Historian Donald Dayton points out that the Church, at its best, can’t be described as liberal or conservative. Those labels are too weak and miss the point. A better designation is radical. We often think that the word ‘radical’ implies being way out on the edge. But it actually comes from the Latin term radix, which means root. The radical church returns to its roots and finds a way to inhabit primitive communities again. The seeds contain the harvest. By remembering our story we rediscover our DNA and live into our inherited family traits. Our genetic map points the way forward. Our memory sets our imagination on fire. As A.W. Tozer said, “Every new discovery is already old, for it is the present expression of a previous thought of God.” Perhaps we don’t need to create new ways of doing church. Perhaps the ancient past can reveal God’s vision for the future—an authentic expression of being church. Not a church that is fleeing from or fighting against culture, but transforming it from within.
Future Pioneers:
Reclaiming the DNA of the Radical Church