Saints & Drunks
Ireland seems more a place positioned for vacation not missions work. If asked to list countries that need humanitarian relief I don’t think any of us would pencil in Ireland near the top of that list. The allure of rich history and rolling hills right off the coast of the Atlantic attracts many tourists every year. Why on Earth would a group of young, raw missionaries setup camp on “the Land of Saints and Scholars”?
Ireland seems more a place positioned for vacation not missions work. If asked to list countries that need humanitarian relief I don’t think any of us would pencil in Ireland near the top of that list. The allure of rich history and rolling hills right off the coast of the Atlantic attracts many tourists every year. Why on Earth would a group of young, raw missionaries setup camp on “the Land of Saints and Scholars”?
This was a question that bounced around in my mind for awhile. The only issue (should I say stereotype) Ireland is known for is how much the Irish love their alcohol. I don’t have to go all the way to Ireland to be someone’s designated driver. I think its safe to assume most state universities can rival any Irish pub on the weekends (IU Little 500). There has to be more to this calling than holding people’s hair back while they puke in the toilet.
Church Becoming a Historical Artifact
I googled “Christianity Ireland” to see if there were any correlations between these two words. In fact there is. The main connection between these two words from what I noticed was a third word “early”. There are many sites that inform us about the early Christian movement in Ireland. Apparently there was a pretty popular Saint (not a football player) named Patrick. He had a powerful impact on the country obviously since he has his own day on the calendar. Unfortunately St. Patrick has been dead for roughly 1600 years and now Ireland has detached itself from the Church.
I googled “Christianity Ireland” to see if there were any correlations between these two words. In fact there is. The main connection between these two words from what I noticed was a third word “early”. There are many sites that inform us about the early Christian movement in Ireland. Apparently there was a pretty popular Saint (not a football player) named Patrick. He had a powerful impact on the country obviously since he has his own day on the calendar. Unfortunately St. Patrick has been dead for roughly 1600 years and now Ireland has detached itself from the Church.
What’s happening right now in the United States has already happened in Ireland. The young generations are disinterested in the Church. With local churches too stubborn to change with the different generations and the growing rate of child-abuse/pedophiles in the church I can’t say it surprises me. It wasn’t too long ago I was detached from the Church myself as well. Maybe there really is a reason God has me going to Ireland in June. It’s time to bring the Spirit, passion and energy back into the Church. God is going to use us to resurrect and awaken the Church from its lethargic sleep.
