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Yet another good quote
I hate to only ever be posting quotes on here, but it seems like every time we get together and deal somewhat seriously with a subject, it comes up in my CQOD email a day or two later. Just as a little disclaimer, I realize that this quote could (by some) be read as a kind of "rebuke" of our planning stages, but I don't see it that way. I see it as a kind of confirmation that we're on the right track, that we're trying to move away from some of the things Mr. Reid is talking about. And, too, if you notice the date of the quote, it also tells us that we Christians have been struggling with some of these issues for quite a while. Anyway, with no further ado, here's the quote:
"This is the age of the conference and study group--people talking about what they know they should be doing. In a subtle way, talking about something becomes an excuse for not doing it. This new bolt-hole of the conference and study group is not confined to the local congregation. It is a painful fact of life in the central structures of the churches. We have a welter of reports, commissions, surveys, liaison bodies, and so on. They have the appearance of progressive thinking and readiness to face change, combined with the function of being delaying devices. They are the sacraments of current Christianity, and its dilemma. Outreach is a move from power structures to meekness structures, and, in spite of the fact that Christians believe that it is the meek who shall inherit the earth, they show (as in the ecumenical movement) a distinct reluctance to relinquish power-structure thinking.
~Gavin Reid, The Gagging of God [1969]
| posted by #Debi | 7:00 AM |
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