Book Excerpt #23 (Outsourcing God)

It's been a while since I've posted any excerpts from my upcoming book, Outsourcing God.  I thought amidst the volatile political debates happening in the country, that this was an opportunity to connect some dots between faith and politics.  Because I believe that the Kingdom of God is unfolding before our eyes, by what Christ has done, what God is doing, and what Christ followers are doing as God's hands and feet, this is important.

Much of what people know, feel, and react towards God comes from the work(s) and behavior(s) of the Church.  Because we live in a consumer culture, where everything seems to be condensed to 140-character tweets and sound-bytes, we opt for consuming what makes us feel good and what buys power; power in the church, power in politics, power around the globe.  Its much more difficult to be, to honestly struggle, and to operate communally, rather than individuals responding to talking points.  Thus, we outsource God (to loud leaders, politicians that are supposed to be representative of "the christian right" or "the christian left"), and what the world perceives God as becomes blurred and sometimes even unrecognizable...

(c) 2012 Ross Christopher Donaldson - Outsourcing God.

...We make no distinction between faith and consumerism. And if we’re not careful, we wind up treating our leadership positions as if they were telemarketing firms or IT consultants.

But this doesn’t happen over night. It’s a culmination of culture, movement, laziness, vision, and pace, all working in tandem over time to affect every single aspect of how people see and follow God. Because God is inextricably linked to the way the Church behaves, it ineffectually becomes the same.

This is a conundrum of the Church.

Peace,
Ross