My bride and I had an interesting evening listening to a group of Christ followers who are in intentional communities. A couple of things I noticed:
Although they represented a half a dozen or more groups who had never before met, they all had a common language - I language that I did not speak and often could not follow. How often do those who don't follow Jesus feel this way about us - we speak an odd language that makes them feel excluded. That we don't intend to exclude is irrelevant, the effect is the same regardless of the intent.
It was good to hear different ideas about the Bible and who Jesus is. I was challenged by some of what was said, and will continue to ponder it for some time to come. Lori and I discussed what we had heard on the way home, and the new take on "old ideas" helped us to see things differently. Listening to those who have different ideas can be challenging, but it usually is beneficial. Even if you don't ultimately add any of the ideas to your theology, the exercise of examining, contrasting, and comparing will bring growth.
