Comments on: Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition

By: Eli

Eli — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 03:39:17 +0000

As a child I saw this lived out by my mom and truthfully it was invading, but now that I am older I have heard so many stories of lived that were touched. I can see how it plays an important role of walking the talk.

By: Beatrice Sherman

Beatrice Sherman — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 01:28:05 +0000

I enjoyed, immensely an overview of “Making Room..” it was a flashback of 12 years building community in a dis-enfranchised community. I did not realize what a toll, physically, it was.I had to take a few months break to rest. Your overview rejuvenated me so much.
Minnie

By: Eug

Eug — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 20:16:46 +0000

oops, 2 conclusions and 1 “maybe” in the middle that is – I think I’m just being critical of a certain new Megachurch in town running a current multi-million dollar campaign to buy expensive seats for their new auditorium called “A Seat to get SAVED in”. This church makes me throw up in my mouth a little.

By: Eug

Eug — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 20:12:22 +0000

Drew,
I’ve just been thinking about this, why care for the urban poor (particularly among Reformed denoms) has become such a secondary mission to most churches.
I’ve come to 2 conclusions:
1.) Lack of proximity – as more and more churches seek distance from pain and suffering this distorts the gospel.
2.) Perhaps Church aesthetics/architecture? – It’d be harder to get upchuck out of brand new pew cushions and plush carpet than linoleum tile.
3.) Ease of Compartmentalization – we can so easily partition it off to a Sunday service opportunity or a short term missions trip. We’ve made it so clean its something you can dip into without invading your life. What would it mean to love people so much that in the process of their betterment we (or our wives or children) caught their disease and died. I’ve always been challenged by the radical hospitality of Christians during the plague in Carthage, but this story of wedding gifts being trashed brings it literally home. These are hard words I need to hear, I know for a fact I don’t have this in me currently.

By: Mark Moore

Mark Moore — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:45:58 +0000

Excellent post and a huge issue. If you are interested, the Spring 2005 Francis Schaeffer Lectures at Covenant were on the topic of hospitality. There are four lectures and the final two are by Christine Pohl.

http://www.covenantseminary.edu/resource/ResultDetailSaved.asp?a=0&b=0&t=0&f=0&keywords=Schaeffer%20Lectures

By: D. Goodmanson

D. Goodmanson — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 09:07:32 +0000

Annalisa,

We have some people from Philly, I’ll ask if they know of it, but I haven’t heard of it.

By: Annalisa

Annalisa — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 06:11:43 +0000

That is a really great passage. Thanks for sharing. Have you read about the Simple Way community in Philly? They, among others, are a good embodiement of that kind of hospitality.

Annalisa

By: Jacob Vanhorn

Jacob Vanhorn — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 05:32:50 +0000

Thanks for the heads up. I just ordered it from Amazon. My wife and I have discussed buying 5+ bedroom house and inviting some folks to live with us for a season. But we can’t get away from the fact that we still want to carve out a space in the house to get away for a bit.

By: paul del signore

paul del signore — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 01:19:28 +0000

man, I love Schaeffer. He just nails it every time.

I admit that I prefer my home of residence to be more monastic than missional, and a safe haven from the world. I need to work at this sort of thing… of course I’d have to convince my wife as well.

paul

By: Sam DeSocio

Sam DeSocio — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:59:08 +0000

Ill have to check this book out at some point.

That Schaeffer quote is tough.
Iain Duguid said something very similar, about his experience in England, with church planting, he said things where tough and they were not appreciated.

Thanks man.