TRUTHINESS
Some lies are so tempting. They are what Stephen Colbert calls truthiness. You want it to be true and hope that if you say it often enough, it will be true–or at least true enough that you can act on it.
I think there are some lies that the church is tempted to tell. For example, we must be doing something right because we are growing and our budget is balanced. I’ll bet not only can you think of five more but you would have fun doing it. Go ahead–indulge yourself.
USING TECHNOLOGY
In recent blogs, I have been exploring how you can use technology to engage a congregation in conversation and reflection. The idea is rather simple. Almost all of your members now have an email address. If you don’t have them on a list serve, you should. It allows you to communicate with the whole congregation at once.
Making use of that technology, send an email to your congregation asking them to participate in a conversation about the nature of church. Some people who might not find the time to attend a study group, might find it interesting and fun to participate in this manner. Others will come to a later class filled with ideas and eager for the conversation.
What I am suggesting is that you introduce the idea that sometimes even as a church we engage in truthiness rather than the truth. Sometimes we convey such messages by what we do or don’t do. Sometimes we even succumb to the temptation of truthiness by what we say.
To begin the conversation, you want them to think of the church in general and not your specific church. If the conversation goes well, you might consider our particular church in another conversation.
LIES THE CHURCH SHOULDN’T TELL
Tell them that just as a fun exercise, try to come up with four lies (truthiness statements) that some churches, televangelists, cause advocates are tempted to tell. Suggest that they think about behavior of religious groups and messages that they either intentionally or unintentionally send out to the general public.
As a beginning, remember we speak of the church as the Body of Christ. What might a church do or say that we think is different than what Jesus would do or say.
Tell them that if they will send you their list, you will return to them two lists. First, a collection of what others have sent. Second, your own personal list made out before you saw what they would say.
On the next blog, I will suggest several lies that I have thought of coming out of forty years of ministry. You might want to make your list before you see mine.
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