作者：Tim Keller 譯者：駱鴻銘
（摘自 Center Church： Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in
Your City ）
除了要像其他人，也不要像其他人之外，基督徒也應該要和其他人深入交流。In addition to
being like others and unlike others, Christians should also be engaged with
others.(12)
對一個已經把信仰處境化的基督徒來說，宣教就是每天生活的一部分——和他們的鄰舍、同事、同一個城市裏的其他人發展出一些深層的關係。Mission for a
contextualized believer is a matter of everyday life—of developing
nonsuperficial relationships with their neighbors, colleagues, and others in
the city.
以下是一些實際而簡單的方法：Here are some practical,
simple ways to do this:
一、和鄰居深入交流Engaging neighbors
1. 固定在社區走動，和那些經常外出的人碰面。保持規律的行程。在固定的時間到固定的地點去買日用品，剪頭髮，喝咖啡，購物等等。這些是你認識附近鄰居的主要方法。Take regular walks
in your neighborhood to meet others who are out and about. Keep a regular
schedule. Go to the same places at the same time for groceries, haircuts,
coffee, shopping. This is one of the main ways you get to know those who live
geographically near.
2. 試著去認識同一棟建築物裏的人或附近社區的人，例如一些公共場所，洗衣房，會議廳，等等。Find ways to get to
know others in your building or neighborhood—through a common laundry area, at
resident meetings, and in numerous other ways.
3. 找一個可以和城裏其他人一起投入的副業或嗜好。例如，不要組一個基督徒的徒步旅行俱樂部；而是加入現有的俱樂部。Find an avocation
or hobby you can do with others in the city. For example, don’t form a
Christian backpacking club; join an existing one.
4. 試著找一些門路，在你所在的城市參加一些有組織的業餘運動。Look for ways to
play organized amateur sports in the city.
5. 和鄰居在一些非營利組織或其他活動，一同擔任志工。Volunteer alongside
other neighborhood residents at nonprofits and with other programs.
6. 如果你有小孩，要積極參與學校的活動，認識其他家長。If you have
children, be involved at the school and get to know other parents.
7. 加入市區活動——募款，慶祝會，清潔服務，夏日表演、音樂會等等。Participate in city
events—fund-raisers, festivals, cleanups, summer shows, concerts, etc.
8. 服事你的社區。拜訪社區委員會。定期撿拾廢棄物。參與鄰里的協會。探訪個別的鄰居（尤其是老年人），尋找服事他們的方法。Serve in your neighborhood. Visit the community
board meeting. Pick up litter regularly. Get involved in neighborhood
associations. Find individual neighbors (especially elderly ones) and find ways
of serving them.
9. 對鄰居要好客——在適當的時間和地點，邀請他們來吃飯或看電影，等等。
Be
hospitable to neighbors—when and where appropriate, invite them over for a meal
or a movie, etc.
二、和同行、同事、朋友深入交流Engaging colleagues,
coworkers, and friends
1. 和他們一起從事一些娛樂活動——看球賽（現場或家中的電視轉播，或體育酒吧）；看舞台劇，博物館展出，畫廊展覽，等等。
Do
recreational activities with them—watch sports (live or on TV at home or in a
nightspot); go to a theater show, museum exhibit, art gallery exhibit, etc.
2. 邀請他們和你加入一個球隊。
Invite
them to join a sports league with you.
3. 邀請他們和你到運動館鍛煉。
Invite
them to work out with you at a gym.
4. 安排夜間的電影聚會。
Put
together a movie night.
5. 打破固定作息，盡可能經常和他們一起吃飯；邀朋友到你的住處或家裏吃飯，或邀他們外出，試吃新餐館。Go out of your way
to eat with them as often as possible. Invite people over for a meal in your
apartment or home or just invite them out to try a new restaurant.
6. 計劃一些旅行或外出活動——到海邊，歷史景點等等。Plan trips or
outings—a trip to a beach, a historical site, etc.
7. 如果有人有特殊技能或興趣，（誠懇地）請他們教你；
If
the person has a skill or interest, ask them (sincerely!) to educate you.
