Fifty Years from Today

One of the things I particularly enjoy reading about is current trends in ministry, and things that people are thinking about on the cutting edge. Most days, I read somewhere around 40 blog entries from people who are on the front-lines of thinking in a lot of different regards. I love to know what's happening today. 

But in a very real sense, it's absolutely impossible to know what's happening today. Truly, if you want to know what's happening today you'll have to ask in 50 years, because what is happening today is impossible to know without the perspective of time. 

Two years ago, it seemed like trends in the Emergent Church were "what's happening" today. It seemed as though those guys were attempting huge paradigm shifts in the Church, and were gaining momentum. Today, I think it's becoming clear that the Emergent Movement as a whole will be only a blip on the radar of history, and that their contributions (or detractions) will be seen only as a part of something bigger. 

What does that mean? As we think through today (and tomorrow), we have to do it with the wisdom and clarity of a big picture. We can't bet the farm on something just because it's new, but we also can't hold everything back in fear. Faithfulness to what we know is a much more important virtue than risk in the areas we don't. 

Fifty years from today, I'll tell you what was really happening today. Today, I'm looking toward the future with a desire to be faithful both where and when I am.