from the August 7th issue (which gives you an idea how far behind I am in my reading) is a one-pager by L. Gregory Jones, Dean of the Divinity School at Duke University who I heard preach a year ago when we dropped our daughter off at the Duke Youth Academy.

Adding my own underlining and bracketed comments, here's part of his piece called 'Learning Curve,' where he asks, "What would Christian congregational ministries look life if they were committed to the art of learning an excellence patterned on Christ's life, death and resurrection? Do we invite people into an adventure of Christian faith and life? Do our invitations include a call to lifelong learning of clear fundamental skills accompanied by deepening understanding and practice?"

"When Malcolm X became a Muslim, he was told, 'Don't eat pork.' In On being a Jew, the rabbi tells his secular Jewish nephew, who has decided to live as a Jew, that the first step is to 'observe the Sabbath.' What do we say to someone who says to us, 'I want to learn to live as a Christian'?"

"Many of us are ill-equipped to respond to such a question because we have assumed that anyone who's grown up in North America already knows the basics of Christianity. Consequently, in too many congregations we don't have structures and practices in place to help us teach and learn a Christian way of life. Seminaries too often presume that learning is only a process of critical assessment, rather than a process of cultivating faithful living for which effective 'learning leaders' are needed."

"In the early church's practices of catechesis [preparation for membership], people were invited to attend worship (though not the Eucharist); if they indicated an interest in being baptized, they would begin a process that typically lasted two years. [Yes, you read that right--2 years of instruction to become a church member!] An assigned mentor would help them discover fundamental skills and habits for perceiving, thinking, feeling and living in the light of the triune God. During the 40 days of Lent, they would receive instruction in the Lord's Prayer and the Apostle's Creed [note, how to pray & what to believe]. After baptism on Easter, the new Christians would have eight more days of instruction."

"This was an impressive commitment to to shaping faithful Christian lives. The emphasis was on depth rather than breadth: understanding key doctrines and principles, developing significant relationships and cultivating basic skills of living in response to the triune God's gracious presence."

Churches today don't do this significant kind of instruction and training. But we need it. What would you say to somebody who asked, "How do I learn to live as a Christian?"