a quick look back

As the year comes to a close, I look back at the most defining moments. I think it's a little cliché, but at the same time, I inevitably do this every end of year. January seems like ages ago, but the re-occurring theme seems to be the definition of Church - what is community, why is it here, or most importantly, what is it? I've read about, heard about and talked about enough post-modern, emergent Christianity to last me a life time - and though I think it's not as new and history-changing as a lot want to feel it is - it still has been a predominant theme in the past year.

For one I'm glad so many people are tired of "sitting in pews" and are digging a little deeper for what it all really means to "church", but on the other hand, I'm wondering if people aren't spending too much time talking and complaining about it rather than actually doing anything about it. And it's not a new discovery.

I read Keith Green's bio last month and was completely floored. How many people know about the kind of stir he created in religion and Christianity back in the late 70s/early 80s? I had no idea the Christian culture and commercialism had already seeped into society way back then. And I had no idea we had someone like Keith Green to expose it for what it was. All this - even before I was born! And here we are... almost 25 years later... thinking we've got new ideas of church and new ways of extracting real Christianity out of the religion box. I wonder how long believers have been frustrated with this in the past 2000 years.

As much as nothing ever seems to be new, I suppose it's always new to us at one point or another. Regardless, it's been an interesting year - and I think as church has simplified and has been peeled back to its purest form for me, it's been enlightening me in ways that I'm sure will impress me for years to come.