Living in a small(ish), closed community leaves me wondering if my current view of the Christian church in America is a myopic one. Do the things I see around me reflect the rest of the country, or are our concerns and problems unique to this area? Hard to say.
So my comments here will reflect just what I know, just what I live within and among.
The American version of the Christian church (and I’m not singling out one particular group here) has become increasingly irrelevant in our culture. I’ve been immersed for the past few years in an environment which largely sees God and the message of the church as something archaic...something that does not apply to their lives.
Do these people still need God? Do they still need the message that Christ brought? Absolutely. But they don’t see a difference between the message of Jesus Christ and the message of the church, when frankly, they have become quite different.
The message of Christ is one of love, and healing. It’s about reconciliation and relationship. The message of the church, on the other hand has dissolved, far too often, into teaching people that we have the answers (as opposed to Christ has the answers) and “no one comes to the Father except through our denomination.”
Yet Isaiah 29:13 warns against just this situation. “The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”
And that’s the key part, that last bit. “...made up only of rules taught by men.”
The church is so busy making up rules and regulations, demanding that people do everything their way, that we’ve lost the simple, clear, elegant message of Christ.
Somewhere along the way, we stopped “going ye into all the world,” finding the sick and lost and hurting people, and started staying home, waiting for them to come to us and do things our way. We have developed what I call “flypaper faith.” We don’t come looking for you, we stay home, develop lots of fun and entertaining programs and concerts and what-not. If you get curious and fly close enough, you just might stick. But we darned sure aren’t coming looking for you. (And once you get here, we’ve got a list of rules for you about as long as your arm. Can’t cut it? Then don’t bother!)
Sure, we send missionaries all over the world. We even throw a few coins in the missions offering to help them buy some groceries. But I believe that the command to “go into all the world” meant our own neighborhoods and communities, as well. And it doesn’t necessarily mean going to preach in their face.
St. Francis of Assissi told us, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.”
It’s that second part we haven’t grasped. Too many of us use words first, forgetting that being heard is a privilege, one that must be earned. Why would someone listen to me talking about a loving, kind God, when I haven’t demonstrated that love first? Why would they believe me, if they did listen, if my behavior is that of condemnation of people whose lives don’t measure up to what I believe they should?
I broached this subject with a group of pastors this week. The loudest response was, “You give those people my business card. If they come to MY church, we’ll love them to Christ.”
Really? I mean....really?
There are people around us contemplating suicide (some attempting...some even succeeding). There are broken marriages and abused spouses and children. There are people suffering from the consequences of their own bad decisions and people who can’t quite figure out their place in the world. All around us there are people trying to make the best of their situation, while struggling with the baggage of their past. There are lonely people, sad people, sick people, people living lives of “quiet desperation.”
And we expect THEM to come to US, eager to sign up for our set of rules and regulations? What did humankind do before this man had business cards printed? Was there no hope before then?
Enough with the business cards, and the “tracts” and the flyers and concerts and programs. Enough with the “you musts” and “thou shalt nots.”
It’s way past time for the church (and by “the church” I mean the individual people who make up the churches) to simply love people. That’s all. Just love them. No judgement, no criteria, just simple, ongoing, daily acts of love.
Do they (we) need to change bad behavior? Let God tell them that. Do they need to “correct their theology?” Doesn’t the Word of God speak clearly enough to help people in that regard? Do they need to know someone loves them? Yeah, that would be relevant.
I'm trying to get back in the habit of writing every day. Lately, I've been working on character sketches. Some of those will find their way here, in the form of individual comments to this post.
Comments
So my comments here will reflect just what I know, just what I live within and among.
The American version of the Christian church (and I’m not singling out one particular group here) has become increasingly irrelevant in our culture. I’ve been immersed for the past few years in an environment which largely sees God and the message of the church as something archaic...something that does not apply to their lives.
Do these people still need God? Do they still need the message that Christ brought? Absolutely. But they don’t see a difference between the message of Jesus Christ and the message of the church, when frankly, they have become quite different.
The message of Christ is one of love, and healing. It’s about reconciliation and relationship. The message of the church, on the other hand has dissolved, far too often, into teaching people that we have the answers (as opposed to Christ has the answers) and “no one comes to the Father except through our denomination.”
Yet Isaiah 29:13 warns against just this situation. “The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”
And that’s the key part, that last bit. “...made up only of rules taught by men.”
The church is so busy making up rules and regulations, demanding that people do everything their way, that we’ve lost the simple, clear, elegant message of Christ.
Somewhere along the way, we stopped “going ye into all the world,” finding the sick and lost and hurting people, and started staying home, waiting for them to come to us and do things our way. We have developed what I call “flypaper faith.” We don’t come looking for you, we stay home, develop lots of fun and entertaining programs and concerts and what-not. If you get curious and fly close enough, you just might stick. But we darned sure aren’t coming looking for you. (And once you get here, we’ve got a list of rules for you about as long as your arm. Can’t cut it? Then don’t bother!)
Sure, we send missionaries all over the world. We even throw a few coins in the missions offering to help them buy some groceries. But I believe that the command to “go into all the world” meant our own neighborhoods and communities, as well. And it doesn’t necessarily mean going to preach in their face.
St. Francis of Assissi told us, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.”
It’s that second part we haven’t grasped. Too many of us use words first, forgetting that being heard is a privilege, one that must be earned. Why would someone listen to me talking about a loving, kind God, when I haven’t demonstrated that love first? Why would they believe me, if they did listen, if my behavior is that of condemnation of people whose lives don’t measure up to what I believe they should?
I broached this subject with a group of pastors this week. The loudest response was, “You give those people my business card. If they come to MY church, we’ll love them to Christ.”
Really? I mean....really?
There are people around us contemplating suicide (some attempting...some even succeeding). There are broken marriages and abused spouses and children. There are people suffering from the consequences of their own bad decisions and people who can’t quite figure out their place in the world. All around us there are people trying to make the best of their situation, while struggling with the baggage of their past. There are lonely people, sad people, sick people, people living lives of “quiet desperation.”
And we expect THEM to come to US, eager to sign up for our set of rules and regulations? What did humankind do before this man had business cards printed? Was there no hope before then?
Enough with the business cards, and the “tracts” and the flyers and concerts and programs. Enough with the “you musts” and “thou shalt nots.”
It’s way past time for the church (and by “the church” I mean the individual people who make up the churches) to simply love people. That’s all. Just love them. No judgement, no criteria, just simple, ongoing, daily acts of love.
Do they (we) need to change bad behavior? Let God tell them that. Do they need to “correct their theology?” Doesn’t the Word of God speak clearly enough to help people in that regard?
Do they need to know someone loves them? Yeah, that would be relevant.