Friday, October 2, 2009

Helpful model

When you look at the evangelical church as a whole, it is important to learn from this diverse body of believers. That's one of the reasons why I subscribe to Outreach Magazine. At the same time, it is also necessary to critique-though in critiquing, you are also learning. If you simply choose to follow the newest and biggest out there, you will err on the side of naivete, and simply copy what others are doing. And you may be copying something that is sub-culture/geography specific, perhaps not all that beneficial, or simply leave with an incomplete perspective.

On the flip side, if you only look at what your particular denomination or "camp" (mega-church, Reformed, non-denom, etc...), you will become myopic and not learn from the wisdom God has granted to others outside your camp. Different camps have different strengths and provide great value when we interact with them.

Tim Keller provides a model (borrowed from John Frame) to help us see exactly where one or one's church fits in the stream of evangelicalism, and how we can learn/critique others and ourselves.

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