Frank Viola is an increasingly dear friend of mine, even though we have yet to meet in the flesh. I look forward to that day. I do not always agree with Frank on everything, but I trust you have friends like that too. But there is no doubt in my mind that in terms of diagnosing the many problems in the Established Church there are few who are generally as on the button as him.
Today I wanted to share a handful of statements from a recent post of his which he simply entitled “You are not alone.” If you are anything like me you will resonate with most if not all of the full list, but here are some that stood out to me to whet your appetite:
We are sickened that so many evangelical Christians are either legalists or libertines. We want Christ’s lordship and we want His liberty as well. We wish to follow Jesus without being legalistic or libertine.
We hold to the orthodox teachings of Scripture regarding the Person of Christ, His work on the cross, the inspiration and truth of the Bible, the Triune nature of God (the Godhead), but we are weary of Christians dividing over peripheral doctrines.
We’ve grown weary of the way that Christians routinely mistreat their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, being quick to judge their motives, thinking the worst of them, condemning them, slandering them, gossiping about them, etc. We believe that being a Christian means treating others the same way you want to be treated (Matt. 7:12)—the forgotten words of Jesus.
We’ve grown tired of the shallowness that marks so much of evangelical Christianity today. The same sermons, the same principles, the same teachings, etc. We are looking for depth in the Christian life. We know there’s more to Jesus Christ, more to His church, and more to the spiritual life than what’s been promoted in establishment Christianity. There is a cry in our hearts that says, “There’s got to be more than this.”
We are tired of the tendency of some Christians to elevate certain sins that others commit while minimizing or justifying their own sins.
We’ve grown tired of Christian leaders attacking and competing with one another, instead of networking together and supporting one another.
Read the rest at You Are Not Alone.
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