sustain:if:able kiwi

Liquid church

Take liquid church by Pete Ward. Road test it by asking 30 students from a wide variety of backgrounds, spiritualities and ethnic backgrounds to write a critical review. Hone this reflection by asking them to debate the moot; Liquid Church will drown the Church. In the process the book has to preform a number of road tests.

(Note that these comments are my reflections on the class interaction and feedback and are in no way a comment on any individual student’s work.)

Naming Test: Many students felt the book named

their cultural reality, the liquid, networked, consuming world that they were part of. Students felt it often named their experiences of church as declining and solid. Now while not all students felt their experiences of solid church were a bad thing, they found the book named their world.

Multi-cultural Test: Students from a variety of cultures applauded the book. Maori resonated with the relational potential of liquid church. Island cultures resonated with solid church as their experience of spirituality.

Gospel Test: This caused considerable debate. Some students felt Liquid Church allowed a deeper and richer understanding of the gospel. They had not found Christ in solid church and felt liquid church liberated them to a relational following of Jesus. Other students were uneasy, concerned at the ethical and economic implications of shopping as an approach to spirituality.

Mission Test: Like it or hate it, the book pushed mission firmly into the agenda. It is easy for a class on church and society to spend a lot of time in church discussion. Taking Liquid Church and mixing it with a visit to Borders and videos like Whale Rider, Bend it like Beckham, Romeo and Juliet, ensured that society in general remained at the centre of class debate.

Sacramental Test: The book failed on this count. “Can I have 6 takeaway communions please,” was one parody of Liquid Church. Liquid Church has little reflection on the place of baptism, communion, etc in the book. However, the metaphor “in Christ” seems to me to offer tremendous potential for an exploration of “Liquid Sacraments,” and the dynamism of fluid encounter with Christ amid wine, water and wafer.

Having road tested Liquid Church among 30 people in New Zealand, I would recommend this book for any course which seeks to explore mission in Western society. However the book needs to be explored in a critical context, to allow for sharp interaction, rather than as a recommended and safe text.