What happens after I’m gone?
By no means do I anticipate expiring anytime soon. I’m just showing what’s in my heart. It is inevitable that a biblical community of faith will take on somewhat the character of its elder. That’s how it is supposed to work, so let’s drop the pretense of objectivity. If we had a genuine pastor, it would reflect his character, as well. So I don’t pretend that my ideas are so powerful as to overwhelm my personal influence.
At the same time, I don’t take myself that seriously. It’s not that my role is fungible, but I am. Maybe things would change if my demise shut this blog down, but there’s nothing to keep someone from taking up the eldership and carrying things forward through some other virtual connection.
You won’t catch me trying to gin up some kind of organization to outlive me. If you folks don’t make it happen by your own natural heart leading, then it shouldn’t happen. This isn’t about me and my legacy. It’s about those still alive trying to make the most of God’s provision for life after the Fall and prior to the Final Redemption.
So it’s okay that some of you sense a strong personal bond with me, but let’s not get stupid and raise some monument to that. Nor should you harbor dreams of that for yourself. Indeed, I doubt I’ll shed any tears in Heaven if everyone forgets the name “Radix Fidem,” either. Call it what you like; that’s something I came up with one day because people kept asking what to name this thing we share. The radical commitment to faith can live on by any other name.
Yep, I’ll take your donations and try to keep following where the hand of God leads me. But at some point all that stuff I buy with it will wind up in the dump somewhere and my body is likely to be ashes. We don’t need another organization with some funny name keeping a gilded lie alive with sacred phrases binding people who never knew me.
I’m more worried about this thing being corrupted and institutionalized than I am about seeing it fall apart.
There are many small empty churches in our neck of the woods, many of them utterly charming little buildings. Sometimes I catch myself in a little ‘oh wouldn’t it be nice if ..’ moment. Then I remember that churches tend to become *the* thing, and worship often becomes second or third place to the personalities, the steering committees, the fundraisers for a new roof et al.
Your personality is a big part of this but so is the personality of every reader. We’re each reading and digesting the posts alone, according to our individual needs (although we might discuss them with each other later). I think that means we can better avoid the sort of group-think that leads to corruption of the message.