I’ve read David Whyte’s column in the last couple of Baptists with interest. I appreciate his critique and honour his appraisals. A few thoughts have been rattling around my brain which I submit to the overall discussion.

• David’s observations and suggestions thus far have been helpful but are they all that new? Mark Pierson, Bruce McClaren and even Rick Warren to a degree (and many others) have been proclaiming these things for up to 20 years.

Many of us, who do have an interest in developing a culturally applicable gospel and ecclesiology, have followed this debate constructively. I suspect that in every city of significance in New Zealand there would be at least one faith community (some Baptist, but not necessarily) who to one degree or another have already facilitated David’s suggestions or are on a journey to do so.

David’s first column indicated he is not currently part of a community of faith/church preferring to remain at home. I wonder if David has proactively sought out these faith communities/churches that are facilitating his suggestions, or whether he would consider doing so?

• When I was at Carey Baptist College, Brian Smith gave us a great illustration of followers of Jesus now being inside a circle of faith and how theology is faith seeking understanding from within the circle. May I extend that illustration a little and raise the difference between being inside a community of faith and being outside it. I suspect it is far easier to remain outside and poke a stick at it, like someone may poke a stick at a wasp’s nest (and then watch the reaction), than it is to be inside seeking to develop the fruit of the Spirit as we wrestle with each other and with issues such as David is suggesting.

David, I really appreciate your critique, but you would have more credibility if you were not going it alone but making an honest attempt to be part of something bigger.

• From my experience, there are micro-encounters with God and macro-encounters with God. Micro-encounters are perhaps our daily whisperings, worship and relationship we have with various members of the Trinity interpreted through our individual SHAPE (to borrow from Rick Warren). Micro-encounters facilitate transformation over a significant period of time and are an extremely vital part of discipleship.

Macro-encounters are when we encounter the otherness of the Living God and a quantum leap of transformation takes place where we can honestly say, “I will never be the same again.” Our Baptist ecclesiology accommodates micro-encounters very well, but I wonder whether we afford macro-encounters the same honour.

Would we be having these discussions if macro-encounters were more “normal” rather than being exceptional? If our churches were communities where we commonly encountered our macro-God, I suspect most discussion around how we communicate a culturally acceptable gospel or how we become culturally acceptable would pale into insignificance because we would simply be too busy.

– Steve Trim
Pastor, Papamoa Baptist