Jesus Cropped from the Picture

Jesus Cropped from the Picture

The Best Means of Escape Neither Substitute Centers nor Christianity without church provide lasting freedom from a SLIM prison. The best way to escape is to move to a bigger abode, from me and my personal relationship (SLIM), to Christ and his Kingdom (EPIC). Freedom in Christ provides a new identity , centered on Christ’s interests in his cosmic Story. This EPIC identity introduces a new Christian into the Kingdom of God, not a particular ethical, doctrinal, or political sub-culture. New believers find they are part of something that pre-dates them or their local church, a heritage that is ancient, and will go on after they die. The Story is primary, not ethics, doctrine, or political views. The goal of Christian faith is not personal growth, blessing, or self-improvement. It is something much more majestic and transcendent; a Story larger than their morals, their church, or their country. The majesty of this perspective releases believers to ever-expanding possibilities toward a purpose greater than themselves. There can be joy in suffering for the good of Christ’s Kingdom, and a growing concern for the welfare of others. EPIC is the best means of escape from the SLIMming Effect. Christians do not need the latest trend, the hippest approach, or the freshest idea. What is needed is a return to the old, old Story that has been there all along. As Hauerwas and Willimon said, “Salvation is baptism into a community that has so truthful a story that we forget ourselves and our anxieties long enough to become part of that story, a story God has told in Scripture and continues to tell in Israel and the church.” 68

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