Jesus Cropped from the Picture

Jesus Cropped from the Picture

congregation should not only affirm its commitment to the Great Tradition, but also explain its unique place within the Church.

Because the People of the Story seek a variety of expressions, the existence of denominations need not be an embarrassment. In fact, denominations can be viewed as an expression of the creative work of the Holy Spirit. “Different denominations with their distinct theological traditions are a means whereby God leads us corpo- rately to wrestle through understanding truth. Our differences are things that haven’t been settled yet.” 131 Integration based on Sacred Roots does not mean not the assimilation of all Christian traditions into one institutional form, devoid of denominational distinctives. The Church is “One” because of its common commitments to Christ and his Kingdom, as articulated in the Great Tradition, not because denominations shed themselves all of uniqueness. The People of the Story can grow in their appreciation for the unity and diversity of the Church by studying other traditions and expressions of faith throughout Church history (Richard Foster’s Streams of Living Water 132 is a helpful introduction).

Dimensions of Integration As a church seeks to embody its Sacred Roots , four dimensions of application can be considered: theology, worship, discipleship, and outreach.

One way to conceptualize these categories is through the Great Commandment to love God and love one’s neighbor (Matt. 22.37-40). In other words, theology is the Church’s reflection on the nature of God, worship is the expression of love for God, outreach is the outpouring of

180