How, I wonder, is a church different from a country club?
Sometimes not very much at all.
If so, how is a church a better expression of community than a football team?
In theory, I can give you a lot of good reasons. Stuff about the body of Christ, the communion of the saints, and the work of the Holy Spirit always in our midst. In reality? Many times churches fall far short of the hopes and dreams we have for them.
And that's disappointing.
Some have been so frustrated by this that they've taken a radical position disavowing all that has gone on before and have left behind the congregations in which they have been a part. I recently heard of one such individual who's stopped attending any local church and simply taken to communicating via a blog and e-mailing and calling with fellow Christians around the country to create his own "community."
It sounds nice, I suppose...and I know this person's had a really tough time of it---but I'm afraid to do so is to take a dangerous step. And not because there's anything magical or automatic about church attendance.
It sounds nice, I suppose...and I know this person's had a really tough time of it---but I'm afraid to do so is to take a dangerous step. And not because there's anything magical or automatic about church attendance.
I'm afraid because it's easy.
Easy to proclaim a desire for community over individualism yet to reject the community you've been given and fashion one of your own personal making. Easy because you don't have to deal anymore with Christians that frustrate you, only those of your own persuasion. Easy because there may be no more resistance to your ideas and hopes and dreams and mistakes and meanderings.
Sounds good at times. But it completely ignores the fact that this community, the Church, only exists through Jesus Christ. That means it should and must include liberals and conservatives, traditionalists and progressives, bores and ideologues, scholars and simpletons. All whom Jesus loves.
People we adore and people who frustrate us all smashed together in the same congregation. People who would never exist in the same place without Jesus Christ and whose continued presence in each other's midst is only by His grace.
Sounds good at times. But it completely ignores the fact that this community, the Church, only exists through Jesus Christ. That means it should and must include liberals and conservatives, traditionalists and progressives, bores and ideologues, scholars and simpletons. All whom Jesus loves.
People we adore and people who frustrate us all smashed together in the same congregation. People who would never exist in the same place without Jesus Christ and whose continued presence in each other's midst is only by His grace.
What is meant by all of this? Well, I think it means we don't get to decide who's in our church. That's God's call...and something that I think we just shouldn't mess with.
3 comments:
Good to hear more from you friend. I certaily resonate with your musings on the church. I have certainly experienced such frustration lately but I think you are right. We need to be in a community where we do not always agree with other members. I think being in an environment where our views are not challenged can lead to spiritual complacency/laziness. But I must admit that I do struggle...at time feeling too liberal for the church and too conservative for the rest of the world. By the way have you read 'The Irresistible Revolution' by Shane Claiborne? It addresses some of these issues.
I agree, it's the whole idea of everyone leaveing a sinking ship, nobody tries to save the sinking ship.
Or often times, as it is the case with churches, leaving a perfectly fine ship just because it got a little wet.
Because the church as a whole isn't a sinking ship by any means, some individual local expressions of it may be, but the church as a whole isn't.
And when you fasion a community of believers who are just like you so you're not frustraited or challenged, they often grow large, they often become very church like and than twenty years down the road you have most of the problems you started with because you never learned to fix them, you learned to run away from them.
You are correct we don't get to pick who we go to church with we just need to learn how to get along with them.
I stumbled upon your blog - i wanted to name mine shealtiel as the address (my dad prophesied over me that God had given me the name) but I found you had it...
All that aside: well written. I have frequently come across people who "church hop" whenever things get bad, whenever people don't agree with them 100%. Let me tell you, folks - NO ONE is going to agree with you 100%. Not even on ice cream flavors. Why do we think that we can enter a church and have everyone agreeing with us? It's not us they are supposed to be agreeing with!
Praise God for His guidance - and you're right - He chooses who will go where and we follow - because he is worthy and because we love him!
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