hirsch and frost at london zoo

I've been mulling this over ever since I saw it on Steve's Small Ritual blog. I really hope that Steve had missed something because if not we've got some really dangerous stuff being said. Here's part of what Steve said about it:
"when a diverse group of people are thrown together in a situation of ordeal, danger, risk, and have to depend on each other to survive, and how when they survive/win/achieve they feel REALLY ALIVE. and how that liminal, risky situation is normative for the Church and what we should live for because we'd give anything to feel REALLY ALIVE."

I am concerned that liminal and risky are considered normative. I think I know where that stuff is coming from; I've served my apprenticeship in church growth circles and in circles where faith is spelt "R-I-S-K". But to seem to encourage continual hyped-up-ness is not going to help burnt-out church leaders [or memebers come to that]. I once took over in leadership at a church where the constant sdginess had been a norm. It's great for a while; really exciting, encouraging, giving a sense of direction, of purpose that we are changing the world. Then we run into the wall: we go emotionally numb, all the old tricks don't work any more at enthusing us, relationships that had been put on hold start falling over though lack of maintainance and everything begins to feel tired. People start leaving; they can't keep up the pace and their lives have been wrecked. Our paralimbic systems are not supposed to be switched on all the time. We need times of normality, of consolidation of -God help us!- Sabbath.

The comparisons that were apparently made may be revealing: "referenced fight club a lot. and team sport. and being soldiers." These are all adrenaline rush activities; I'm sorry but it ain't healthy to try to prolong that; it makes you ill. It is possible to feel truly alive after realxation and meditation and to bond with people over less fraught activities.The [light of soldiers kept on alert for long periods is a salutary reminder that we don't wnat to live on alert all the time; it results in battle fatigue syndrome and it's messy.

What I am hoping we might see soon in response the the flurry of comment on this is some clarification of whether these guys really did say this or whether other things might have been said and not heard or missed that put it into perspective.