In the last section of his book, Frazee deals with the challenge of consumerism (an attitude that mutually feeds off of individualism and isolation) to the Christian life. In what ways to you agree or disagree with his assessment(s) and suggested solutions (which include such things as a decentralized church structure, literally sharing life, interdependency, and living the Christian life and ministry in the context of smaller groupings, similar to what is described in passages such as Acts 2)? What is your reaction to the conclusion of the story of the Johnson family? What, if anything, do you find helpful in this section?
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While I agree that consumerism, isolation, and individualism are a plagues to Christian faith, and while I agree that there is a need to re-capture the kind of community the Bible describes for us, I am having trouble visualizing the "decentralized" structure Frazee speaks of. I am not sure how the "Mid-Sized" group works. It almost seems as though there are neighborhood groups arranged geographically, and that the mid-sized groups would be more equivalent to a congregation, while the largest grouping is more like an area-wide worship service that meets weekly. Identity as part of the church would come primarily from the home group and the mid-sized group, It doesn't appear that there would be much of an emotional attachment to the largest group.
I don't think Frazee is saying there is something inherently wrong or evil about Christians living in Suburbia, rather it is the underlying attitudes and values that have contributed to the creation of suburbia that he takes to task. -- How can we, as Christians with Christian values face this challenge? It seems that small groups are a healthy way of meeting the challenge if we actually take the time to invest emotionally, spiritually, physically, etc. into the small groups.
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