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the free (church) radical Welcome to the Free (Church) Radical blog. If you have arrived here from www.astatum.net, you'll notice that a few have changed. You may still access older posts from my older blog at www.astatum.blogspot.com. previously this blog focussed generally on faith, theology and culture, this new blog reflects my renewed interest in and growing passion for the "free church" vision of Christianity and the possibilities for radical Christian living from within that vision.
Because "free church" means different things to different people, it might be helpful to provide a working definition of what I mean when I refer to the "free church" vision. For me, "free church" refers to any community of Christ followers that is free to practice their faith without either Church hierarchy or state control. Communal discernment guided by the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures, in this context, is far more important than prescribed forms of worship and social actions imposed by either Church or state.
However, these aspects alone, while important, are not sufficient to define what is meant by the "free church" vision. Other central emphases among "free church" Christians have been the centrality and inspiration of the Bible for daily life; nonviolence, peacemaking and conflict resolution as a way of life; a passion to pursue religious freedom for all people (both freedom for and freedom from religion); and the central importance of the local, gathered community as the primary locus for Christian faith and belief.
[Note: This last point should be understood to mean a rejection of "tradition" or of the historical Christian witness in general. Rather - at least as I have understood and experienced it - the emphasis on the local community means that, outside the local community of believers, there are no external forces - either ekklesial or governmental - which determine the overall shape of the life and worship of the gathered community.]
In my American context it is generally true that most churches are "free churches" in relation to the government (although many congregations choose to allow the government and the surrounding culture to dictate their identity - but that's another matter for a future post). However, not all churches share all aspects of the free church vision thus, free church refers to Christians who practice congregational polity and share any number of the emphases highlighted above. I would generally include in this group Baptists, Quakers, Anabaptists, the Amish, and other communal groups such as the Bruderhof and Hutterite communities although I am aware that not everyone would be so inclusive.
In the end, a "Free (Church) Radical" is (in addition to being a cheesy play on words) a Christian in the free church tradition who seeks, as much as possible, to remain true to the spirit of the free church vision within contemporary culture. While this blog is written very much out of such a radical free church vision for the Christian life, I want to make clear - from the beginning - that all are welcome here to join the conversation no matter your faith perspective. I am excited about the possibilities for re-imagining the Free Church Vision for a changing world and I want you to join me on that journey!
Thanks for reading!
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Christian Peace Bloggers A place for Christian bloggers who care deeply about peacemaking.
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