An Alien Nation or is it just Alienation?

Because it was TRs that first woke up Kristin and I to the twin dangers of evangelicalism and thoughtlessly consuming modern culture, we naturally thought that those outside mainstream-Presbyterianism had the answer. We didn't know that just because someone understands the problem well doesn't guarantee that they also have the right answer. The '60's offer the classic proof text.

A funny thing happened. As our convictions widened (I won't say deepened), the churches that interested us kept getting smaller and farther away. The typical PCA church didn't suit us anymore, and the double-earring wearing male worship leader at the one in this town cemented our feelings. Fortunately, a lack of courage on my part (and the level-headedness of my wife) moderated my impulse to do something really wild.

The Church, as the people of God, is an Alien Nation in some sense. But what we felt as we spent time in TR-ish churches was not belonging but rather alienation. What we wanted was a church that lives together before God in a reverent way, but what we got was more like a weekly club for the misfits of Presbyterianism.

That's too one-sided. I can't explain why the TR-type churches we've seen are the coldest we've ever known. Maybe it's not so much "penal-colony" syndrome as it is how far apart the people of the church live. Or maybe the problem lies with us. We move too often; surely this is at least partly responsible for our feelings of isolation.

It took time but we're finally realizing that it's not just the TRs who are aware of the cultural and ecclesial problems of today. Some mainstream PCA evangelicals get this; they just don't let it define them. When we move next month we so strongly hope to find a warm, friendly reformed church close to where we live. Enough with alienation; life in the Alien Nation shouldn't have to be this way.