Parting Thoughts from Soularize

Parting Thoughts from Soularize October 21, 2011

I came a little bit late to the game. This was my first Soularize event, but founder Spencer Burke also announced it will be the last.

Always the visionary, Spencer is moving on, carrying the conversation “from critique to action,” he says. with this, he announced his new Mission Planting project, with the focus on bringing together and empowering leaders passionate about missional ministry in their communities.

In short: enough theological criticism and deconstruction. Let’s do something about what we believe.

While I agree we can get too comfortable critiquing from a distance, and that the real work if face to face in the so-called “real world,” I hope that we don’t stop having these critical conversations. Yes, many within certain circles have heard the ideas we’ve been talking about for a long time, but so many more have no idea how their Christian faith could be changed, given some new inspiration.

Still, it’s an important reminder to shut up at some point and go live out what we talk about. I’m excited to join Spencer and his team in helping create Mission Planting into something exciting and relevant, but I don’t think I can ever stop critiquing faith, especially my own.

Rachel Held Evans offered some sneak previews of her AJ Jacobs-style upcoming book about trying to figure out what “Biblical womanhood” actually means and looks like. As always, she was charming, funny and profound, challenging all present to look past ideologies to the deeper humanity of those with whom we disagree.

“When you roll your eyes and talk with contempt about those evangelicals,” she said, “remember, you’re talking about my dad, and he’s the greatest person in the world.” Thanks for the reminder, Rachel.

Exhausted, over-full of ideas and energized by new friendships, I said goodbye to the hundred or so who joined us this year in San Diego for the final Soularize event. It’s the end of something great, but with the promise of much more to come.

As I’ve heard many great evangelical preachers say before, Friday’s here, but Sunday’s coming.

Christian Piatt is an author, editor, speaker, musician and spoken word artist. He co-founded Milagro Christian Church in Pueblo, Colorado with his wife, Rev. Amy Piatt, in 2004. Christian is the creator and editor of “Banned Questions About The Bible” and “Banned Questions About Jesus.” He has a memoir on faith, family and parenting being published in early 2012 called “PREGMANCY: A Dad, a Little Dude and a Due Date.” For more information about Christian, visit www.christianpiatt.com, or find him on Twitter or Facebook.


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