I met John & Olive Drane yesterday at the emerging church conference. Here is a review of John's most recent book After McDonaldization

As ever John Drane shows himself to be insightful and provocative with a concern for the future and mission and ministry of the Church in his recent book 'After McDonalidization'. At times his critique is incisive, one might say sharp, indeed cutting. Writing about the resistance that can be encoutered by people trying to 'break into' churches from those already there he states: 'I have come to realize that such hostility is far from unusual, and is actually quite deeply ingrained in the atitudes of many Christian people. tolerance of incomers-let alone showing friendship to them - is not even on their radar'. A quote offered by Drane from the journalist John Shore is if anything even more damming: 'Why are so many Christians so obnoxious and mean-spirited? It seems like Christianity's mostly about being judgemental, narrow minded, and having an infuriatingly condescending attitude towards anyone who isn't a Christian. Christians are so busy being smug about being Christian that they forget to be kind'. With such analysis it is perhaps not surprising that the remedy offered is not a programme or better publicity but a 'practice'. Drane writes, 'A central identifying mark of an authentic Gospel community in the twenty-first century (as in the first century) will be hospitality, a gift that invariably blesses thise who give as well as those who receive.'
Practicing hospitality it seems to me requires overcoming fear, the sense of the privacy and possession of 'my own space' and the 'ah but' feeling that excludes some people in our hearts and minds before we have ever welcomed them, and it also involves trusting in the transforming power of the Gospel and Gospel community honestly shared and lived. Not sure which of these may create us the greatest problem. Naming such difficulties, fears, and feelings, however, and talking them through rather than saying we should offer hospitality and then not doing so is perhaps something that requires time and attention. It certainly does if Drane is right in both his analysis and solution.
Good book, worth a read.
Stuart Blythe