You’re right. I’m not as dire as you are. I’m in a good church that, while not perfect, has a strong community that does well in many of the things I’m talking about. Sure, even they can improve, and I’m not sure they catch the kind of vision I’m talking about for community, but I’m not sure who in the Evangelical church will. It’s too countercultural.

At my heart, though, I’m an optimist. Perhaps disillusioned, but still trying to hold on to what I know the Lord wants. I’ve known solid Christians who’ve scoffed at me and called me a utopian. But I’m not really. I’m just trying to bring some of the 1st century Church to 21st century America.

Is that a fool’s errand? Perhaps. But if I stop speaking I think I’ll explode. You’re right about a spiritual revolution, but a lot of things accompany that move. Plus, every spiritual revolution starts with a few people. If all those people speak out, things WILL change.

If I have one fear it’s that we like the status quo too much. We’re satisfied with bologna sandwiches when filet mignon is on the menu. If I keep begging people to try the filet, then it’s what God is calling me to do right now. I can’t keep eating the bologna when I know better.

Everything is just so splendidly rotten everywhere that there’s no climbing out from the Great Laodicean Miasma that has a grip on everything, not now, not ever.

Man, do I ever feel cheerful.

(I wonder if I should just strip down to a loin cloth and find a cave somewhere in the Mojave Desert to hide out in and do the eremetic thing, like some one of the desert Fathers I’m currently reading about.)

But really, I’m much more dire than you are. Unless there’s a Spiritual Revolution in this country, we can kiss it goodbye.

I’ll be writing on this a bit more as the series continues, but I’ve posted in the past on the truth of “letting love lead,” that we love first and anything else—including true judgment—follows in the wake of love. (And don’t even get me going on the falsehood that being tactless and self-righteous in confronting a sinner is still “love.”)

I think another we we should look at it is that any wrong judgment is rewarded with a punch in the face, while a correct one merits a handshake. Fewer people would be so quick to judge if they knew they’d get bopped in the nose for making an incorrect judgment.