Sessions 12 & 13, Conder: Rock Daddy

Being an engineer, I looked at the 7 passions and 7 fears and matched them up as best I could. So, you will see them numbered. This is based on the order that Conder presents them.

1. Community: The first passion and the second fear deal with community. The ECM is for community. In this PM world, were it is all about individualism, the ECM is trying to reach out to the lost and help them feel a part of something. Humans by nature were not meant to be alone. "The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." " (Gen 2:18, NIV) Even God didn't want us to be alone. The modern church (mc) feels that by being in a community people automatically think that you will lose your identity. On the contrary it is the uniqueness of each individual that helps create the dynamics of the group.

2. Values: The second passion and the third fear deal with values. The ECM is striving for us as the EC to be able to show our Christianity and allegiance to Christ thru what we do more so, than what we say. The mc feels that because we live in a PM and "PC" world, people think we will have to modify or change the gospel message in order to be heard. On the contrary people now a days want sincerity or real truth, but only after they know you care about them as a person.

3. The unknown: The third passion and the first fear deal with the unknown. The ECM strives for Christians to have an open mind and an open heart in order to be able to deal with whatever comes there way. "Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." (1 Cor 9:20-23, NIV) In this scripture Paul tells how he himself adapted and changed how he acted and dealt with others in order to be able to share with them the Good News. The mc, however, feels that by adapting and changing we will exclude the truth of the gospel. As a wise professor once told me, if you roll a snowball down a hill the snowball gets bigger, but the snowball still has its original core. So, just because we adapt to our environment doesn't mean we lose the truth or "core" of the gospel.

4. Completely different discipleship: The fourth passion and the seventh fear deal with being a disciple in a completely different manner than we are presently in. The ECM is merely introducing change. Change in how we reach out to unbelievers. As I have mentioned in earlier posts the street corner evangelist is a thing of the past. People want interactions that connect and mean something to them. The mc feels that by reaching out to our community, that we as the church will lose our buildings, beliefs and budgets. What the mc doesn't realize is that we have to be fluid and not so rigid in our approach to disciplining others.

5. Scripture: The fifth passion and the fourth fear deal with the Bible. As an EC we need to be able to take the core message of the Bible and relate it to nonbelievers in such a way that they can understand it and accept it. Which is exactly what Jesus did when he spoke in parables. He told the masses stories of things that they could relate to, for example the Parable of the Sower. The mc feels that by changing the story we will change the core. It is true, that could happen, however, if all you do is update or modernize the story but keep the core the same then you aren't really watering down the gospel, but merely relating it.

6. Worship: The sixth passion and the sixth fear deal with worship. How we worship, what we do during worship, what constitutes worship and why we worship. Again the ECM is merely trying to convey that we need to adapt, change and be open to new ideas or ways of conducting a church service. No longer will churches have to be held in brick buildings with a steeple and cross on top. The mc feels that by not meeting in a church like the one I described, that the church will lose all of its traditions. This statement is truly oxymoronic. The reason why is because the traditions we have now a days were made up by someone at sometime in the past. I mean, no where in the Bible do I read about the early disciples participating in a Hanging of the Greens service. Yet, my church religiously (pun intended) holds this service every year prior to Christmas. I mean if we want to hold to the traditions, then we should follow the holy feasts and such that are listed in the Bible. But that is not what Jesus was all about. He was about bringing the lost back to his father.

7. God's design: The seventh passion and the fifth fear deal with free will and the guidelines God has given us. The ECM merely wants to honor God for all that he has done and continually provides, which includes the fact that he has given us free will. So, even though the Holy Spirit resides in us as believers, we are still able to make the choice and sin. The mc feels that by acknowledging and accepting free will we the church will in essence condone or accept immoral behavior. Again, just because you change how you look at or approach something doesn't mean that you change the core values.

In summary, the fears are due to Christians having closed minds and hearts. I'm not saying that ECM's have all the answers or that the answer they have are all right, but at least they are open to new and different ideas. Having earned my parachute wings in the Army (not Marines), I truly appreciate the adage: "Minds are like parachutes. They work better when open."