I just started reading Deep Church by Jim Belcher. Belcher is a pastor, a trained theologian, and friend to the Emerging Church movement. His book tries to bring all of his backgrounds together in proposing a new (or, really, old/basic/classic) form of ecclesiology. His book is for those who aren’t completely happy with traditional church OR the Emergent movement. As I read this book, I wonder about things like
- Can you form a new church without alienating existing churches?
- How far can a church go in adapting to new realities before it loses its claim to be church?
- Why does the church founded by the resurrection react so strongly against anything new?
I’m still reading Stephen L Carter’s novel, Palace Council, which is set in African-American circles during the Civil Rights Movement and the growing distrust of government that culminated with Watergate. Carter’s clever and engaging writing makes me wonder . .
- Can even a democratic government be deeply changed without rebellion?
- How often should a people rise up in violence against its government?
- Do people lose something of their humanity when they become totally sold out to a cause?