Is it true?

Did they leave the last half out of John 14:6 at Gerald Ford's funeral?

As many of you know, the verse reads "Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth and life, no one comes to the Father except by me.'" At the funeral the quote was ended at "life."

Peter Jensen, Anglican Archbishop of Sydney wrote a very interesting piece , referring to the event but casting it in the context of the individual believer's role in the life of the church's mission to a pluralistic society.

The event itself underscores something very important about American society that simply must be acknowledged - for the sake of the gospel. America is not a 'Christian country.' I have often had conversations with my American friends (since my first time here in '94) about this issue, both the historical reality, but more pressingly, the contemporary situation.

My experience is that many Americans who claim to be Christians, even many who attend church regularly, are not 'sold out to the gospel.' The Gerald Ford funeral is just another example of Christian-like social expression that devalues the enormity of Jesus' sacrifice and decries the urgency of evangelism.

I encourage you to read Peter Jensen's piece. For me, the most striking quote is this:
"If you are not prepared to be unpopular and culturally off-side, then don't get involved in the mission of the church."
This isn't a reference to feeling uncomfortable with the 'liberal media' or angry with the new Democratic Congress, it's about living lives that confront the individual decisions and choices that our unbelieving family, friends, colleagues and neighbors make every day. It's about a radical commitment to engaging our culture so we can truly act as salt and light.

How often do we think about (and act on) the mission of the church in our own backyard (not in some distant country)? Are you sold out to the gospel? Or would you sell out to the culture, even the Christian-like culture, like they did at Ford's funeral?