Funny how time changes things. Funny how people's actions based out of fear and insecurity can alter your perspective on much of what they spent their lives telling you.
One man told me that the Church is God's way of transforming the world-- and in fact, it is the single most effective way to glorify God. Then he kicked me out of his church cuz I didn't fit in.
Logically, one could deduce from the combination of his philosophy and his actions that God wants to transform the world using The Church, and The Church is only for those who fit in. The Church is an exclusive country club, essentially.
I call "BS." Up until now, I've gone along with those pastors and theologians that convinced a smattering of their own followers that The Church is the method for God's hand (and any number of horrible analogies). I have come to realize (and I'm sorry if this offends you) that what they really mean when they say that is: come to MY church and put your money in my offering plates. They don't want to hear any other interpretation of Jesus' sending out the 12. They want to learn more techniques and gimmicks to get more people to trust them and volunteer and put more money in the plates.
You see, after the Resurrection, Jesus sends out the 12 to "go forth and make disciples," but I don't think there was an asterisk on the end of that statement that says, "*because this is the single most effective way to glorify God and transform the world-- oh, AND making disciples means excluding those who don't fit in to your Sunday services."
Stop me if this is going too far, but --from where I'm sitting-- to reinterpret (and thus, MISinterpret) Jesus' words to serve our OWN purposes and agendas (and paycheck), seems a little... blasphemous? Some might call that person a False Prophet. I think Jesus called this type a "Brood of Vipers."
Think, oh you who profess to be followers of God. THINK.
Church can just "go on as usual" because, "hey, nothing's perfect" and "besides, there are lots of good things that come from it... like... potlucks"? Or you can call BS.
Some call the American consumeristic church as today's Anti-Christ. A force so alluring and powerful that it can not be ironed out, only left to rot and decay or be destroyed by the Second Coming. I say, a new path must be forged. The funny thing is that it is NOT a new path, but the original path that Christ asked us to take in the first place.
Think about Christ's words! How much does one need to tithe in order to "take up one's cross"? How many weeks do you need to volunteer to babysit in the nursery in order to "stay on the narrow path"? What clothes should I wear and what things should I say so that I "fit in" to the "feast of God that ALL are welcomed to"?
I have been afraid to say these things that are on my heart because I don't want to hurt more people, but the fact is, PEOPLE ARE GETTING HURT by the Church's blasphemies. Some may never see God because of the Church's evil practices and politics. I will stick up for those who have been burned and beaten by the insecure liars and demons in "their Sunday best." I will not stand by and watch a "holy life-boat" run over another follower of God in their quest to convert more people to join their exclusive club. It's f**ked up. I think Jesus would say so.
You say a new path must be forged. What does that path look like?
ReplyDeleteWhat does this realization mean in your life? How do you respond to it?
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ReplyDeleteAfter thinking about this post a bit, I think I may have something more to say on it. People use the saying, "The church is messy because people are sinners". I think it's just an excuse. The reality is, that the American Church, being a government sanctioned entity (one that has to abide by certain business practices, and laws, and pay taxes) ends up looking a lot like corporate America. We make "business decisions" and try to get the best, most talented team assembled to bring in the most people in the doors as possible. The Sunday Service has become an event, it has become THE event, THE single most important thing that someone could go to for their faith. And, unfortunately, decisions about personnel are often handled with the same callousness as a corporation would. "you're not doing your job as we see it, so please leave." There's often very little grace in it.
ReplyDeleteNow, would the leadership admit this? No. And I truly believe the leadership never set out to do this. It's the trapping of becoming an official Organization. It's the trapping of trying to coexist within government regulation. I'm not sure Jesus ever intended for his Church, his Bride to ever allow the government to have any say over it and how it went about its 'business'.
So, there's my rant and response. Are all churches doing this? No. I think that there are some leaders out there who have recognized this pattern and are actively attempting to break it. Unfortunately, as long as you have a mortgage, or a lease, you'll always be compelled to find a way to pay it, or improve it, or make it more awesome and bigger. And in the process, people often get hurt.
I spoke with a pastor who has a typical Sunday Morning church service and rents a space. He is big on this missional/incarnational stuff. He said, "I hate going to church on Sunday mornings. When we were gathering on Saturday or Sunday evening, I was so much happier." He went on to say that the reason he stuck with a Sunday morning service is because that was what his suburban community needed. The best time for their community to gather was on Sunday mornings because that's how their lives had been arranged.
I agree that a new path must be forged, and it probably needs forging from the inside out. So, the big question is: What does it mean to be a Christian in America?
Knowing that something is largely broken, what is our responsibility to it?
I believe we're already seeing a breakdown in the system as we know it, and a 'revival' seems to be on the horizon.
I recognize that my opinion is a large generalization from my experience with growing up in the church. Because I have experience in this, I feel that I can speak into this a bit. There is a lot of good happening because of the church in America as well, and I am fortunate to attend a church right now that is really pushing hard to make an impact in the community at large.
ReplyDeleteTim, to me the new path to be forged is exactly what you say it is--the path Christ laid down in the first place. Which, in this Christian's humble opinion, is simply this: LOVE.
