November 17th, 2009
Recently I was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend about living radically in a world full of increasing cultural amalgamation and homogenization and I started to wonder what it would mean if Christians committed to traveling no more the 100 miles from home for a period of time? The reason that I started to wonder about this is because I believe that a healthy and life giving church is a church that is engaged in the culture in and around it fully and completely.
I love traveling and entering into new cultures and new places and being a fish out of water. I love walking the streets of India choking on the smoke and smog of a congested city and being followed by a gaggle of children who have never seen a bald white man. It is exiting to see the life and vibrancy of a culture so different from my own. However, I believe if I can engage in that culture fully and really appreciate it, I need to be a culturally literate Christian.
Every neighborhood I have ever lived in has had a life blood and rhythm all of its own. From living in rural Colorado, to living in a few different places in the Colorado front range or places in California, they all have a flavor and experience that sets them apart from the rest of the world. The reasons are many. What industry the town is built around, what the average age of the residents is, what the spiritual landscape of the region is and so on. If a business wants to thrive in a region it must know its consumers. The same goes for a church. If a church is to know the people it is there to minister to and to lead into a life of holiness and godliness, then they must have a view of the local culture that is unique and geographically dependent.
I know that if I were to challenge myself to staying in the area for a year I am asking myself to sacrifice a lot. I like the freedom of hoping on the Interstate and being in Denver in no time. I like the freedom of a cheap flight to go see my family in Las Vegas. I feel like the Southwest Airlines tag line “You are now free to move about the country”. Or, I am the “Roaming Gnome” of Travelocity fame. I see the ability to travel as my “god given right” even though 125 years ago the average person never moved much further then 25 miles from home in a lifetime.
I believe that a few things would change in my life
1) A greater vision for the community that I am in. Being forced to observe and participate in the local culture for a time means bumping up against the people, places and things of my local expression of culture. I will see the good, but be forced to acknowledge the bad as well. It will be harder and harder to ignore the poverty of my neighbor, the homeless guy down the road, the local political landscape of where I am.
2) A greater sense of urgency and passion for the people close to me. By listening more and more only to the voices and people in my close sphere of influence, my little “halon” of existence, I can be a better advocate for my neighbor, be a better friend, be a better example to those around me.
3) A deeper understanding of the expression of Christ. Jesus did not travel far and wide in his ministry. He stayed very local and never traveled any further then where his feet could carry him in his adult life. We do not see Jesus riding camels or riding a donkey even until he came into the gates of the city to face his execution.
4) Be more environmentally friendly. Not driving so much is less Co2 in the air. Staying local will help me start thinking local and buying local foods from farmers markets, from local farms and other such things. This minimizes Co2 as well. By staying local I will care more what my local landscape looks like and be more concerned about things like traffic and how it affects our community health and so on. It is easier to think about a sustainable community if I keep myself in it for a time.
I am just thinking out loud here. I am not sure where this will all lead. But what do you think? Is this completely nuts? Or, is this the love your neighbor in full force?
Sam Van Eman over at New Breed of Advertisers has This gem to add Maybe I am not as original in my thought process, but if we all commit to this I think the spiritual landscape of communities will change, and do so quite quickly.
~Selah~
