276. target audience

I've been thinking about what to cover next in my Layman's Theology series (part 1, part 2). But I think I'll take care of a bit of business so I can set my mind at ease and get on with other posts.

See, there were two responses that I got to my post about salvation. One of them was on my Blogger blog and the other was on my pastor's blog. Both of them were very similar and I'm wondering if they were left by the same person. In my entry about salvation, I talked about how salvation isn't just about being saved from hell or being reconciled with God, it's about joining God in his plan to fix/heal/bless this broken/sick/cursed world. Both comments had to do with asking why one had to be a christian in order to be a part of making the world a better place. There are lots of non-religious organizations out there who are already at work bringing attention to and solving the problems I mentioned. What's the difference between them and christians who are doing the same things?

And I didn't have any good answers to give them. Really, those questions continue haunt me because they asked a fundamental question to which I had no adequate response. I've been letting them stew in the back of my mind all week but I'm still coming up goose eggs.

But I don't want to just leave the question hanging. I promised both people who commented that I would try and answer them in a future entry. Unfortunately, this isn't it. This is merely a kind of deflection or a delay tactic (basically an excuse) but I will make good on my word at some point.

Come to think of it, their question is a natural one for a non-christian to ask but the reason I didn't anticipate it was because of the audience I try to write for: christians who are dissatisfied with or are skeptical of what normally passes as christianity in many churches. I suppose that sounds like a pretty odd audience to target, especially for those who've never been a part of the christian subculture, but it's a group that I have tremendous empathy for because I was a member of that group for a substantial portion of my life as a christian.

The more great books I come across and the more amazing people I meet at my church, the more I'm convince of the fact that there's a growing groundswell of christians who want to live out their faith far beyond the walls of the church. There are lots of people asking the same questions I'm asking and that's another reason why I write - because after thinking about these questions for years I finally have some...not answers, that's too definitive of a word...ideas that I want to share because they point towards answers.

Of course I welcome any and all readers as well as all comments and/or questions. Stay tuned, I'm hoping to knock out another episode in the series by the end of this week (I'm giving myself a deadline as a way to spur myself onward).