Heard the one about a Graceless church?

Tom Sine points out

“One of the most concerning aspects of the Christian dualism model is that it tends to convey the impression that the good news of the gospel only has to do with the narrowly individual, spiritual aspects of personal faith”.

Sine, T (1999) Mustard Seed Versus Mcworld: Reinventing Christian Life And Mission For A New Millennium )

He goes on to recall a panel discussion that he was invited to participate in about the Church's response to the poor at the Call to Renewal Conference. The other panelists included Brian Hehir, a Catholic scholar from Harvard, E. J. Dionne, a well-known Catholic author and conservative commentator Cal Thomas.

… Cal Thomas stated, 'I recently interviewed Ralph Reed [then president of the Christian Coalition] and I particularly liked his response to one question I asked him. I asked, 'What would happen if every member of the Christian Coalition began to live as their leader commanded them ... and I am not talking about Pat Robertson?"

Reed responded, "Loving their enemies, praying for those that persecuted them, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting those in prison." Cal stressed, "not as an end ... not as an end ... but as a means ... because it gives you an entry to their hearts!'

Ever heard the one about a graceless church?

Hmmm?

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