#1 When we tell the story of Christianity, we too often forget to start the story and end the story with the Garden of Eden and God dwelling with man. See God created man and placed him in a garden, without sin, sickness, disease etc.
#2 We must tell the middle of the story too: ie. the fall, Jesus, and the redemption of mankind. But starting the story in the middle isn't telling the whole story.
#3 In Matthew 19:28, Acts 3:19, and Colossians 1:19 we see that Jesus, Peter, and Paul saw and told the story as a story of restoration.
#4 We must be careful because sometimes the way we tell the story leaves heaven sounding a bit boring.
#5 Seeing the story (Christianity) as beginning before sin and being restored to a sinless state changes the whole story. The story isn't about getting out of here someday, instead eternal life with God begins the moment you begin a real relationship with Jesus.
#6 Instead of attempting to create a Christian version of everything (ie. Christian bands, Christian bookstores, Christian schools, Christian malls, Christian movies, Christian coffeehouses, etc.) let's take Christ with us into the secular concerts, bookstores, schools, malls, movies, bars, and coffeehouses!
#7 Maybe telling the whole story would include a sinless creation, the fall due to a lack of trust in the creator, redemption through Jesus' death on a cross, and eternal life that begins now and includes the restoration of the garden of Eden - a place where heaven and earth are the same place - GOD DWELLING WITH MAN!!!
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I'm with you, but I have a bit of a different take on "Christian Schools," especially since I teach at one. I believe that Christians need to stop "taking Christ" into the officially agnostic government (i.e., public) schools. Christ is already there, of course, but most Christian teenagers are not prepared to properly discern and stand firm in the face of the onslaught they will face there.
Well, I started to leave a comment... but my comment turned into 500+ words, so I posted my response on my blog and I'm just leaving a link here.
http://www.crazyteachermusings.com/2009/10/christians-in-public-schools.html
WOW... I haven't read your blog yet Josh... but Chantae' just read it to me as I was driving from point (A) a public school to point (B) aplacetotalk.
Your questions were wonderful. I wish those questions could be asked in every pulpit in America.
and.... russellandduenes - how did you come across my blog? and did you receive my question about your podcast?
Man - I hope someone continues this conversation... I just saw some more to think about in regards to this conversation over at the russellandduenes blog. Here is a link - http://russellandduenes.wordpress.com/the-birds-and-the-beesk-12/#comment-688
Hope it works.
Well, I just read through that... and I think I know now that the comments were a cut against my profession.
This is pretty harsh: "I don’t know that my kid would do much worse listening to the toothless guy [at the liquor store] about sex than listening to the teacher over at the public school."
Good thing I have pretty thick skin...
Hi Josh - I think you'd better go back and read that comment again. First, Gilbert from Norco is the one who used the phrase, and he was talking about kids in inner-city schools. I did not agree with him in my comment, and the gist of my comment had to do with kindergardeners getting taught sex ed. So I'm not sure what you took offense at. It couldn't have been anything I said, since all I said was that kindergardeners should not be taught sex ed.
Well, I did just read through it again. The line I found offensive and quoted came from the paragraph that begins, "I don’t believe I advocated something 'neutral' since there is no such thing." That's under russellandduenes, not Gilbert from Norco.
It also comes just a few paragraphs after you said, "Let's suppose we're talking about a teenager."
Regardless of subject matter, I think the advice of teachers will (in most cases, at least) be better than the advice of the toothless guy at the liquor store.
And, of course, that's a matter of opinion. Most of my students would much rather heed the advice of the guy at the liquor store than mine.
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