Because of these experiences, some will choose to write off the church entirely. Believing the institutional church to be the only valid option for Christian community, they will consign themselves to a Christian faith lived in isolation - or worse, abandon their faith altogether. In so doing, they will miss the joy of growing in faith together with sisters and brothers in Christ. They will be deprived of the sense of belonging that comes in recognizing that they are not alone; that as members of the historic and universal church, they stand side-by-side with saints and sinners who illustrate the love of God in the heights of Christ-like love and the depths of human depravity. They will the miss the beauty and grace of Christ's love and redemption as it works its way out of broken lives shared together in relationship.
The Desert Faith Project is intended to be an experiment in community for those who struggle with church culture but who are fascinated with Jesus and who still hold out hope for Christ's church. However, the reflections, readings and resources on this blog are meant for the encouragement, support and healing for any and all who find themselves outsiders to the church as well as church leaders who seek to bridge the divide. I hope that for some this experiment would lead to reconciliation with their own church traditions and institutions. For those who find this impossible, I pray that it will be a word of encouragement and hope in your desert faith.
