The Importance of Being Uncomfortable in Church

Bethany Keeley-Jonker of Think Christian writes a post entitled Mark Driscoll and the Importance of Being Uncomfortable in Church.

Be sure to read the whole post for both background on the Driscoll hoopla and Keeley-Jonker's thoughtful insight to what she feels the church should be today. A couple of quotes:

I was reminded of “Sweet Tea,” an ethnography of black gay men in the South. Many of these men attended black churches and sang in the choir, despite the regular pronouncements against their identity from the pulpit. The author asked why they did this, and one response about singing in the choir has stuck with me: “Baby, it ain’t the army where you can be all that you can be, it’s the church.” Isn’t that what we want people to say about our churches? Don’t we want the church to be a place for people who have a hard time finding a place?

We live in a culture where it is hard to find spaces for certain kinds of gender performances to be accepted and valued. The church has an odd history, but in our best moments, we welcome gifts from those who offer them.

Read the full post here.