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I read a great article on the Real Live Preacher blog, that the author unfortunately ended up taking down, due to some really negative feedback he received by people who were offended by it. It’s understandable in a way, seeing as how the subject matter makes so many people feel uncomfortable, including me in some ways; I’m pretty introverted in general.

I’m offering a mirrored copy of the original here, before it was removed, because it’s something I think is worth reading and shouldn’t be censored just because it’s challenging.

Here is an excerpt:

We crave the light and warmth of intimacy, but intimacy is also very dangerous and frightening. We sense that too much of it will destroy a protective layer we keep around our hearts, a magnetic field that surrounds us and gives us at least the illusion of safety. To bask in the warmth of intimacy without being hurt by it is our goal.

My own spiritual tradition calls for rather uncommon levels of intimacy, which frightens people including me. I’m talking about real Christianity here, not the hyped and marketed Disneyland stuff you see on television and, frankly, in many churches.

Real Christianity involves getting together with a handful of pilgrims and getting intimate. It means braving the possibility of communion. It means letting people into your personal space. And, by the way, these are exactly the sort of people who will hear something desperate in your voice and be experienced enough at listening to know exactly what it means.

They will see your blue suit and your satchel and the front that you put forward to fool the world. They will move in close, maybe even a little too close, and when you speak they will hear you all the way down to the bottom of your soul. Maybe they will hear more than you want them to hear.

And you will be loved anyway. Loved for your blue suit and your girlish voice. And they will show you something of themselves in return, both their weaknesses and their strengths. Together you will be the ekklesia, which is the New Testament word for church. It means the ones who are called out to live in uncommon and radical ways. Those called to seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with each other and with God. The real Church.

Or maybe you’re not up for this. Maybe this sounds disturbing, like someone bumping into you in a restaurant.

I understand.

Hey, that’s why Disneyland Christianity exists. Because we are so very afraid of the real thing. You can sit in the back of some huge church, totally anonymous, wearing your blue suit and clinging to your satchel. No one will bother you. No one will get close. You can watch the action taking place up on the stage, keeping your mouth shut and guarding yourself from all the things that frighten you.