43. The Modern Church

To Put It Bluntly

Since Joshua has led us directly into the functioning of the Christian church we may as well continue in that theme. 

Those of you who have read my posts for awhile must certainly believe that I am against everything the church does and believes and that I never attend a church of any kind.  To put it bluntly - that is not true:

I believe that:

1. Christianity has had a more positive effect on the well being of humanity than any other organization has ever had.

2. Children brought up in Christian homes are much more likely to "walk the straight and narrow path" than those who are not.

3. Christians who spend time worshipping Jehovah in prayer and songs are much less likely to be despondent than those who do not.

4. The Church also has many other positive traits; for example:

a) such as near equality for women and men;

b) the Church led the way in setting free slaves;

c) the Church led the way in creating orphanages and hospitals;

However, let's not close our mental eyes to the fact that the church has also failed or even gone astray in many areas.  Those are the areas I keep on picking at.

At first, the early Protestants did not want to leave the "mother church" when they found fault with it; they wanted to change it.  However, because they could not change it, they protested against it and some of its beliefs and practices.

We, who are fifth century Protestants, must not let ourselves believe that we've got everything right; exactly the way Christ would do it.  Because many religious people insist they "have it right", beyond question, I am pushed into finding fault with the church in my posts. I will continue finding fault with the church at large, and criticise her because, according to the Bible, many of her doctrines and methods are totally wrong.

Doing church the Jesus way

Jesus moved about. Most churches stay stubbornly in place.

Jesus talked about wealth and power. We talk about sex and ordination.

Jesus formed radically open circles of friends. We erect institutional barriers and admit only those we deem worthy.

Jesus dodged calls for laws and doctrines. We codify and dogmatize.

Jesus fed the multitudes without conditions. We marginalize those who fail our moral litmus tests.

Jesus stood up to the religious establishment. We are the religious establishment.

Jesus told stories that engaged people in the mystery of God’s kingdom. We quote chapter and verse to declare certainty.

Jesus ventured outside the approved realm and touched the untouchable. We stay close to home, adopt lofty goals for spending small amounts of money on high profile needs, and applaud ourselves for being mission minded.

Jesus endured rejection, suffered for all to see, and sent His Spirit to give His disciples courage to do the same. We crave acceptance, try to build large crowds by pleasing people, and proclaim the promise of prosperity and tribal superiority.

Jesus owned nothing. We at various times have insisted on owning everything.

Could we possibly get it more wrong? It’s no wonder that church participation has fallen to single digits in Europe and are dwindling steadily in America. No wonder politicians see us not as a bold counter-voice calling them to repentance and mercy but as allies in mean-spirited campaigns.

Here are five basics we could tackle today:

First, it is time for congregations to focus on people, especially on their joys and sorrows, their wounds and yearnings.

Second, it is time for us to move about, to place less importance on stability and more on being present to humanity.

Third, it is time for us to abandon our prideful barriers and restrictions, to stop worshipping at the altar of right opinion and to hear what God needs from us today in the actual fields of hunger and heartache.

Fourth, it is time for us to start fighting about the Bible and our claims to holiness. We render ourselves impotent by our divisions and absurd in our hubris. (hubris - high opinion of our self worth).

Fifth, it is time for us to stand and sing, kneel and pray together, not because we like or approve of each other but because Jesus called us to be one.

Until we show a capacity to love one another, our neighbors will rightly see us as hypocrites Until we join hands and plow facing forwards, our neighbors will see us as being mired in as safe and self serving past and frightened by a challenging future.

Just Wondering, Jesus. Tom Ehrich, Author