"We are not powerless in the oppressive situations in which we feel caught. We are not bound to the reality we see. We are creators. We can make the new." (Elizabeth O'Conner, Cry Pain, Cry Hope)  So, you are powerful and I am powerful! We can create the new because our life is completely linked in with God's life.

It has been said that when every child is born, the universe shouts, "God is!" (attributed to Meister Eckhart)  And so it is true! The Ancient of Days is always the newest thing. The holiest reality lives in us and binds us to all other people. So what does all this mean? What does it imply for us? In Finding Faith, this is what I've written.

            We are not living in a world that has forgotten Jesus, but we are living in a time in which the role of the Christian Church is changing significantly. Doctrines and perspectives that were just assumed for centuries are now being questioned not only from outside the church, but also from within it. Does the church have a role to play in today's flattening world? Absolutely! The need for God's love-for peace, justice, and the good news of liberty for the oppressed that was Jesus' own mission statement-is still tremendous. The church is still called to live, represent, and interpret God's new creation in today's world to people with diverse backgrounds, faith traditions, beliefs, and non-beliefs.

            The theme of journey is a powerful one for the life of faith. Churches can be places where people explore and seek an understanding of their faith in an atmosphere of trust and safety. People need the shared journey that churches can offer-where people ask hard questions in love, share their developing understandings, and seek to integrate their actions with their beliefs. The very process of asking honest questions really matters. Asking them right out loud even in church is an energizing process. People care because the questions are honest and because the questions are theirs.

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