I’ve recently added a sidebar link to the The Potsy Clan , written by Mike Poettcker, about his family’s life in Montreal, where they moved a few years ago to plant a church (among other things). Generally, I see church planting and missionary work dubious, concerning, assuming, and often oppressive. But what Mike is doing in Montreal is different and I respect it. For what I know of him, he shares life with others and tells the good news by being real. He’s setting up a sort of house church, which you can read about. . . seems pretty cool.
Mike is one of the people who challenges the stereotypes of what it means to be Christian. As a former pastor of an Albertan church once I attended, Mike and I met on occasion to talk about spirituality, leadership, and other elements of being human. One of the first things he recommended to me when we started meeting was Douglas Coupland’s Life After God. He wasn’t critical of the book. He thought it would help challenge and direct some of my thoughts (which definitely needed some direction). That’s the sort of guy that he is.
Thanks to people like Mike, I know that many of the frustrating and horrific expressions of Christianity don’t comprehensively define the religion. Although I do not consider myself a Christian, I am not crippled by religious cynicism nor am I wary of Christian story (which continues to offer vitality and meaning to me). Instead, I am able pursue spirituality and living with god in my own integrity—through art, relationship, reflection/prayer, and personal expression. People like Mike remind me that the church (as an idea) and some churches have a place where I can share honestly about my story and myself and continue to find community.
I understand that many Christians attempt to be open and forward-thinking; some might object to my generalizations of the church. However, the church (particularly the evangelical church) continues to severely constitute people in inescapable dogmas and ideologies of judgment and self-assurance. I’ve met lots of Christians who try to escape the associated stereotypes but cannot. They try to be authentic people, but fail to be authentic; they try to love and accept others, but. They read and talk about being counter-cultural, but create and uphold cultures opposite to their values. All of this would be fine—I am not the paragon of love and virtue—if they could honestly present their failure and brokenness. I don’t often see that they do. I pray for them as they journey into being more full human beings. I hope they will pray for me. I think Mike does.
Related posts:
I still have a tough time with the colonialism aspect of a missions, and with Christianity itself much of the time, but if someone is honest, authentic, and loving, that can’t be a bad thing.
Speaking of Coupland, I’ve been wanting to start reading him. Where’s a good book to start with?
I can lend you life after God. I’ll bring it Saturday.