8. 組織一個討論小組——討論政治、書籍，等等；主要是邀請非基督徒。
Organize
a discussion group on something—politics, books, etc., inviting mainly
non-Christians.
與其他人深入交流，其中一個意思是要願意被人認出你是個基督徒。與其他人深入交流，卻不曝露自己基督徒的身份，可以被稱為「與環境融為一體」的方法（blend-in approach）。許多基督徒生活在非信徒的社會裏，很少想到他們朋友的靈性需求，也不讓朋友知道自己是基督徒。他們的基本動機是被人接納，避免被人視為異類——但是這種方法無法將個人的信仰整合到他們與世人的關係當中。Part of being
engaged is to be willing to identify as a believer. Engaging relationally
without doing so could be called “the blend-in approach.” Many Christians live
in a social world of non-Christians but don’t think much about their friends’
spiritual needs, nor do they identify themselves as believers to their friends.
Their basic drive is to be accepted, to avoid being perceived as different—but
this approach fails to integrate a person’s faith with his or her relationships
in the world.
也可能剛好倒過來。一個被認為是基督徒的人，卻完全不與教會外的人互動。他們明白世人是失喪的，也會和人談到信仰，但是他們與非信徒的關係大體上是非常表面而膚淺的。我們可以稱這種取向是「基督徒安全室法」（Christian bubble
approach）。在這種情況下，基督徒把他們在工作之外的一切重要關係，都用來發展與其他基督徒的關係，也把全部時間投入基督徒活動。他們並沒有找機會去跟非信徒學習，欣賞他們，肯定他們，服事他們——因此無論這些基督徒相信什麼，這些在教會外的人並不知道基督徒也關心他們。The opposite can be
true as well. It is certainly possible for a person to identify as a believer
without engaging relationally outside the church. These are Christians who are
aware of people’s lostness and may get involved in conversations about faith,
but their relationships with non-Christians are largely superficial. We could
call this “the Christian bubble approach.” In this case, believers fill all of
their significant relationships outside of work with other Christians and their
time with Christian activities. They have not sought opportunities to learn
from nonbelievers, appreciate them, affirm them, and serve them—so regardless
of what these Christians believe, those outside the church do not know they
care about them
四十年前，我們多數人都認識一些同性戀者，但是我們不知道我們認識他們，因為所有的人都對此諱莫如深。結果，我們很可能對他們抱著一些刻板印象。今天大多數年輕人都認識一些同性戀者，因此比較難相信一些刻板印象，或對他們以偏概全。我懷疑大多數為和他們談話的城市裏的懷疑論者，的確有一些基督徒朋友，但是他們並不知道，因為基督徒在這個時代越來越不敢公開承認自己是基督徒。在這個意義下，今天許多基督徒很像四十年前的同性戀者——因此人們很自然地會相信對基督徒的一些嘲諷和刻板印象，因為他們實際認識的基督徒並不承認自己是基督徒。懷疑信仰的人，不光是需要信仰的論證才能相信；他們需要觀察到一些有智慧的、值得敬佩的同伴，才會明白使他們變成今天這個樣子的主要原因是他們的信仰。有一個你欽佩的基督徒朋友，會讓這個信仰更加可信。Forty years ago,
most of us knew gay people, but we didn’t know we did because everybody was
carefully quiet about it. As a result, it was possible to believe stereotypes
about them. Today most young people know someone who is gay, and so it is
harder to believe stereotypes or generalizations about them. I suspect most
urban skeptics I talk to today do have Christian friends, but they don’t know
it, because we are more afraid these days of being publicly identified as
believers. In this sense, many Christians today are like gay people were forty
years ago—so it is quite natural for people to believe caricatures and
stereotypes of Christians because the believers they actually know are not
identifying themselves. Skeptics need more than an argument in order to
believe; they need to observe intelligent, admirable fellow human beings and
see that a big part of what makes them this way is their faith. Having a
Christian friend you admire makes the faith far more credible.
