Every day matters. This is the very simple message of what it means
to be made in the image and likeness of God and to live one’s life to
the glory of God. You don’t need to be “missional.” You don’t even need to be “radical” (especially since radical commonly means “very different from the norm”).
In fact, the Bible does not encourage superlative adjectives to
describe following Christ at all. Adjectival superlatives tend to create
new forms of legalism
whereby the work and person of Christ is no longer sufficient to be in
right relationship with God. The norm is not enough. Although those
promoting various adjectives have no intention of doing harm, hearers
often embrace the adjective as the basis of genuine faith instead of the
language of Scripture.
Young Christian adults are torn in a sea of modern adjectives that tend to become shame-filled and often debilitating burdens. Larry Osborne
warns about five tribal communities that may be accidentally doing
harm:
(1) “Radical” Christians,
(2) “Crazy” Christians,
(3) “Missional”
Christians,
(4) “Gospel-Centered” Christians and
(5) Revolutionary and Organic
Christians. According to Osborne, each of these tribes has
inadvertently created accidental pharisaism because if one does not live
out one’s Christian life according to the norms and codes of their
respective tribe one will be looked down upon. Moreover, for those
within each tribe, it leaves them vulnerable to the arrogant narcissism that believes “our” tribe gets Christianity “right” while the others are substandard. Continue at Anthony Bradley
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