Comments on: Interview With A Second Chance Pharisee http://doableevangelism.com/2008/12/07/interview-with-a-second-chance-pharisee/ What if evangelism meant just being yourself? Tue, 15 May 2012 01:13:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Samantha Wadia http://doableevangelism.com/2008/12/07/interview-with-a-second-chance-pharisee/comment-page-1/#comment-18133 Samantha Wadia Thu, 11 Dec 2008 22:09:27 +0000 http://doableevangelism.com/?p=1043#comment-18133 When I was at Burning Man (an arts festival in the desert that’s typically thought of as “drugs, sex, and demons”) I realized that people desperately long for a community in which they can be themselves, without fear of judgment. In this kind of community, people naturally serve one another and the balance is a beautiful and harmonious thing. But Burning Man only lasts for one week out of the year and the people that attend spend the next 12 months anxiously awaiting the next event. American Christianity ought to offer these communities, but we don’t. I STRONGLY agree with you on this Sarah! I know many people who go to Burning Man for the community it provides. I had a conversation with one friend who said that the atmosphere at Burning Man was beginning to change and did not offer him the same sense of community as it had 4-5 years ago. When he was talking about how it was changing his tone changed and I could hear and see this deep deep sadness in him where he had once found fulfillment but is now losing it and yearns deeply for that again. My heart cries for him to know Jesus-but I agree with you....what community do we really offer? I often feel Jesus is all I have, which is really all I need-but I long for that community with believers and generally feel it is lacking. Being married to an Indian, I also see this amazing community that his mom/family/friends are deeply imbedded in, and it makes me sad that with him becoming a Christian he has yet to meet community like what he has been exposed to. So how do we hold the hope of the world and yet not have a cohesive community that reflects that? I'm with you girl-I miss you!! But what do we do...aside from pray. Maybe true prayer is really what is lacking? When I was at Burning Man (an arts festival in the desert that’s typically thought of as “drugs, sex, and demons”) I realized that people desperately long for a community in which they can be themselves, without fear of judgment. In this kind of community, people naturally serve one another and the balance is a beautiful and harmonious thing. But Burning Man only lasts for one week out of the year and the people that attend spend the next 12 months anxiously awaiting the next event. American Christianity ought to offer these communities, but we don’t.

I STRONGLY agree with you on this Sarah! I know many people who go to Burning Man for the community it provides. I had a conversation with one friend who said that the atmosphere at Burning Man was beginning to change and did not offer him the same sense of community as it had 4-5 years ago. When he was talking about how it was changing his tone changed and I could hear and see this deep deep sadness in him where he had once found fulfillment but is now losing it and yearns deeply for that again. My heart cries for him to know Jesus-but I agree with you….what community do we really offer? I often feel Jesus is all I have, which is really all I need-but I long for that community with believers and generally feel it is lacking.

Being married to an Indian, I also see this amazing community that his mom/family/friends are deeply imbedded in, and it makes me sad that with him becoming a Christian he has yet to meet community like what he has been exposed to.

So how do we hold the hope of the world and yet not have a cohesive community that reflects that?

I’m with you girl-I miss you!! But what do we do…aside from pray. Maybe true prayer is really what is lacking?

]]> By: Helen http://doableevangelism.com/2008/12/07/interview-with-a-second-chance-pharisee/comment-page-1/#comment-18130 Helen Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:46:12 +0000 http://doableevangelism.com/?p=1043#comment-18130 Thanks for this interview, Pam. <blockquote> When I was a leader in Las Vegas there was a phase that our team went through in which several of the leaders confessed to sexual sin. They were asked to leave leadership. Meanwhile, others on the team were doing the same things, but not confessing, and being left alone. <em>I learned from this that to be a good Christian leader, you can never be honest. </em></blockquote> I can relate to this - it seems so sadly backwards though. If Christian leaders have to hide and pretend, it seems like what Jesus did hasn't made any difference... Thanks for this interview, Pam.

When I was a leader in Las Vegas there was a phase that our team went through in which several of the leaders confessed to sexual sin. They were asked to leave leadership. Meanwhile, others on the team were doing the same things, but not confessing, and being left alone. I learned from this that to be a good Christian leader, you can never be honest.

I can relate to this – it seems so sadly backwards though. If Christian leaders have to hide and pretend, it seems like what Jesus did hasn’t made any difference…

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