Escape from Christian City

In my dream I see the lone figure of a man following a road. As the sun sets beneath the hills, a city comes into view. Nearing it, the traveler sees what appears to be a large group of churches. Spires and crosses pierce the skyline. His pace quickens. Is this his destination? He passes an imposing structure, a neon sign flashing "Cathedral of the Future". Farther on a floodlit stadium supports a billboard boasting that fifty thousand people crowd into evangelistic meetings there three nights a week. Beyond this, modest "New Testament" chapels and Hebrew Christian synagogues cluster together on the street front.

"Is this the City of God?" I hear the traveler ask a woman at the information booth in the central square.

"No, this is Christian City," she replies.

"But I thought this road led to the City of God!" he exclaims with great disappointment.

"That's what we all thought when we arrived," she answers, her tone sympathetic...[Excerpt from Escape from Christendom by Robert E. Burnell]

While reading this allegory, Escape from Christendom, I couldn't help but think about something I had said to my family a few years ago. I said, "One day the Church isn't going to look like it does now." My sister Kim asked, "What will it look like?" "I don't know," I replied, "All I know is it won't look like it does now."

I have lived in Christian City for almost 30 years but am now an escapee looking for the City of God.


This is a very lonely place to be, for a traveler to the City of God must go through a great stretch of desert wilderness. According to Mr. Burnell's dream there are four wildernesses: (1) Forgiveness (2) Worship (3) Prayer, and (4) is unnamed, but I would label it the Wilderness of Endurance.

Are you a fellow escapee from Christian City? Whether you are or not, go ahead and click on the 'comments' link and let me know what you're thinking. You can read the entire allegory by going to: http://awildernessvoice.com/Escape.html