Tuesday, October 11, 2005

 

God And The Military DO Mix

Love this post from Common Grounds Online. A military chaplain waiting to see if he will be deployed talks about the priviledge of serving God and the men and women of the military. It's recommended reading. There was one paragraph that really struck me
The greatest ministry impact I am having on Soldiers continues to be over the internet. Stephen Mansfield, in his new book The Faith of the American Soldier, notes how the internet and email have changed the way Soldiers maintain their faith in Iraq. They gather in small groups, pairs, or just alone, and read what they can from emails and websites. They share what?s challenging them, what?s hurting, but most of all they try to understand how to get God on their side. The radical individualism of our common age has impacted our Soldiers. Rather than gather in worship and sharing burdens with one another, pursuing God on a common course, they look simply for ways that God can fit their need and protect them in battle. Who can blame them? I send an email called the ?Sunday Bulletin? every week. They read it alone at the computer, or they print it out and read it in their quarters. But they don?t do what I had hoped?they don?t gather together in Bible Study groups to go over it together. The isolation worries me.
I do not think this is a phenomenon limited to the military. I have been lectured on how people like to come to church and remain anonymous -- participate in worship, but maintain thier solitude and isolation. Churches are designing themselves to allow for this viewpoint -- this pretty much is the mega-church model. This is another reason I am not a fan of mega-churches.

We cannot work out Christianity on our own. We are not designed that way, when we try, we're going to get it wrong. I also worry about this in blogging. While we are quick to jump on each other about ideas, that is not the same as the personal accountability available in a local congregation. Are you a part of one? I hope so.

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