Fresh Expressions and Stale Expressions

Categories: evangelicalism, sexuality

Date: 13 December 2008 16:28:21

Anybody wanting to get a handle on what Fresh Expressions is about could do worse than download a copy of Mixed Economy (the journal of Fresh Expressions). It's outlining what Fresh Expressions is about and the kind of initatives which have led from it.

Whilst I think some of the "fresh expressions" may not be quite as fresh as people think, (afterall many of them are actually extensions of previous existing practice), it is a reasonably encouraging read.

What worries me, though, is what happens when more stale expressions get half of the story of what fresh expressions are about and apply the basic principles within old paradigms. Let me illustrate:

Group A are a bunch of enthusiastic young Christians who want to answer the "big, real questions" that people have today. So they go out and find out from the local population what those questions are.

One of the questions is, "Is God homophobic?" So they organise a talk on this, with lunch included. Due to the nature of the question they decide that it would be good to get in contact with a local LGBT group and ask them to advertise it, which they are quite happy to do.

So, using a "fresh expressions" type of approach we have a positive situation of local Christians finding out the questions people actually have, rather than the ones they think they have and then networking with local community groups to promote talks which might be of interest to them. Oh and they throw in some free food aswell, so people can relax and munch whilst they're listening.

The talk arrives and a number of people from the local community group arrive to hear what is going to be said. Thus, the Christian group have achieved aim number one - that is attract a reasonably sized group of non-Christians into one of their events.

So far, so good. Time for the talk which is introduced and starts in a positive way. The speaker decides rather than use a dry academic style he is going to use a narrative approach, using a fictional character as a case study. Within this the speaker acknowledges that we have to recognise this is a difficult subject which can be "personal and painful" for people and goes out of his way to be polite and apparently respectful in his tone.

Then we get to the nitty gritty, within the story those Christians who might take a more compassionate view of the interpretation of scripture (in relation to verses in Leviticus and Romans) are simply dismissed as unconvincing. The talk then goes on to give a certain position, which whilst sensitively presented actually takes a position more strongly anti-gay than the Evangelical Alliance Faith, Hope and Homosexuality Report.

Thus the fresh expressions approach has bought in the target audience, but the stale expressions approach has meant bridges have not been built, rather alienation will have taken place.

At this point I need to state whilst I may not agree with the position being put forward by Group A it is not their position which worries me. Rather, my concern comes from the way that they have used good practice to get people in, but then when they've got them in, reverted back to old practice and so very probably not only failed in mission but also reinforced prejudices against Christians and expectations about how the community group expect to be treated by Christians.

I think a more healthy approach is that, which is highlighted in this Christianity Today article, of setting up debate between people from the different groups.