John Burke
 No Perfect People Allowed: Creating a Come as You are Culture in the Church
"I find our generation [i.e., the young people of the post-modern or emerging generation] incredibly open to spiritual truth and dialogue, but they have grown up in a world of competing beliefs. People just check out when they feel that Christians are arrogant and unwilling to consider the 'truth' claims of others as well. But they are very open to hearing expressions of truth and stories illustrating why God's words are true. They long to experience something firm and solid that 'feels' true. They don't resist truth; they resist arrogance..."
"Fundamentally, truth is not primarily propositional, but personal. Jesus said, 'I am the truth...' The best way to help emerging generations find truth is to introduce them to him."
"Generally, emerging generations do not ask, 'What is true?' They are primarily asking, 'Do I want to be like you?' In other words, they see truth as relational. 'If I want to be like you, then I want to consider what you believe. If I don't see anything real or attractive in you or your friends as Christ-followers, I don't care how true you think it is, I'm not interested.'"
"... Postmodern thought presents a potentially greater opportunity than threat for the church. Why? First, because post-modern thought has made spiritual pursuit culturally acceptable. This provides an opportunity not seen in past decades to nurture the souls of a spiritually hungry generation. They do not fear the mystery of God; they embrace mystery. They long to experience the deeper realities of a spiritually fulfilling existence".
-- John Burke in "No Perfect People Allowed: Creating a Come as You are Culture in the Church", pp 42-43
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"We teach our leaders and congregation to give up trying to fix people -- it's not our job -- that's God's job. Instead, seek to accept and love people in order to reconnect them with God... This doesn't mean you never point out sinful or destructive behavior, but you don't focus on it."
"If you saw a Rembrandt covered in mud, you wouldn't focus on the mud or treat it like mud. Your primary concern would not be the mud at all -- though it would need to be removed. You'd be ecstatic to have something so valuable in your care. But if you tried to clean it yourself, you might damage it. So you would carefully bring this work of art to a master who could guide you and help you to restore it to the condition originally intended. When people begin treating one another as God's masterpiece waiting to be revealed, God's grace grows in their lives and cleanses them."
"Can your church or small group welcome a gay couple or radical feminist or an atheist or a homeless crack-addict with open arms? ...When you consider these people entering your group, what are the first thoughts that come to mind? Thoughts that focus on what you think needs to change? Or thoughts that focus on their worth as people? Do you see the mud or the masterpiece?"
-- John Burke in "No Perfect People Allowed: Creating a Come as You are Culture in the Church", p 97
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"Even though Jesus had all the answers, he still respected and valued the opinions and free will of others. He often asked questions to get people to search rather than just telling the answer. He taught in parables to pique spiritual curiosity of those truly seeking... Because of all the baggage and lack of trust in our post-Christian world, people need to be engaged in dialogue... If they listen to a message in church, they want to process it. They need to question it and wrestle with it..."
"Creating a culture of dialogue means becoming people who truly respect and value all people as worthy of the love and sacrifice Christ demonstrated. It means being willing to respect their thoughts and opinions, making sure they know we value them, even if we differ in belief. An atmosphere of dialogue requires us to take into account the perspective of the other person, seeking to understand her position as much as we want her to understand ours. It is other-centered communication. It creates a two-way street of conversation. This kind of environment respects the free will of individuals and helps people not be afraid of offending us in their exploration and questioning."
"Culture creation that allows dialogue requires immense trust in God. It requires letting go of the need to fix, change, or control others' beliefs or actions. It requires trusting that God's Spirit can work behind the scenes in people's hearts as we create a culture where they are free to question, doubt, and explore faith at their own pace. This shifts the burden to change people back to where it belongs -- with God alone..."
"Do you realize that for most spiritual seekers in a post-Christian culture, coming to church is often just as awkward for them as visiting a Buddhist temple would be for you? They don't know the rules so they automatically feel out of place. They don't know when to sit or stand. They don't know the songs -- or even if it's offensive to sing or okay to pass instead of miming words they don't believe. They don't know the Scriptures or how to decipher Christian terms and characters they've never heard of before. They don't know if their questions will offend or if it's acceptable to voice their skepticism."
"So we must tell them..."
"We've made it clear from up front that seekers, skeptics, and cynics are welcome. We've tried to let them experience authentic Christianity while minimizing cross-cultural hurdles our traditions might pose. We've made it public that no question is a dumb question. And doubters are wanted because we believe authentic faith has nothing to fear -- including doubts. Creating a culture of dialogue means letting everyone know it's okay to be in process" (pp 53-54, 56)."
-- John Burke in "No Perfect People Allowed: Creating a Come as You are Culture in the Church", pp 53-54, 56
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