Theology of 'the blag'

A few years ago when I was at college, I often used find myself saying 'don't worry about it just blag it (make it up as you go along).' As I think about the future direction of sanctus1 and the emerging church I have a belief that this sense of 'blagging-it' is a spirit driven principle that allows the creative presence of God to move.

As I read the Bible I often get the impression that God is ‘blagging-it’ and making it up as he goes along! Take the stories where God changes his mind i.e. the story of Hezekiah, where God says that he is going to die but then changes his mind and allows him to live for 15 more years. However, within these blags there is always a sense of the bigger picture and the fact that God wants to be in relationship with humanity and this underlying principle is what drives the blag.

I am often asked 'Where is Sanctus1 going?' and my response is that 'I don't know we make it up as we go along...we blag it'. I am aware that the next step is the most important and it is that step that can cause us to fall. There are dangers associated with being too future focused, such as the present reality is not adequately respected. If the present is not respected the organic growth of the community will not happen. There is also the danger of being so focused on a future vision that a neo-colonialism takes place as set ideas of church are imposed on people rather the church growing and evolving organically.

Yet this is not very strategic and therefore an underlying principle is needed to focus and drive the blag. That underlying principle is a belief in a God that wants humanity to be in relationship; relationship with one another in community and relationship with God through Christ. This desire to create community, a place for people to belong, is the under girding of the blag..