Monday Matters
This week, our fellows will read and discuss excerpts from the book Why Cities Matters by Stephen T. Um and Justin Buzzard.
As you know, our organization is headquartered in Indianapolis, and a key component of the fellowship experience is for participants to reflect on how they might contribute to the thriving of our city.
No matter where you live, there is much work to be done as we partner with God in making a world where everyone has what they need and no one needs to be afraid. This is a core belief here at CCF: cities like Indianapolis are important.
Um and Buzzard argue that cities matter because they are:
centers of power, culture, and worship
magnets for people who are aspirational, marginalized, and explorational
amplifiers of diversity
engines of creativity
and gospel gateways.
They go on to say, “As engines for the production of culture, our cities have the ability either to lead us to human flourishing or to human famishing. In the end, the question is one of worship. When the citizens of a city are animated by a loving response to the grace of God, the city will flourish and rejoice. When urban dwellers run on self-interest, self-indulgence, and self-definition, the city will eventually turn in on itself and wither. If in the end the well-being of a city is tied to what it worships, might this provide a significant entry point for the gospel in an increasingly urban world?”
Questions for personal reflection:
In what ways does your own city (or closest urban center) embody the characteristics listed above?
What “entry points for the gospel” do you see in urban areas?
