i think my title is a bit ironic or at least i meant it to be. this is the problem with theology students trying to make jokes. over the past few weeks, i have had several different discussions on the church. i encountered all sorts of views and opinions on very distinct paths, but all about personal journeying with the church. a converted catholic. an orthodox monk. emergent hype. failed evangelical churches. failed churches. a clash of generations. lost in semantics. it is evidently strange how buzz words continue to drive the reformation and confusion of and within the evangelical church.
what greatly bothers me about these semantics is our true failure of capturing the idea and sentiment of redemption. have our imaginations ceased? for my generation, most "spiritual revolutions" are driven by the failures of the church, whether it comes in searching out truth in other religions or attempts to redefine and reform christianity. i wrote in an earlier post about something g.k. chesterton writes. he writes that the failures of the church and the hypocrisy of people in the church are practical examples that the doctrine of humanity and sin are true.
it is seemingly strange how we are constantly seeking to redefine who god is rather than allowing for god to redefine who we are. we consume ourselves in the process of fitting god to who we are. this is why we go to churches that fit our class, race, style, intellect, and comfort. this is also why we are so disturbed by churches that speak about god differently than the mold we have crested in our own minds for who god "really" is.
america is home to a divided church. one that fights over politics, money, sex, education, etc. god does not become something because i say "this is who god is". god is completely timeless and not subject to current trends and movements. i think it would be beneficial for the church to understand that god was not created in our image. we create false idols of who god is and strike down other "god" idols from other churches. we need to reform the church to tell the good news of the gospel, to be the living enactment the life, death and resurrection of jesus christ. is that not what the church should be? god's kingdom on earth living out the story of salvation through community, worship, eucharist and baptism?
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when i get back to the east bay i want to sit down with you and talk about some of the churches in the area. the last four years have been pretty tough because i never found a community of believers where i was at home. i'd like to hear your thoughts.
see ya soon buddy!
Word, Sean. Thanks for sharing. I was recently reading something that expressed a similar thought. I remember the guy writing posed frustration with how so many of us approach church wondering what we can get from it instead of asking what we can give to it. A solid question, indeed. Slightly different but I saw some overlap in how you mentioned people fitting church to there likeness.
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