這三個因素——像、不像、深入交流——構成了我所謂的「完整的基督徒人際關係」（Christian
relational integrity）的基礎。當基督徒被整合到城市生活的人際關係裏，當他們的信仰被整合到他們生活的每一部分時，他們的人際關係就是完整的。對傳福音和宣教來說，完整的基督徒人際關係為什麼很重要呢？許多教會純粹用嚴格的信息傳遞來思考福音佈道。史密斯（Christian Smith）寫的關於美國年輕人宗教的書（Souls in Transition: The
Religious and Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults），查看了年輕人當中關鍵的一小部分，他們在二十幾歲時，變得非常虔誠。與這種歸信有關的因素，主要是因為重大的個人關係。（註13）These three factors—like, unlike, and
engaged—make up the foundation of what I call Christian relational integrity.
Christians have relational integrity when they are integrated into the
relational life of the city and when their faith is integrated into all parts
of their lives. Why is Christian relational integrity important for evangelism
and mission? Many churches think of evangelism almost strictly in terms of
information transmission. But this is a mistake. Christian Smith’s book on
young adult religion in the United States looks at the important minority of
young adults who become much more religious during their twenties. The factors
associated with such conversions are primarily significant personal
relationships.(13)
奎德（Alan Kreider）觀察到早期基督教在一個非常敵對的環境裏卻有爆炸性的成長——將近三個世紀，每十年有40%的增長：早期的基督徒並沒有積極在公眾場合宣講福音，因為這樣作太危險了。基本上也沒有知名度宣教士或佈道家……初代基督徒沒有宣教委員會。他們沒有寫關於傳福音的論文……當尼祿在第一世紀中葉迫害基督徒之後，在裏面帝國的教會不再對外開放他們的崇拜服事。執事站在教會門口當保鏢，不讓那些沒有受過洗、說謊告密的人進教會……然而教會還是在增長。對官方來說這是一個迷信。知名人士對之嗤之以鼻。街坊鄰居用各種卑劣的手段歧視基督徒。教會時不時會遭到大屠殺…...當個基督徒是很困難的…….但是教會仍然在增長。為什麼呢？（註14）Alan Kreider observes that early Christianity grew
explosively—40 percent per decade for nearly three centuries—in a very hostile
environment: The early Christians did not engage in public preaching; it was
too dangerous. There are practically no evangelists or missionaries whose names
we know … The early Christians had no mission boards. They did not write
treatises about evangelism … After Nero’s persecution in the mid-first century,
the churches in the Roman Empire closed their worship services to visitors.
Deacons stood at the churches’ doors, serving as bouncers, checking to see that
no unbaptized person, no “lying informer,” could come in … And yet the church was growing. Officially
it was a superstition. Prominent people scorned it. Neighbors discriminated
against the Christians in countless petty ways. Periodically the church was subjected
to pogroms … It was hard to be a Christian … And still the church grew.
Why?(14)
當我們用這種方式來說明初代教會的社會處境時，就迫使我們了解到教會之所以會增長，必然是因為它特別有吸引力。奎德寫到，「人們感到著迷，像磁石一般被它吸引。」他接著提出有力的歷史證據，說明基督徒的生活——他們對弱勢者和窮人的關心，他們在面對迫害時正直的人格，他們無私地分享他們的財富，即使對敵人也奉獻他們的愛，以及他們共同的生活所展現的高度品質——都吸引非信徒來聽福音。非信徒一旦被吸引到基督徒的生活社區裏，他們就對福音真理有一種開放的態度，願意接受福音，因為福音正是這種生活的源泉。This striking way
of laying out the early church’s social situation forces us to realize that the
church must have grown because it was attractive. Kreider writes, “People were
fascinated by it, drawn to it as to a magnet.” He goes on to make a strong
historical case that Christians’ lives—their concern for the weak and the poor,
their integrity in the face of persecution, their economic sharing, their sacrificial love even for
their enemies, and the high quality of their common life together—attracted
nonbelievers to the gospel. Once nonbelievers were attracted to the community
by the lives of Christians, they became open to talking about the gospel truths
that were the source of this kind of life.
