I'm talking to more and more people who have "the itch".
"The Itch" is a spiritual longing. It's like having a craving for something but your not sure if you want something salty or sweet.
"The Itch" is pervasive. It's not something isolated to a particular generation. It's a human nature thing.
I'm encountering people of all ages who are affirming the "itch" I feel in my own heart. It's an itch that says conventional, traditional worship and study are not enough. This craving is like an itch that is right in the middle of one's back. Neither your left arm nor you right arm are long enough to reach that spot for a good "scratch."
Let's be clear. "The Itch" is not the absence of the Holy Spirit in a person's life. If anything, "the Itch" is more akin to the Spirit working and guiding in the life of a person who desires a deeper spiritual experience.
The Mars Hill/Brian McClaren/Reggie McNeal movement has identified the itch as a need to balance traditional self-serve religion with meaningful action that brings our faith to life, builds the kingdom, and draws others to God. This is a controversial movement, but it is touching a deeply-seated need in the body of Christ. I must profess I'm grappling with this movement as a child of modernity, as are many others (who aren't able to define the tension they are feeling). Some react in hostility. Some ignore it. Some disregard it. Some embrace it and attack those who don't. All of these are natural reactions to the disruptive nature of an "itch".
There are diverse views on "the Itch". I think "the Itch" will define the Church of Jesus Christ in the 21st century. I'm more convinced than ever of that as what I'm reading in books is beginning to manifest itself in the hearts and minds of people of faith with whom I interact.
The Holy Spirit is moving. Do you have "the Itch"? How do you define it?
What are you doing to scratch your "itch"? Or are you resisting? If so, why?
"The Itch" is a spiritual longing. It's like having a craving for something but your not sure if you want something salty or sweet.
"The Itch" is pervasive. It's not something isolated to a particular generation. It's a human nature thing.
I'm encountering people of all ages who are affirming the "itch" I feel in my own heart. It's an itch that says conventional, traditional worship and study are not enough. This craving is like an itch that is right in the middle of one's back. Neither your left arm nor you right arm are long enough to reach that spot for a good "scratch."
Let's be clear. "The Itch" is not the absence of the Holy Spirit in a person's life. If anything, "the Itch" is more akin to the Spirit working and guiding in the life of a person who desires a deeper spiritual experience.
The Mars Hill/Brian McClaren/Reggie McNeal movement has identified the itch as a need to balance traditional self-serve religion with meaningful action that brings our faith to life, builds the kingdom, and draws others to God. This is a controversial movement, but it is touching a deeply-seated need in the body of Christ. I must profess I'm grappling with this movement as a child of modernity, as are many others (who aren't able to define the tension they are feeling). Some react in hostility. Some ignore it. Some disregard it. Some embrace it and attack those who don't. All of these are natural reactions to the disruptive nature of an "itch".
There are diverse views on "the Itch". I think "the Itch" will define the Church of Jesus Christ in the 21st century. I'm more convinced than ever of that as what I'm reading in books is beginning to manifest itself in the hearts and minds of people of faith with whom I interact.
The Holy Spirit is moving. Do you have "the Itch"? How do you define it?
What are you doing to scratch your "itch"? Or are you resisting? If so, why?
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