A full measure of honesty

These people inspire me:

http://www.houseforall.org/

They seem to come at religion in a very honest way that seems to be authentic from what I can see. Of course, many of these emerging church movements also have some sort of underlying agenda. I'm not sure how these things get started without some agenda but... here it is.

Can it really be as open as it seems? There seems to be indicators that it's Lutheran by the 'nailing to the wall' comments, as well as the 'saint and sinner' thing. But I do wonder what this would look like in small town Canada? And whether you need a city of several million people to make it go, or if it goes because people need this sort of community.

Lots to think about in how to be the church.

The define the Need as:

Why do we need a House for All Sinners and Saints?

House is important because it is experimenting with new ways to do church which make sense to urban postmodern young people. It is a place where:

The Gospel matters, liturgy is recontextualized, and we are free to reclaim the word "Christian".
Scripture is honored enough to be faithfully questioned and struggled with
We no longer have to culturally commute or bracket out parts of ourselves to be in Christian community
We are co-creators of worship, rather than just passive participants; aesthetics and theology both matter
The community is both intellectually and spiritually stimulating
We provide a connection or a bridge to the mainline and to the traditions of the church

House is important because it takes community and relationships seriously. It is a place where:

People can land, they can call this house a home
The work of the spirit is witnessed to through relationships where there is vulnerability, challenge and growth
Our deepest longings can be expressed and heard
True community is offered, people belong to each other so that we share both joys and sorrows
We connect the margins and the mainstream

I'll follow with interest...
The part where they try not to bracket out parts of themselves to be Christian will be especially interesting. It's awesome in concept... but is any community ready for all it's members to let go with all honesty? It would be fun to say the least :)