Over the last few days I have been aware of what I will call ‘residual christendom’, some residue of our Christian heritage showing up in the lives of our friends.

It showed today when the cafe owner questioned why I would eat bacon and eggs on Easter friday… ummm… because I like bacon and eggs… It showed when one of my friends didn’t know what to take to a barbecue – red meat (his much preferred option) or fish…

It showed when friends decided that they would have their child christened even though neither have any faith convictions…

My question relate to whether this works for us or against us as missionaries.

Should we be happy that there is some remnant of christian memory at work in people’s lives or is it actually to our detriment because it is a residue that has lost its significance and now is almost in the realm of superstition?

Residual Christendom shows up in lots of places, with people wanting their kids to grow up with good morals – hence Sunday school – people setting up nativity scenes at Christmas – the list goes on.

I’m interested in the question – should we seeing this as a foundation to build on or should we look to ‘put a broom thru’ and completely start over?…