In a soon to be released interview for “The Work of the People,” Peter Rollins offers a challenging critique to those among us who are addicted to feel-good Sunday Church experiences. As someone who spends hours of sweat and toil crafting Sunday morning worship services, I must confess to squirming as Rollins’ critique made me feel like a pusher of dubious integrity. Despite my discomfort, Rollins’ challenge reminds me of the need to “re-think” my own assumptions and aspirations of what it means to be “church”.
Rollins’ critique speaks to the need to broaden our definition of church beyond that which takes place in a building on Sunday morning to a more inclusive understanding of our life together in community. When church endeavours to embody Christ, we begin to live our lives together as one in the world. Our common life in Christ reaches beyond our addiction to feel-good Sunday morning worship to include our struggle together to become more fully human.
Pete Rollins will be our guest at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Newmarket, Ontario on the weekend of: April 12-14, 2013. I look forward to learning more from this challenging theologian!!!
Pete Rollins is spot on in what he says. Often, the cry to “go deep” is bandied about by success-driven ideologies – go for the touchdown, for the points, for the “high”. “Go deep” can also mean going deeper inside to touch the beauty of our humanity which is revealed through the vulnerability of our pain, our grief, our fear, our brokenness. And this, I think says something about the way to live life fully, love extravagantly – the path towards being all that we can be. I love this guy – can hardly wait to see him next April.
So….what church, specifically, might Peter Rollins be talking about? It’s not Holy Cross in
Newmarket!
I think Rollins is referring to the capital “C” Churches whose members define Church by what happens in a building on Sunday mornings and not small “c” churches who strive to be a community that extends beyond the building and into the week. Can’t wait to discuss it with him in person at Holy Cross.