Todd

"There's got to be theology behind the madness."

Agreed, but so often the theology, good and necessary and even sometimes right, hasn't taken us to good places. Or worse, it has remained just good theology divorced from incarnation.. thus gnosticism. Then too, good theology has sometimes been oppressive because "knowledge is power" and those who know and can put it into words have used their superior knowledge to control the show. After all, who can argue with the theologians? Particularly when they have several letters after their names ;) (Maybe in fact theology is too important to be left to the theologians, who after all are subject to the temptation to guard their turf just like others with power. But the gospel view was always from the bottom up).

That's why in some ways I think that the incarnation of kingdom purposes is more important even than the words. When we have to point to the mystery that is incarnate in our lives, then we have something to talk about. We have to not only have the answer but BE the answer, be God's YES to the world.

The best criticism of the bad is ultimately not new answers but a new way.. a practice of the better way. And this is finally the best reason to leave old structures too, so that when asked we don't just offer more words.. another answer.. but something concrete..

"how can we "do church" in order to best facilitate the production of these recreated people??? "

We do it by being it, because ultimately we don't want merely redeemed individuals but transformed communities. Reconciliation is meaningless apart from transformed relationships.