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I started this blog hoping that Christians and non Christians would join together for serious debate about Christians and Christianity. That really didn't happen and so from time to time I write some of the thoughts I have on Christianity and we Christians. Some people think that I am radical, anti authoritarian, a rogue Christian. It makes me laugh usually, sometimes not.
My views on what I call the organized church or the church organization are one of the reasons I am seen this way. More and more I am learning just to keep my opinions to myself, but for some reason, probably a conversation with someone the other day, I woke up in the mood to write briefly about this subject.
But first...let me clarify something. I am not anti church or anti establishment. The Bible speaks clearly and often about the church and the church structure, bishops, deacons and elders etc. I firmly believe in all this, just not what we have turned it into. Not only that, but there are many very good churches out there with really good people. SO KEEP IN MIND THAT AS I WRITE I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE, BUT RATHER THE ESTABLISHMENT.
So what have we turned church into? It is so hard for me to describe what it is that no longer rings true. None of what the church does is evil, well for the most part anyway, it's just that somehow we have turned something that should be "life" into something orchestrated, contrived and manipulated and programmed.
What we are producing instead, is this thing we call "church". But, it is not spiritual or supernatural, but instead it is normal and natural. We try to get people to come to church instead of coming to Jesus. We focus on buildings and programs instead of focusing on people. So much of what the church does revolves around money, either the collection of or questioning whether there is enough. It is functioning organizationally rather than organically.
We have somehow turned the position of pastor into the position of CEO. We have made worship music in to an orchestrated event, a performance. We have turned church into a spectator sport, where we come to listen to a professional band, listen to a professional speaker and leave thinking we have met with God.
Okay, now you see why people say the things they do about me. You may ask me this, "What do you think should be happening, what is church?"
And I'll answer that in my next post...or you can answer it between now and then. As long as your comments are appropriate, this blog is an open blog with out censorship.
My views on what I call the organized church or the church organization are one of the reasons I am seen this way. More and more I am learning just to keep my opinions to myself, but for some reason, probably a conversation with someone the other day, I woke up in the mood to write briefly about this subject.
But first...let me clarify something. I am not anti church or anti establishment. The Bible speaks clearly and often about the church and the church structure, bishops, deacons and elders etc. I firmly believe in all this, just not what we have turned it into. Not only that, but there are many very good churches out there with really good people. SO KEEP IN MIND THAT AS I WRITE I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE, BUT RATHER THE ESTABLISHMENT.
So what have we turned church into? It is so hard for me to describe what it is that no longer rings true. None of what the church does is evil, well for the most part anyway, it's just that somehow we have turned something that should be "life" into something orchestrated, contrived and manipulated and programmed.
What we are producing instead, is this thing we call "church". But, it is not spiritual or supernatural, but instead it is normal and natural. We try to get people to come to church instead of coming to Jesus. We focus on buildings and programs instead of focusing on people. So much of what the church does revolves around money, either the collection of or questioning whether there is enough. It is functioning organizationally rather than organically.
We have somehow turned the position of pastor into the position of CEO. We have made worship music in to an orchestrated event, a performance. We have turned church into a spectator sport, where we come to listen to a professional band, listen to a professional speaker and leave thinking we have met with God.
Okay, now you see why people say the things they do about me. You may ask me this, "What do you think should be happening, what is church?"
And I'll answer that in my next post...or you can answer it between now and then. As long as your comments are appropriate, this blog is an open blog with out censorship.
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