Jump directly to the Content

Rules of Engagement

Confronting a sinful culture without sinning.

After sifting through the "cheers and jeers" in response to my article "Six Ways I Quit Church," I found some themes worth exploring. Did I really quit? If not, what did I mean? And what does it mean for our ecclesiology and our personal holiness?

Here is further explanation of my "quitting" and what it meant for me personally and for the churches I have served. I also want to offer my three rules for engaging our culture.

Some people took the article quite literally. I received some kudos from people who dropped out of Christian community. Other readers didn't engage the tongue in cheek boat/fish metaphors at the level I intended, taking them too seriously, taking them beyond their usefulness, or not getting the spirit of the metaphors. What I offered as a winsome word picture some received with a vitriolic spirit, which probably makes quite a few people long to quit church for real.

Still other readers were steamed because they concluded that not only had I lazily and selfishly disconnected ...

July/August
Support Our Work

Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month

Homepage Subscription Panel

Read These Next

Related
Pastor with a Big Grudge
Pastor with a Big Grudge
From the Magazine
Is Sexuality a Matter of First Importance?
Is Sexuality a Matter of First Importance?
The apostle Paul’s discussion of same-sex sexuality in 1 Corinthians 6 is a clear, compassionate, and proportionate model for church leaders.
Editor's Pick
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
Understanding God and our world needs more than bare reason and experience.
close