The End of Triumphalism

"There’s lots of pain in our congregation right now. We’ve had suicides and devastated families left behind. We’ve got missing children. We’ve got cancer, insurmountable debt, depression, anxiety, panic, bankruptcy, unemployment, doubt, unbelief, hard questions, rebellion, drunkenness, drugs, and many other sins. And that’ s just me! (Just kidding). We are, at first glance, a rather sorry lot. Which is why we get many people visit us for a bit and then leave. I think, as Jack Nicholson said, they can’t handle the truth! I’ve had people actually tell me, “There’s just too much pain here, too much suffering.” Sorry folks, but we gave up on triumphalism a long time ago. It doesn’t work for us."   Naked Pastor; "Are We Cursed?"

"How To Be With Those Who Grieve" is worth being clipped and saved as well.  I've been mulling both these over for some time now.

Comments

[Urbanmonk]

The end indeed.. Thirty years of name it and claim it is finally begining to unravel

[nakedpastor]

thanks for the mention dude. i appreciate it!

[Brian Buriff]

Blessed are the meek, for they shall...
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, for they shall...
Blessed are the persecuted, for they shall...

On and on, Jesus taught that true Kingdom blessing/reward is counterintuitive to the pop spirituality so prevelantly taught in today's culture.

[Pam Hogeweide]

i have never heard this word before, triumphalism. thanks for adding this to my vocabulary.

i was never very good at being triumphant anyway.

[[rhymes with kerouac]]

Urbanmonk - I hope so... I suspect it may be back, though...

Nakedpastor - No sweat!

Brian Buriff - Absolutely true. In the Kingdom, everything is the exact opposite of what we might "reasonably" expect in the world.

Pam - Actually, it was a new word for me too, but it really does fit the bill, doesn't it? I think that's what good pastors do - they expand our world.