Thank you, Brian...

Thank you, Brian...
Originally uploaded by scoxjohnson.

Yesterday I read portions of Brian McLaren's "A Generous Orthodoxy," turning, surprise, surprise, to the chapters entitled "why I am a Methodist" and "why I am an evangelical." Both are easilly readible and essentially hit the right spot, I think. He differentiates Evangelical (big E) from evangelical (little e) and describes what he finds to be essential to the evangelical---the passion of faith--to live out the life of discipleship passionately. I've been thinking more about Bishop Schnase's remarks last week about the pitfalls for clergy of loneliness and cynicism. I guess I yearn for more of us in ministry to live out our vocation in intellectually lively ways, but also in a way that is Spirit-led, inspired and passionate with desire to serve and to do and to be. Thanks, Brian, for your continuing help with overcoming old boundaries that define theological encampments, and encourage us to come out into a new world where our desire to address this generation with the love of Christ focuses us beyond our tendancies to typecast each other in melodramas full of shallow preconceptions...