When I think about proclaiming the good news to the world around me, I think about the loneliness present in our society. Every where I go: broken lives, isolated people, elderly sitting alone in a McDonald’s sipping on a coffee, children whose parents are not present with them. The toll this has taken on us all is staggering.
The church proclaims the healing of all relationships beginning with the restoration of our life with God though His forgiveness in Christ’s work on the cross. God is at work reconciling all things to Himself in Christ (2 Cor 5:17-21). In the cross and resurrection a path has been made open to restore broken relationships, die to one self and share forgiveness, and live in patient presence with one another. This must be worked out one relationship at a time under the proclamation of the good news in Christ. The church itself must be a witness to this new way. And yet we evangelists of this great gospel must be ready, that even among the most hurting, this great news will most often be rejected, often by people claiming to be Christians (Matt 13:18-23) But I’ve made peace with that. Even if one out of a hundred receive it, the rippling effects are astounding (Matt 13:23).
Blessings on all you evangelists out there.
Missio Alliance Comment Policy
The Missio Alliance Writing Collectives exist as a ministry of writing to resource theological practitioners for mission. From our Leading Voices to our regular Writing Team and those invited to publish with us as Community Voices, we are creating a space for thoughtful engagement of critical issues and questions facing the North American Church in God’s mission. This sort of thoughtful engagement is something that we seek to engender not only in our publishing, but in conversations that unfold as a result in the comment section of our articles.
Unfortunately, because of the relational distance introduced by online communication, “thoughtful engagement” and “comment sections” seldom go hand in hand. At the same time, censorship of comments by those who disagree with points made by authors, whose anger or limited perspective taints their words, or who simply feel the need to express their own opinion on a topic without any meaningful engagement with the article or comment in question can mask an important window into the true state of Christian discourse. As such, Missio Alliance sets forth the following suggestions for those who wish to engage in conversation around our writing:
1. Seek to understand the author’s intent.
If you disagree with something the an author said, consider framing your response as, “I hear you as saying _________. Am I understanding you correctly? If so, here’s why I disagree. _____________.
2. Seek to make your own voice heard.
We deeply desire and value the voice and perspective of our readers. However you may react to an article we publish or a fellow commenter, we encourage you to set forth that reaction is the most constructive way possible. Use your voice and perspective to move conversation forward rather than shut it down.
3. Share your story.
One of our favorite tenants is that “an enemy is someone whose story we haven’t heard.” Very often disagreements and rants are the result of people talking past rather than to one another. Everyone’s perspective is intimately bound up with their own stories – their contexts and experiences. We encourage you to couch your comments in whatever aspect of your own story might help others understand where you are coming from.
In view of those suggestions for shaping conversation on our site and in an effort to curate a hospitable space of open conversation, Missio Alliance may delete comments and/or ban users who show no regard for constructive engagement, especially those whose comments are easily construed as trolling, threatening, or abusive.