The Ignored Equation

I was recently sitting in a coffee shop in Oxford reading. On the table next to me were three young students who were having a conversation that fascinated me. They were what one might term 'geeky' and they were all crowded around a small Nokia gadget that seemed to enable access to the internet. They were discussing interfacing protocals, modular interplay, reconfigured this and downloaded that. This was their world, they loved it and understood it and exisited in complete ignorance that most poeple have not a clue about their world nor how to enter it. No sooner had my young google friends departed than I was joined by three mathmaticians on the sofa next to me. They similarly lived in a world I failed to comprehend. A world of formulas and dramatic numeric puzzles that they all pitched their minds against until they were solved. I had not a clue about anything they said, not that it seemed to matter. I was not part of their world.

Why am I reflecting on this? Well, as the mathematicians left I was left wondering about the church. Are not theology and church so often an obsure world of alien language, inner knowledge and exclusivity. Perhaps our historic liturgies so prized and defended by many are as foreign to a post-modern culture as the myspace site of my geeky students is to my 70 year old mother. Has church become a dislocated quadratic equation that few have the time, ability or inclination to solve?

Maybe that's the challenge?

I have not yet mentioned my favourite preacher. He's called Tim Keller. If you want someone to feed your soul and open up the bible to you then this may be the man. His series on Galatians is the best £100 you will ever spend. Check out a resources page I found on the web or Redeemer.com. Happy listening.

Tim Keller