Peppermint-filledPinatas2009-05-20 18:58:14
Last week I went to a cool gathering called IdeaCamp, created by pastor Charles Lee. There I got a chance to briefly talk to Eric Michael Bryant, the author of Peppermint-filled Pinatas. Eric serves as an elder, speaker, and navigator overseeing the leadership team at Mosaic in Los Angeles. He has a passion for breaking through this idea of "tolerance" and really learning to embrace love. Embracing diversity is a major driver in his approach to ministry.
"We live in a diverse world filled with unprecedented opportunity," he writes in his book, Peppermint-filled Pinatas. "Here is a call for the church to move past the barriers that we set up for ourselves; barriers that stand between us and those who may be different. For far too long, the world has been made aware of what we as Christians hate rather than whom we love." I truly agree with his observation. And because "the Christian Church" continues to operate as a sub-culture of American culture, we unintentionally repel people who may be of different culture or ethnic heritage. This dynamic can be clearly seen in our local churches. Even if the ethnic and cultural demographics of the city surrounding that church have changed, many of our local churches fail to reflect that change in their congregation.
Why? Please share your comments below.
"We live in a diverse world filled with unprecedented opportunity," he writes in his book, Peppermint-filled Pinatas. "Here is a call for the church to move past the barriers that we set up for ourselves; barriers that stand between us and those who may be different. For far too long, the world has been made aware of what we as Christians hate rather than whom we love." I truly agree with his observation. And because "the Christian Church" continues to operate as a sub-culture of American culture, we unintentionally repel people who may be of different culture or ethnic heritage. This dynamic can be clearly seen in our local churches. Even if the ethnic and cultural demographics of the city surrounding that church have changed, many of our local churches fail to reflect that change in their congregation.
Why? Please share your comments below.
