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February 22, 2005
Making disciples or converts?
Messy Christian is a Malaysian Christian, and talks here about the persecution she experienced as a new Christian, and the struggles she had with inadequate support in the church. Her experiences of persecution are similar in many ways to those of Fulani converts, but her story also has wider relevance.
It raises good questions about what church is supposed to be for new converts - are we just looking for "scalps", or are we functioning as the new community of the kingdom of God, where people can find love, grace, and support as they find their way into the new life of Christ? To her credit, MC avoids bitterness, and sees how God strengthened her through her experience. But at the same time, many fail to make it through those early trials because the church fails to function as the family it is supposed to be.
I want to write more soon on some of the approaches we have tried as we explored holistic discipleship and community with Muslim converts among the Fulani, and think about how some of that might transfer also to the Western context.
Posted by Keith at February 22, 2005 10:47 AM
Comments
Please do write more on this. I have been struggling with this in my Canadian context.
Posted by: wilsonian at February 22, 2005 10:29 PM
