These days, I feel more of a spirtual kinship with the “unChurched” , and specifically those who I am convinced WOULD be deeply involved in Church but have found themselves alientated by its utter irrelevance with what I would consider to be God’s attempts to call his people into mission, at various points of need that exist. There are scores of “Democrats” who are Democrats precisely because of the vision of SOME in that party, to carry out meaningful engagement in the world and enlist others in that MISSION. If the Church fails to be in dialogue with the world, and abandons its call to respond, then the cuases that are “secular” and yet deeply concerned will supplant the pious, do-nothing gatherings and engage them, and turn them away from hope in the existing Churches. But there ARE some; like the Church of the Saviour, in Washington DC, whose model of Church is unforgettable, and constantly haunting my experiences of Church since.

The idea that the Church is a people on a Journey Inward and Journey Outward , that we MUST be accountable to one another for our spiritual journeys, is virtually NONEXISTENT. I have yet to see it ANYWHERE outside the Church of the Saviour with any ongoing commitment applied. THe best evidence of this is how completely isolated I’ve felt in this past year as the Church in an alrmingly increasing frequency either aligns itself overtly with the United States and basically writes the Bush adminstration a blank check to do whatever it sees fit, boosted by the claim of George W Bush that he is being led by God, and that Christ has changed his heart.

The people who look at this and look at our behaviour as a nation since 9/11, and wonder what’s gone wrong, are very few. And this is very depressing. More in a bit.