The Radical Center

I just finished leading a six week discussion group on this great book written by our senior pastor. These excerpts from the last chapter of the book wraps up this idea of seeing gray and being a part of the radical center:

"Some characterize the Christian center as middle-of-the-road or wishy-washy. It is neither. A word that many in the center have often used to describe themselves is "moderate". But I don't believe that the Christian center is moderate either. What does it mean to take something is "moderation"? When we speak of eating or drinking in moderation, we mean that people consume in smaller portions. But I don't want to take my faith in moderation, or encourage others to do this. I am not interested in this kind of tepid faith."

"The radical center holds together a liberal spirit that is open-minded, searching for truth, generous, and always reforming, with a conserving spirit that is unwilling to discard historic truths simply because they are historic. It is willing to question anything but requires a high level of evidence before setting aside what has been treasured as truth by previous generations."

"The radical center holds that God gave us both an intellect and a heart and that both are essential to our faith."

I have never been comfortable with the moderate descriptor yet I so resonate with being a part of the radical center. In my thinking God and life are so much bigger that the narrow black or white imagery that folks in the extremes embrace.

---