今天住在城市裏的人並不會面對在希臘羅馬世界中所要面對的同一類威脅生命的危險——瘟疫、社會混亂、暴力。在那個環境裏，身處在一個富有愛心的群體裏，實際上具有生死攸關的含義。但是今天住在城市裏的人仍然面對許多事情，是基督信仰可以處理的。他們缺乏過去幾個世代所曾經擁有的對未來光明前途的盼望。他們面對一個比其他世代所面對的更孤單、更競爭的環境。基督徒的生命品質——以盼望、愛心、沉穩、正直為特色——一直是福音佈道所必要的先決條件。但是今天比以往更甚，需要基督徒擁有這樣的特質。Urban people today
do not face the same kind of life-threatening dangers that they did in the
Greco-Roman world—plagues, social chaos, and violence. In that environment,
being in a loving community could literally mean the difference between life
and death. But urban residents today still face many things that Christianity
can address. They lack the hope in future progress and prosperity that past
generations of secular people have had. They face a lonelier and more
competitive environment than other generations have faced. The quality of our
lives—marked by evident hope, love, poise, and integrity—has always been the
necessary precondition for evangelism. But this has never been more necessary
than it is today.(15)
在許多基督徒當中為何缺乏這種完整的人際關係呢？答案主要是在於——雖然不是全部——動機。身處「與環境融為一體模式」的基督徒往往缺乏勇氣。他們（正確地）擔心失去影響力，在暗地裏遭受迫害，或者受到專業的刑罰。另一方面，身處「基督徒安全室模式」的基督徒，在感情、社交，甚至是金錢、身體上，不願意對他們身邊的人進行投資。令人感到意外的是，網際網路竟然對這種情況作出很大的貢獻。科技如今讓人有辦法搬到一個城市，卻仍然與其他地方的基督徒朋友或家人保持聯繫，但是在無意之間，卻會讓人很容易忽略住在我們周圍的人。這會促成我們不願意把感情投資在人身上。Why is there so
little relational integrity among believers? The answer is largely—though not
wholly—motivational. People who are in the blend-in mode often lack courage.
They are (rightly) concerned about losing influence, being persecuted in
behind-the-scenes ways, or being penalized professionally. On the other hand,
those who are in the bubble mode are unwilling to make the emotional, social,
or even financial and physical investment in the people around them.
Surprisingly, the Internet contributes to much of this. Technology now makes it
possible for a person to move to a city and remain in touch with their
Christian friends and family in other places, while unintentionally making it
easier to ignore the people who are physically living around us. This can
contribute to our reluctance to invest emotionally in people.
但是這種缺乏動機的情形並不是我們沒有看到平信徒向人傳福音的唯一理由。很多基督徒有高度的動機，但是仍然因為缺乏技巧，不知道怎麼傳福音，而感到綁手綁腳。他們發現他們非基督徒的朋友所問的關於信仰的問題，很快就會讓他們絆倒，甚至撼動他們自己的信仰。他們覺得自己無法用任何能吸引人的力量談論基督教信仰。缺乏知識和技巧會讓他們更缺乏勇氣（他們害怕被人問倒），甚至影響他們對其他人的熱情（他們感到無法真正幫助人）。這會讓我們思考有效的平信徒事工的第二個必要因素。But this lack of
motivation is not the only reason we fail to see laypeople doing evangelistic
outreach. Many are highly motivated but still feel handcuffed by a lack of
skill and know-how. They find that the questions their non-Christian friends
ask about the faith very quickly stump them or even shake their own faith. They
feel they can’t talk about the Christian faith with any kind of attractive
force. This lack of skill and knowledge accentuates their lack of courage (they
are afraid of being stumped) and even affects their compassion for others (they
feel as though they won’t be of any real help). This leads us to consider the
second necessary factor for effective lay ministry.
本文摘自 Center Church: Doing
Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City (Zondervan). Copyright © 2012
by Redeemer City to City and Timothy J. Keller. Used by permission of
Zondervan.
For
the rest of the excerpt, see Part 2: Pastoral Support, Safe Venues and
Discussion Questions
