Jesus Cropped from the Picture

Jesus Cropped from the Picture

Identification with the Church’s Sacred Roots could provide healing and convergence within the body of Christ (see Figure 18).

Figure 18: One Great Tradition, Many Expressions

In a world eager to employ a plethora of clever innovations to enhance the Church’s image, embracing the Church’s Sacred Roots stands in stark contrast to various methods to attract people to church, boost attendance, create a new craze, help people feel better about themselves, or return America back to a bygone era. Instead, it is an effort to restore Jesus as the SUBJECT of the picture , reinforce that the Church is the OBJECT , and remind Christians that there is an adversarial kingdom in this cosmic Story. In other words, forging an identity that is based on the Great Tradition is a powerful way to help Jesus’ followers resist the tendency to crop Jesus from the picture . This is a call for all Christians to become People of the Story , an invitation to conform to that which was given to the Church , not formed by cultural forces.

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