“If our proclamation does not upset the powers-that-be–if it doesn’t ‘turn the world upside down’ (Acts 17:6) — is that because our culture is friendly to the gospel? Or have we made the gospel friendly to the culture? If we aren’t treated like Paul, is that because society has changed–or have we changed? Could it be that we preach a gospel that gives no occasion for the powers-that-be to be concerned or threatened? Have we, in fact, changed our story in such a way that the gospel we preach pledges allegiance to these powers?”
James K. A. Smith, “Christian Worship as Public Disturbance,” in The Devil Reads Derrida and Other Essays on the University, the Church, Politics, and the Arts. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009, page 72.
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 