December 2004

ARTICLE TOOLS

Find similar articles E-mail this page

EDITOR'S BOOKSHELF REVIEW

"Jesus says that narrow doors and gates offer the only sure and safe entrance into God's realm of life," writes Caroline Westerhoff in Good Fences: The Boundaries of Hospitality. "Gates that swing too wide and doors that open too fast do not give us the opportunity to slow down and decide what is important before we make our choices." Indeed, the only time the Bible tells us to "fling wide the gates" is so that the "King of Glory can come in."

The Early Church often worshiped behind closed doors, and joining the church involved a long process of instruction that could take three years. The lives of those who sought Christian instruction were examined, and people in questionable professions were rejected unless they changed their line of work. After three years of study, their lives were scrutinized again to see if they had been leading holy lives while they prepared for baptism.

Such a "narrow gate" philosophy was appropriate in a hostile culture where cycles of persecution came and went and being a Christian meant taking your life in your hands. Carefully screening strangers was both protection for the church and was only fair to the seekers: If it could cost them their lives, they needed to know what they were buying into.

Today, for better or worse, the church has adopted the wide-door strategy of retail marketing. When I go to a "big box" store like Target or Best Buy, I'm surprised if the door doesn't open automatically and wide for me. Churches that target the unchurched have noted this and a thousand other ways in which our retail culture welcomes all.

It is tempting to ask: Who should we emulate? The pre-Constantinian Apostolic Constitutions or Target?

But framing the question this way is unfair. ...