The Church as a Radical Force

Fences separated the row of yards housing my neighborhood friends. A small pack of kids, mostly boys, spent our summer days romping through backyards, front yards, neighbor's yards, the street running in front of our houses, and the woods behind. Hide-and-seek, kick the can, and spies were among our favorite games. Growing up in the cold war that followed WWII, I liked playing spies the best. Spies were in books, audio programs, movies, comic books, and games. Spies were everywhere when I was growing up. A spy introduced me to Jesus. His name was Tom. I met him at a summer camp in Canada. Tom shared his spy stories of smuggling Bibles in the USSR (if you are under 35, Google "USSR" for more information). Tom's stories captivated me enough to let my defenses down and meet the real Jesus.

I began following Jesus with the passion, commitment, imagination, and mobilization of a spy. I mean, I knew there was a mission, we had opposition, and fulfilling the mission might require risk. And I wondered how God might call me to join in His mission. It wasn't long into my disciplemaking journey that I met another spy. I began reading about a spy named Deitrich. Deitrich Bonhoeffer, the subject of the 2024 movie Angle Studio movie, "Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin." While the movie drew mixed reviews concerning historical accuracy and cinematography, watching the film resonated strings of memories of Jesus changing my life, of visiting Poland shortly after the wall fell and walking through the remnants of Auschwitz. The Bonhoeffer movie is art, its imagination. Watching the movie rekindled my missional imagination.

Missional imagination drives every generation of Christians. Christianity began under the radical leadership of Jesus. Jesus' leadership and teaching are accessible and applicable to all. Imagine a movement independent of class, race, gender, or culture. A missional imagination that spills out of the core group to everyone around them. Because Jesus'

message and teaching are supra-cultural and accessible to all genders, ethnicities, and classes, the movement of Christianity collaterally transforms those around gatherings of Jesus followers. The Christian movement, begun by Jesus, has influenced art and architecture, liberty

and law, volunteerism, and care for the vulnerable. The mission imagination of people transformed by Jesus transforms lives and culture.

1. Where do you see the impact of the Christian church on the world around you?

2.     What are the areas of culture and society that might benefit from the presence of Jesus' movement—the church?