Living Outside the Camp

Chip Brogden of The School of Christ ministry speaks on the nature of living the Christian life outside of institutional settings.

OVER a considerable period of years more and more believers are finding that life within institutional churchianity is a mismatch with the models seen in the early church. Additionally many Christians are - for a variety of reasons - unable to access meaningful fellowship.

Having come out of structured 'church' Chip Brogden found himself 'outside of the camp'. The School of Christ ministry was first formed around physical meetings but now convenes in an online environment.

Chip states:

Since 1995, I’ve shared my unique perspective with people all over the world who are sick and tired of “Churchianity” and want to get back to their First Love – or even find Him for the first time. Some find these teachings encouraging and confirming. Others find them controversial and upsetting. It really depends on where you are in your journey. I believe in following the Truth, wherever the Truth may lead.

He now holds weekly online sessions which believers can join. Also his ministry website hosts a wide range of teachings and resources.

During the course of his talk Chip recommended these books with the suggestion that 'The Church in the Wilderness' would be a good first choice.

Notes:
1. Christian author and CT site member Graham Wood in his book 'When the Church was Very Young' offers a crisp reminder of the few who seek to call the rest of us to simple faith, the practice of when the early church (Ekklesia). He considers that many voices, from the periphery, are waking up to the need to return to simpler days where relationship, fellowship, and one-anothering were possible. In his view, this return to the early church practices not only fosters a sense of belonging and community but also gives us a clear purpose, inspiring us to grow as a body working together.
2. Following the above meeting Chip send in the remark:

An important point that I’m not sure I made sufficiently clear. The Stone of Stumbling and the Rock of Offense (skandalon) is He Who is “rejected by the builders” but is now “Chief of the Corner” and “precious.” The rejection itself is “the Lord’s doing.” And we as living stones gathered by the One rejected are also outcast with Him and precious because we are HIS habitation, not man’s. Thus, we go to be with Jesus “outside the camp” to bear His reproach, being outcasts with Him – and this is exactly as it is supposed to be.

3. Dr. John Sens spoke to an earlier meeting on a similar theme: the the recording can be found here.