ReplyDeleteSomething SO many "Christians" have SO little of, unless the subjects of their "love" look, act, dress, think a certain way. They forget that Christ loved (loves) LITERALLY everybody. If you can expel someone from your congregation who loves the Lord, how much easier will it be for you to turn away someone who is seeking a life with Christ?
I was speaking on the phone with my friend Cody, who is a gay man. He said, "Why would I love a God who commands his people to hate me?" As much as I tried to tell him that God does NOT hate him, but he just couldn't believe me because of the way he's been treated all of his life "in the name of God."
Obviously that was a tangent that's not really on the point that you were making... but anyway. My point is that the "new" path we should be forging is a path of love--a love that really is blind. Vigorously loving everyone in our path, regardless of whether or not they fit the description of someone we would otherwise choose to accept.
Sometimes it terrifies me that someday soon (even today in many cases) our generation is leading the Church (capital C). We have no idea what we are doing and frankly that's just not okay. Using the excuse that we are figuring it out as we go along, or that we are "only human" makes me want to smack us. Really. We are so entitled, so self assured, so "holy". What happened to humility and fear? Not that I want to lead a life of fear, but if we do not feel heavily the weight of our responsibility in this situation, we are not acknowledging the commands and responsibilities that Christ gave us. We as a broader Christian community have been much too cavalier in our approach to religion. Frankly, I am tired of supposing I have answers. But that leaves me with you.... stuck outside of community because I am unwilling to commit to an ideal that too often becomes a doctrine that we must subscribe to. I think the things we begin to do for convenience too often become this we must do in order to worship. Like Potlucks. We can no longer be a church if we don't have them.
ReplyDeleteBTW this "We" I keep using is a royal we. By it I mean them. :)
I agree with you guys!! Jeff, the idea that the government's impact on Church: the Building has had a negative impact on God's purposes is fascinating... While at DC, I heard (and shrugged off) this line: "well, let's be honest: we're running a business here." And I understand why they say that: running a business makes sense. You can chart it. You can impact the dividend by adding A and B to target audience C. But that's NOT the way Jesus talked about the Church. That's NOT the way to deal with people. Lilli, you state it perfectly: it's about LOVE. REAL love, not just marketable love.
ReplyDeleteBecca, I love what you have to say. It IS scary that, in Christ's words, "the keys to the kingdom lay in our hands." This is what he said to his VERY young disciples as they were trying to figure out how to go about living with the knowledge of the Resurrection. He entrusted the telling of his life story and-- in our lame terms-- the "first church plant" to 12 very NOT-QUALIFIED individuals.
ReplyDeleteIs it terrifying to disagree with some of the core fundamentals of our parent's generation? Yes. But, it is much more terrifying to me to be following a WRONG core fundamental, especially when there is so much at stake.
My commitment is not to be broken or jaded by my experiences with the church (and by my own short-comings) but to (all-the-more!) search for TRUTH in the midst of a sea of political and spiritual corruption and misguidance. I know it may be tough to think, "wait, am I a part of those who have been misguided?" But every man or woman who works through that question with the humility and patience that you speak of, Becca, I believe will be rewarded due to Jesus' promise (Matt 7:7). The Church: Corrupted would like to rephrase Jesus' controversial words of personal journey and wrestling with God to one of "working out your faith in our ten step class, ordained by our official yada yada." Who ordained Moses? Who ordained Jesus? Who ordained Paul? Paul considered all of his "qualifications" of holiness pure crap. Why do we forget this??
Again, great insights.
Hey Tim,
ReplyDeleteI'm a friend of Jeff's and he sent me a link to your blog a while ago and I'm just now getting time to think about it like I would want to.
I agree with you that the church as an institution is not structured the way that Jesus most likely intended. I think that we do a lot of reading into scripture to have it fit the way that we thing we should be 'doing church'. Our ideas about leadership, vision, structure, and resources seem to be more influenced by Constantine than Jesus. It's true that church structures have changed very little in the past 1500 years.
I feel like I've come to a point where I believe that 'Church' isn't defined by a building or a certain leadership structure, but it is defined by being a group of people who are committed to living life under Jesus' lordship and following His ways of love into the world. I feel like I have the freedom to reject the ways that churches operate more like instituions, but also the responsibility to seek out and honor ways that people (within and without of traditional forms of church) are living in the ways of Jesus.
It's messed up that many people can't define Church apart from churches...and it's sad to me that people have lost their vision for being the Church in the world. It seems that at times people are more content listening to their pastor than listening to the Spirit..maybe it's because people aren't taught how to listen to the Spirit? Or maybe it's because people are afraid of rocking the boat when they do listen to Spirit? Or maybe we've just been so conditioned to fit in, find our place, serve like we've been told, and fill a roll? Or maybe people are just so comfortable that they don't care? (I think of Rev 3 and Jesus' message to the people of Laodicea)
Anyways...I hope that as you part ways with institution and unhealthy leaders that you'll be lead deeper in the ways of love, grace, humility, freedom, truth, peace, and forgiveness. There is a better way than simply trying to find a place to fit in another persons vision for life and their church...
Thanks for letting me ramble on your blog...