Saturday, May 07, 2005
Losing our gaze, away from Jesus
I was reading an article in The Times about the quandry of the church: "The Church that lost its spirit"
The title has got it spot on the kind of malaise that affects the wider church (read: institutional, organized religion) as a whole. But I was surprised. The article provides a 'complex' discussion of the various denominations and its problems, but there is not ONE reference to Jesus Christ.
Call me naive, but something is lost when we take our eyes of the very reason why the church exists. In these debates, it seems that very little is centered on what the Bible actually says. Instead it uses 'critical reasoning' and the noble-sounding pursuits like enlargement of human freedom and dignity, inclusiveness, modernity and tolerance, as a first base for arguments.
To me, the crisis in the church is symptomatic of an organization lost in the politics of drawing boundaries and 'protecting turfs', the pursuit of principles and dogmas, the mire of catching up with contemporary culture and the slow poison of compromise. This is an institution which has succumbed to the will of man (parading as the will of God) rather than the will of God.
The title has got it spot on the kind of malaise that affects the wider church (read: institutional, organized religion) as a whole. But I was surprised. The article provides a 'complex' discussion of the various denominations and its problems, but there is not ONE reference to Jesus Christ.
Call me naive, but something is lost when we take our eyes of the very reason why the church exists. In these debates, it seems that very little is centered on what the Bible actually says. Instead it uses 'critical reasoning' and the noble-sounding pursuits like enlargement of human freedom and dignity, inclusiveness, modernity and tolerance, as a first base for arguments.
To me, the crisis in the church is symptomatic of an organization lost in the politics of drawing boundaries and 'protecting turfs', the pursuit of principles and dogmas, the mire of catching up with contemporary culture and the slow poison of compromise. This is an institution which has succumbed to the will of man (parading as the will of God) rather than the will of God.
- But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
There are too many religious people around who already 'play' church (or other forms of worship) - if anything else, no point adding to the statistics.
Labels: Christian Living, Church Life
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