, cleaning up the manure dropped along the route. It’s a good bet, though, that at least some of those accused of “equestrian littering”, if asked, would merely attest to him having the positions reversed, they doing their best to clean up his mess. I’m reminded of a local Church of Christ radio broadcast several decades ago where doctrinal questions posed by listeners were answered, the half hour immediately afterwards the utilized by a small Baptist assembly to refute everything said. Reaping what they sowed, however, somewhere along the way the schedule was changed and the whole affair was turned around, the latter now being corrected by the former. Seems to me, nonetheless, that that there is, indeed, something that smells bad within the whole ecclesiastical affair. It’s called “humanity”; and the best we can do about it is honesty combined with a stronger dose of “Holy Ghost in me”. I’ve, no doubt, been guilty in my own walk of pointing my mouth at where others have gone the Gospel. In truth, we’ve stretched the simplicity of it into a three-ring circus that needs some healthy criticism at times; but surely, if anybody at all is back there dealing with our exhaust, it is the same One who goes before us trying to adjust us in our stumble down the path. It’s called “grace”; and thank God for it…..

(the link to “Monk” is on my sidebar)