We Haven't Yet Arrived, But We Know We've Left Where We Were

A quote from a book caught my eye recently. It's a book I read a few years ago, called unChristian. It details research into the perceptions of Christianity from the point of view of sixteen- to twenty-nine-year-olds. And those perceptions aren't good. Still, what caught my eye was hope. The leaders of the Christian Church in the United States have hope for the future of the faith. Despite all the hypocrisy, apathy, and animosity that pervade Christianity, these men and women have hope.

Here's the quote that caught my eye:
"My dream is that thirty years from now, the church will be known more by what it is for that what it is against."  
Dr. Rick Warren, Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church and best-selling author of A Purpose Driven Life


Then another quote got my attention:
"I have faith that in the future we will make better decisions on what issues we think are important."   Mike Foster, president of Ethur; founder of XXXChurch.com

And yet another:
"Christianity is and has been quite a remarkable mess, and that's surely not going to change in the next thirty years. As for Christians, well, we really have just one thing going for us. We have publicly declared that we are desperately in need of Another to give us his righteousness, to complete us, and to live in us."  Andy Crouch, journalist and author

All of these quotes ring so true to me. As a full-time employee at a church, I am acutely aware of the many ways that Christians 'get it wrong.' Still...I believe we can do better. I wouldn't be wasting my time in this field of work if I didn't believe that.

We will always prove to be hypocrites. We'll always wrongly judge others. We'll continue to be selfish and self-centered too much of the time. We're human. But we'll also own up to those mistakes and press on toward our goal of being better people. People more like Jesus.

A man I met recently said it like this: We haven't yet arrived, but we know we've left where we were.