Two Points (and a half...?)
Geez Michael, that sounds like a great book. One more for the library :)
Two points:
1: Why do our churches suck?
We all love Jesus. We all want to be more like Jesus. We all want people to know Jesus.
We can't agree on who Jesus is. Every generation hears the good news of the Gospel differently than the one before: that's part of why we talk about the Bible as being the Living Word. You know, when I read "do unto others as you would have done unto you" it doesn't impact me the same way as the concept impacted my father - who had suffered some physical and a fair amount of emotional abuse as a child. The so-called "Golden Rule" meant that my dad never physically punished me (heh, my MOM did, though...every time I deserved it...). It doesn't impact me the same way it does, say, a soldier who may very well have to live under a kill or be killed ethos...
Who is this Jesus? Is He the guy who was so enraged at the abuses of God's holiness that he threw over tables and drove out the moneychangers? Is He the guy who said, "Let the children come to me?" Or the guy who said, "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees!!" Or the guy who said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more." Who is this Jesus? Which one do you want to follow?
Me? I want to follow the real Jesus. But I have biases and blind spots, too... The Church will never be unified in its concept of Jesus. Talk to Christians in South America, and many will tell you that Jesus is the Great Liberator. What does that mean to me? Jesus liberated me from my sin. But in South America, Jesus is as much a Political figure as a religious (or was, this is from 15 year old data...)
Churches suck because they don't see Jesus the way I see Jesus. Is High Mass really any less devout and faithful than the Wednesday night prayer meeting?
2: I love my church...
I know what you're saying. But I wish you had said, I love my Church. You know, all of 'em. Even the ones that suck...
Why isn't more evangelism happening? Because too many people either don't know who the Jesus they worship is, or they're too embarassed by who they think He is to tell people about Him...
And maybe I'm full of it, too...
Two points:
1: Why do our churches suck?
We all love Jesus. We all want to be more like Jesus. We all want people to know Jesus.
We can't agree on who Jesus is. Every generation hears the good news of the Gospel differently than the one before: that's part of why we talk about the Bible as being the Living Word. You know, when I read "do unto others as you would have done unto you" it doesn't impact me the same way as the concept impacted my father - who had suffered some physical and a fair amount of emotional abuse as a child. The so-called "Golden Rule" meant that my dad never physically punished me (heh, my MOM did, though...every time I deserved it...). It doesn't impact me the same way it does, say, a soldier who may very well have to live under a kill or be killed ethos...
Who is this Jesus? Is He the guy who was so enraged at the abuses of God's holiness that he threw over tables and drove out the moneychangers? Is He the guy who said, "Let the children come to me?" Or the guy who said, "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees!!" Or the guy who said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more." Who is this Jesus? Which one do you want to follow?
Me? I want to follow the real Jesus. But I have biases and blind spots, too... The Church will never be unified in its concept of Jesus. Talk to Christians in South America, and many will tell you that Jesus is the Great Liberator. What does that mean to me? Jesus liberated me from my sin. But in South America, Jesus is as much a Political figure as a religious (or was, this is from 15 year old data...)
Churches suck because they don't see Jesus the way I see Jesus. Is High Mass really any less devout and faithful than the Wednesday night prayer meeting?
2: I love my church...
I know what you're saying. But I wish you had said, I love my Church. You know, all of 'em. Even the ones that suck...
Why isn't more evangelism happening? Because too many people either don't know who the Jesus they worship is, or they're too embarassed by who they think He is to tell people about Him...
And maybe I'm full of it, too...
posted by Pastor Bill at 2:11 PM
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