(e)mergent Voyageurs

As he did in "The Shaping of Things to Come", Frost begins the book on the reality that we are living in a Post-Christendom world as exiles in a foriegn land, a fact that many Christians (especially in the West) are still coming to terms with. Once we accept this inevitable state of affairs, Frost challenges us to resist the impulses to bemoan the glory days, helplessly trying to rebuild the impossible or becoming complacent, allowing the values of the Empire to consume and distort our identity.

Having grown up in a rural, Evangelical community, I am all to aware of how easy it is to convince ourselves that we are living the noble life of the godly exile. Looking to distant headlines over the battle for prayer in schools or the rise of abortion rates and homosexuality, we pat ourselves on the back as suffering for Jesus under these "persecutions", all the while following the comfortable patterns of materialism and individualism that the culture spoon-fed us. I use the inclusive language intentionally, because I was chief among those who convinced myself that my righteousness could be measured against these often extreme and always distant issues.

Then I started doing ministry in an inner city neighbourhood. I suddenly felt like Moses, raised in a system of privilege, affirmed, loved and cared for, only to discover that many of the freedoms and pleasures I enjoyed came through allegiance and participation with a matrix that was at the expense of millions of others. And like Moses, my impulse was to strike out at the nearest offender, as though it could wipe away the truth without addressing the exploitive Empire of which I was a prince. As a result I have been endeavouring to divest myself of these ties, starting by moving into an inner city community and becoming a true neighbour.

Frost offers clear guidance on this journey: discover our Dangerous Memories, those revolutionary stories that inspire us; affirm our Dangerous Promises, offering true Spirit transformation; declare our Dangerous Criticism, boldly confronting injust; and sing our Dangerous Songs, those birthing cries of revolution. Even within YWAM, recalling those bold and risky ventures at our inception as a mission still stir me step out at any cost. Having seen broken lives changed in impossibly wonderful ways convinces me that promises we preach are more than just platitudes. Seeing the lives of people in my neighbourhood crushed under an unjust system (politcal/social/spiritual), I cannot remain silent. And needing the inspiration and commonality of purpose to inaugurate the present/coming Kingodm, I will add my voice to the pounding harmony in songs of revolution.

The second chapter goes on to root these powerful truths in their strongest source: Jesus. Frost demonstrates how we have slowly allowed our Jesus to altered, losing His humanity in the abstract philosophy of His divine nature. While we accuse "liberal theologians" of stripping Jesus of His divinity in pursuit of His humanity, we commit an equal though opposite injustice by placing Jesus so far out of our own context and experience that He no longer presents an achievable model of Christlikeness.

Through the creative use of visuals (b&w images of several Renaissance masterspieces), reflecting on how these images shape(d) our view of Jesus and our relationship to Him, Frost brings the radical character of Jesus back to where it is best suited- not on the lighted stage of grand stadium, not on the pages of beautifully bound book or in the words of a clever blog- but in the "mundane" reality of everyday life, specifically to the table. From the miracle at Cana to the meal in the upper room, we rediscover both the power of Jesus and his humanity.

In chapter 3, the final in "Dangerous Memories", continues to flesh out what it means to follow and imitate Christ in this incarnational lifestyle. Doing what he does best, Frost illustrates his points powerfully using real life stories and example of what this rediscovered revolution might look like. Using examples of the creation of "third places" (sociological term for welcoming public spaces, such as cafes, communities centres, etc.), he demonstrates the impact of liberating Jesus & ministry from the untouchably religious framework we often couch them in. For those not able to start such daring ventures, he offers the profoundly important practice of the presence of Christ, drawing from the essential book by Brother Lawrence "The Practice of the Presence of God".

In a time when the world's mistrust of the religious institutions of Christianity leds people to devour such books as "The Da Vinci Code", readers are challenged to embrace the naked truth of who Jesus is. Rather than denying the importance of the verbal proclamation of the Gospel, Frost asserts that the spoken message needn't take place from the stage or behind the pulpit, but in those very personal encounters when our incarnational living inspires the inevitable questions about why we are different.

This final point is so important to me. Like so many, I have been burnt by the tactics of evangelism to the point where I have become reactionary. I am often so concerned that identifying as a Christian or (worse) a missionary will alienate me from my neighbours- which it very well might- that I put all my energy into guarding against misunderstanding instead of missional loving and living in the everyday context of my life. It was a much needed reminder.

Emerging Church Michael Frost Exiles