Are We Able to Let Go?

We are seeing a continuing shift of center of the Christian Church. More and more of our brothers and sisters in Africa and Asia are coming to know the Lord while the Western church communities are in decline.

Along these lines, there is an excellent opportunity offered by an African theologian Kwame Bediako in his book, Christianity in Africa. Bediako suggests that the shift in the Church is not from the West to the South and East, but a shift to include them.

The universal church does not need a linear unidirectional theology eminating from one center, but a pattern of centers understanding theology in context and culture creating an overlapping system of theology that makes room for different perspectives and understandings.

I think this is of the utmost importance for us in the West because if we are not willing to let go of our staunch propositional beliefs and our hold of the center of our faith, then we are going to be left behind instead of joining in the ever increasing universality of God's Church as described in Rev 7.

I hope we can let go of our own agendas and really ask ourselves if we can trust that God is just as much in the midst of communities in different cultures and traditions. Can we really let go and be a unified Church? And if we are able to accept the beliefs and interpretations of those in other countries, can we also do that for those here at home? Are we willing to let go of control and allow belief in Jesus to be the basis for our communion? Or are we going to make dogma the basis?