Out of practice, not so perfect

A review of Unbinding the Gospel over at The Christian Century talks about successful mainline churches:

Even if their faith is in a universal salvation, they have learned to tell the story of how they have experienced God's grace in their community of faith and to share that story with enthusiasm. They have broken through the mainline fear of offending people and decided to talk about their church.

It has long struck me that the same mainline church members who pass resolutions on gay marriage and propose solutions to conflict in the Middle East suddenly shrink in silence on the subject of their faith, and they do this—here's the irony—so they won't offend anyone. For too long, our noble impulses toward tolerance and inclusivity have turned us into spiritual illiterates who, being out of practice, have forgotten how to speak the words of our faith.

Amen.

People here at First Church often mention being afraid that they'll be misjudged as a conservative or evangelical if they talk about their faith in Liberal City. Of course, if the liberals keep quiet, most people who talk about faith will in fact be conservative/evangelical. We need to 1) get it out into the culture that progressive Christians have experiences of God too; and 2) learn how to share them again.