"They will be infiltrators of Christ into the marketplace" says Kathryn Doherty in describing a unique understanding of the Christian life in a particular community of believers.
Rather than limiting worship and discipleship to the gathered church, Doherty sets out the vision of Christian believers being the real presence of Christ wherever they work, live, play and pray.
The marketplace is of particular interest because of the assumption that the very nature of a non religious world is the marketplace where buying and selling are the sum total of experience. The religious life is a distraction from the business at hand. In the moment of a transaction when money changes hand many people feel truly alive. The rush of authenticity surges when that magic moment happens. "I purchase therefore I am." "I sell therefore I am."
This market scene of human interchange can be infiltrated by Christ. The believer is more than the agent of Christ. The real presence of Christ is in the midst of the marketplace when the believer is truly and willingly in the marketplace.
This is not so much a social change project as it is an exploration trip by the believer who need not be concerned about what to say or do. The momentary experience in the marketplace appears mundane and unremarkable. Believers who strike out on this infiltration task will find more than they expect.
Rather than limiting worship and discipleship to the gathered church, Doherty sets out the vision of Christian believers being the real presence of Christ wherever they work, live, play and pray.
The marketplace is of particular interest because of the assumption that the very nature of a non religious world is the marketplace where buying and selling are the sum total of experience. The religious life is a distraction from the business at hand. In the moment of a transaction when money changes hand many people feel truly alive. The rush of authenticity surges when that magic moment happens. "I purchase therefore I am." "I sell therefore I am."
This market scene of human interchange can be infiltrated by Christ. The believer is more than the agent of Christ. The real presence of Christ is in the midst of the marketplace when the believer is truly and willingly in the marketplace.
This is not so much a social change project as it is an exploration trip by the believer who need not be concerned about what to say or do. The momentary experience in the marketplace appears mundane and unremarkable. Believers who strike out on this infiltration task will find more than they expect.
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