Things I Think…
“In more strictly theological terms, the political character of Jesus “the son of David, the son of Abraham” means that the person and work of Christ cannot be separated.
That Jesus’s teachings have been separated from what some understand to be salvation reflects the accommodation of Christians to the world. The doctrine of the incarnation has unfortunately been used by an accommodated church to give itself the illusion it is faithful because it believes the right doctrine. But incarnation properly understood means that Jesus’s person and work cannot be separated because Jesus saves by making us participants in a new way of life. The name of that way of life is church.”
Hauerwas, S. (2006). Matthew (p. 30). Brazos Press.
“All the so-called hard sayings of Jesus are designed to remind us that we cannot live his message without depending on the support and trust of others. We are told not to lay up treasure for ourselves, so we must learn to share. We are told not to be anxious, not to try to secure our futures, thus making it necessary to rely on one another for our food, our clothing, and our housing. We are told not to judge, thereby requiring that we live honestly and truthfully and mercifully with one another. To be capable of living chastely, to marry without recourse to divorce, to live without the necessity of oaths, to refrain from returning evil with evil, to learn to love the enemy–all of these are surely impossible for isolated individuals. As individuals we can no more act in these ways than we can force our wills not to be anxious, for the very attempt to will not to be anxious only creates anxiety. Freedom from anxiety is possible only when we are part of a community that is constituted by such a compelling adventure that we forget our fears in the joy of belonging to the new age.”
— Jesus Changes Everything: A New World Made Possible (Plough Spiritual Guides) by Stanley Hauerwas
All my life I have been , at different times, confused, angered, and sometimes despondent over what we call the “church”.
I have known that whatever the church is supposed to be…it usually isn’t.
Yesterday, a dear friend alerted me to an article about a “church” that we wrote extensively about years ago.
The gist of the story was that the narcissistic despot we exposed all those years ago is still a narcissistic despot and the casualties keep building.
Why do people stay?
Maybe…because most believers don’t understand what a church is even supposed to be.
In recent years I’ve seen something through a glass darkly…church isn’t a place we go, but a people that we are. St. Peter, after addressing us as exiles , said;
“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”
(1 Peter 2:9 NLT-SE)
My favorite theologians tell me that we are the first fruits of new creation, the herald of the kingdom of God…people who live as if the kingdom has arrived and follow the Kings directions, no matter what the culture is doing.
The church is an extension of the Incarnation, demonstrating both King and kingdom.
The connections have to be strong both horizontally and vertically…loving each other, depending on each other, as we all love and depend on the King.
Jesus…both His person and His work…are the center of everything in our lives.
Let’s discuss…
When you read the highlighted quotes above, does that sound foreign to you?
Would you want to belong to a community like the one described?
Fifty+ years a Christian, and I have been in good churches and a couple of bad ones (I’m picky about where I attend church!). The good ones were not gigantic, although my current church is about 600. Good for me = trustworthy leadership (not perfect, but fairly consistent in how they approach issues and focused on the preaching of the Word), a church that encourages its members to serve the least of these in the church body, as well as on the outside; a church where there are opportunities to form deep spiritual relationships; a church that is multi-age and multi-generational, with a body that reflects the local area (example: my current church used to be majority white 25 years ago. Now there are many POC because the community has become more diverse. They have been welcomed and incorporated into the body.)
Churches I have left have been devoted to a cult of pastoral personality, infighting with the leadership, very few opportunities to serve, favoritism of certain people/families, and no relevant relationship to the community. Several of these churches imploded in on themselves as people drifted away and they realized that there was no there there.
Just one more thought-the churches where I have stayed (only leaving due to moving out of the area) were not obsessed with politics. They were obsessed with sharing the love of Christ. My current church had a brief flirtation with political sermons, but they were not well-received. People left, and the leadership realized it wasn’t the direction the congregation wanted to go in. I appreciated the pastoral response to how the members value not using the pulpit as a political preaching point.
Thank you Michael! 🙏🏼
Linn,
Well said, as always.
May we all be obsessed with sharing the love of Christ…
Thank you, Gman!
Yes, I would like to belong to a community like the one described . The hard part is finding one….
Owen,
Indeed.
I think it may be more challenging than we think…it would be hard to learn how to integrate into a community…especially for us introverts…
Michael , you’re speaking my language now. My people battery gets low rather quickly some days…..
Owen,
If I am honest, this is my biggest deficit as a pastor.
I’ve always been introverted…age and infirmities have made me almost reclusive.
My church understands me and respects my boundaries…but the thought of integrating into another church gives me hives.
I’m not sure that I wrote this in a way that captures how radical the expectations really are for a true church…it is literally a second family…maybe the primary family in some respects.
I’m not sure that Christendom has understood this radical call since about 300 A.D.
I would like it, and resonate with Owen on this one, but I have not been in an actual church (unless it was to fix the AC) in over 10 years. I have become accustomed to the idea of never darkening the doors again.
I did my time with Vineyard, Calvary Chapel, even a childhood spent in a charismatic mega church. My dad flamed out as a pastor, and died a drug addict. I flamed out as a pastor and became an alcoholic.
All that to say I think I am too far gone to be a part of a church again. I no longer have anything to contribute. I just look at people like Joel Sterling Brown and think to myself, that dude really gets it. I wish I could do that.
Michael,
I just posted this:
“For almost 2000 years, to be a Christian outside the community of the Church, was an oxymoron. It remained so until the popular adaptation of the idea of individualism that accompanied the Enlightenment. Those today who cling to that individualism, believing somehow that the Church is merely an “added extra” are more in line with Voltaire than with the Apostles and/or the Church Fathers.”
Church is of the essence of what it means to be a Christian. There is no getting around it…
Michael,
Church has been my other family for the past 50+ years. My own family, as much as I love them,was really a horror story growing up, and there are certain parts that continue the plot, even today. i usually turn to my faith family first in time of need, not to my own (I’m in contact with them; it’s just not always physically or emotionally safe to be with them). But, I’ve been blessed to be in pretty good churches overall. I do believe God’s plan for Christians is the church, yet I know it doesn’t work out that way for all believers. But, virtual church for some does seem to have a place, and I thank God for that provision.
Duane,
You’re right…righter than I even knew you were right… 🙂
Linn,
I do virtual church and it is a blessing for my folks…but (getting back to the Incarnation) there is something about physical presence that is vital.
I haven’t worked through all that in my head yet.
Also, as a sacramental Christian, physical presence is vital…