Matrix reloaded

Can't believe no-one else from Matrix has used that as a title!

Well aside from the meet and greet element of the conference there were also some excellent sessions to feed the imagination with some inspiration and innovation (the themes of the conference).

Tony Campolo was on fire with passion for the truth of the radical gospel of Jesus. He first encouraged us to be of the same mind as Christ (Philippians 2.5)
so that when faced with conflict
"Through the eyes of Christ, you'll see that their anger is hurt"
By looking at the world through Christ's eyes, Campolo proposed that we could seek a unity in the church through love. He told a wonderful story about talking to a group of sociology students and asking them how various religious leaders would react to meeting a prostitute, concluding with the question:
"How did Jesus react when he met a prostitute?"
One student answered quickly
"Jesus never met a prostitute."
Campolo admits a certain self-righteous glee in informing the student that, yes Jesus DID meet a prostitute; that it was recorded in the New Testament.
The student persisted
"No Jesus never met a prostitute."
Only then did Campolo realise that his student had the REAL answer:
Jesus never met a prostitute... Jesus met a person. Jesus saw beyond what others saw. He did not see someone despised by society and judged for what they do. Jesus saw the true person.

Pete's put up some notable quotations which I think is a good idea so I thought I'd appropriate it! So here you go:

Campolo:
"People are as young as their dreams and their visions and as old as their cynicism"
"People ask me 'why do you go to the theatre?' Because church doesn't giveme much hope."
"America is not just a country anymore. It has become a deity. To critique America in America is to critique the only thing they believe in"
"When WE talk about revolution and innovation, we're talking about slight change. He [Jesus] challenged everything and called us to a radical lifestyle."
"Are we ready to welcome the New Jerusalem or are we going to socialise young people to live in Babylon"

Johnny Douglas on church:
"Often annoying, profoundly annoying but never optional!"

Robert Beckford:
"Learning form the failings of those we admire is one way we can be inspired by others"