Joseph H. Hellerman
More books by Joseph H. Hellerman…
“Long-term interpersonal relationships are the crucible of genuine progress in the Christian life. People who stay also grow. People who leave do not grow. We all know people who are consumed with spiritual wanderlust. But we never get to know them very well because they cannot seem to stay put. They move along from church to church, ever searching for a congregation that will better satisfy their felt needs. Like trees repeatedly transplanted from soil to soil, these spiritual nomads fail to put down roots and seldom experience lasting and fruitful growth in their Christian lives.”
― When the Church Was a Family: Recapturing Jesus' Vision for Authentic Christian Community
― When the Church Was a Family: Recapturing Jesus' Vision for Authentic Christian Community
“It is rather revealing that we feel the need to offer special programs (and hire special staff) for single adult ministry in our churches. We struggle somehow to fit single adults into a kingdom plan that we have designed primarily for married folks. Perhaps the problem is with how we have framed the plan. Paul's concern in 1 Corinthians 7 was not to ask how singleness fits into God's kingdom plan. Paul was addressing the issue of how marriage fits into His kingdom plan. Single people are already with the program. They are "concerned about the things of the Lord" (v. 32). Married people are the ones who need help sorting out their priorities.”
― When the Church Was a Family: Recapturing Jesus' Vision for Authentic Christian Community
― When the Church Was a Family: Recapturing Jesus' Vision for Authentic Christian Community
“They call it radical individualism. What this amounts to is simple enough. We in America have been socialized to believe that our own dreams, goals, and personal fulfillment ought to take precedence over the well-being of any group—our church or our family, for example—to which we belong. The immediate needs of the individual are more important than the long-term health of the group. So we leave and withdraw, rather than stay and grow up, when the going gets rough in the church or in the home.”
― When the Church Was a Family: Recapturing Jesus' Vision for Authentic Christian Community
― When the Church Was a Family: Recapturing Jesus' Vision for Authentic Christian Community
Topics Mentioning This Author
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Challenge: 50 Books: JB's 2011 Reads | 22 | 144 | Dec 28, 2011 03:28PM |
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