CCBlogs thinking critically, living faithfully

Chad Holtz's blog

Ordination along with denominations have received quite a beating in the blogosphere over the last week. If you don’t know what I am talking about visit Pomomusings or Greg Bolt’s blog for a good overview with links to sites where this discussion is ongoing.

As I peruse the comments this topic has generated it struck me that no one is really talking about the real casualty in all of this: the local church. If we maintain that denominations are “sinful” (the position Tony Jones has taken) and should be done away with and the process of ordination should be made easier and more grass-roots, the church will die.

When I was baptized I was immersed into a story far bigger than me. All of us who call ourselves Christians are connected by a stream that runs through all of time. I am not an island unto myself. I am connected to the saints that have come before me, live with me and will live after me. Because you are, I am.

In our post-modern theological pow-wows it is trendy to talk of narratives. The story into which our baptism initiates us we call a grand meta-narrative, or a means by which we define our existence as well as make educated guesses about where creation is headed (or more precisely, where God is taking it). Evangelism, in this motif, is defined by Stanley Hauerwas as “an invitation to switch stories.” Christians believe we have a pretty good story, one we aptly call Good News, that is worth even our very lives.... READ MORE.