The Suburban Mob: A Year Later

It has been exactly a year since I put some of the most significant lessons that God had taught me in the last few years  to words.

It was called, “Are You Rioting with the Suburban Mob.”

I’ve been reflecting on these thoughts and where we are as a family now, a year later. 

I can say that we have put some great effort into refocusing our lives and being aware of the culture we are living in and how it is offering a way of life that has some major roadblocks to a distinctly christian life.  This has expressed itself in different ways.  Some ways we have been successful and other ways have been harder.  For example we’ve made great progress on living more within our means financially and paying off debt.  

I think if you live in suburbia (or any other culture for that matter, as each one brings a unique set of challenges) and don’t struggle with living in line with the teachings of Jesus, then you probably need to take a fresh look at the scriptures and your culture.

The struggle is good.  

It’s complacency that I scares me. 

It’s funny, I feel like part of the reason God called me to Zambia, a culture so different than mine, so I could see the reality of my culture more clearly. 

The simple truth is, the world’s default way of life just doesn’t work.  This is definitely no exception in suburbia.

Jesus calls us to a different way of life.  The gospel has some strong critique of this default way of life. Far too often we can’t even see this critique because it’s all we know.

This way of life isn’t about solo christianity.  This way of life requires us to engage a new/ancient way together. 

New because we live in a unique time. Ancient because living in the way of Jesus aren’t new. 

That is why I need my church community.  I need them because God has always been about creating alternative communities that do their best to live life as he intended it.  Stanley Hauerwas uses the term Resident Aliens to describe this community.  I kind of like the term “Alternative mob”  that i used in the post I wrote a year ago.

Either way you say it, I pray that The Well, and your church community, can be about forming a group of people who are working together to live in light of the Kingdom of God and not the kingdom of your culture. 

God bless.