We're waiting patiently for the rest of the world to return to 1957. The church, that is. Any minute now that long forsaken decade will return to us - we wait patiently for its arrival. Again.
Our churches are failing. Yeah, the suck factor ... we've gone over it and over it. We have audiences instead of congregations, people don't tithe to an institution this irrelevant, people don't even like themselves ... let alone their neighbor, and racism is still openly tolerated in our churches.
But, I feel there's so much more behind our problems. There are a few things that could be out of place. God could have forsaken us, we could have forsaken God, or it could simply be that we need to change our methods. I've basically ruled out the possibility that God has forsaken us. I'm pretty certain that to some degree we have forsaken God. I don't think that our methods alone are the problem. So, it's a combination of the second and third option with no possibility of the first.
It's pretty obvious that as long as there have been humans we have turned our backs on God. A lot of people, especially within the church, want to return to "better times" (aka the 1950s.) Was it the open racism in the deep south that made our country more Christian? Were we better Christians because men could beat their wives without fear of divorce? Was our church fulfilling the great commission because we had more people with unaffected lives? I don't think so. I think we are capable of so much more. Our methods were wrong in the 1950s and (since they haven't changed much) they are still wrong today.
So, here's a very brief list of some methods that need to be addressed:
* Our reliance on the "superpreacher" instead of allowing God to use the losers.
* Our Americanized "Bigger is Better" view of church.
* Our fear of the world.
* Our attempts to change the world before we change our own hearts.
* Our refusal to change our style to fit that of those outside the church.
I know it's not complete, I know I fail to learn from my own teachings, and I know that the church is capable of change. I'm not waiting for the return of that decade. I'm not using the excuse of "waiting on God." I'm ready for some change in our church.
Our churches are failing. Yeah, the suck factor ... we've gone over it and over it. We have audiences instead of congregations, people don't tithe to an institution this irrelevant, people don't even like themselves ... let alone their neighbor, and racism is still openly tolerated in our churches.
But, I feel there's so much more behind our problems. There are a few things that could be out of place. God could have forsaken us, we could have forsaken God, or it could simply be that we need to change our methods. I've basically ruled out the possibility that God has forsaken us. I'm pretty certain that to some degree we have forsaken God. I don't think that our methods alone are the problem. So, it's a combination of the second and third option with no possibility of the first.
It's pretty obvious that as long as there have been humans we have turned our backs on God. A lot of people, especially within the church, want to return to "better times" (aka the 1950s.) Was it the open racism in the deep south that made our country more Christian? Were we better Christians because men could beat their wives without fear of divorce? Was our church fulfilling the great commission because we had more people with unaffected lives? I don't think so. I think we are capable of so much more. Our methods were wrong in the 1950s and (since they haven't changed much) they are still wrong today.
So, here's a very brief list of some methods that need to be addressed:
* Our reliance on the "superpreacher" instead of allowing God to use the losers.
* Our Americanized "Bigger is Better" view of church.
* Our fear of the world.
* Our attempts to change the world before we change our own hearts.
* Our refusal to change our style to fit that of those outside the church.
I know it's not complete, I know I fail to learn from my own teachings, and I know that the church is capable of change. I'm not waiting for the return of that decade. I'm not using the excuse of "waiting on God." I'm ready for some change in our church.
posted by Michael Airgood at 11:50 PM
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