"We are left where I always am, thinking that Christian communities should be small gatherings of families who never get large enough to create these false social structures... I was asking how we keep those traditions that really indoctrinate kids at a young age without some resources..."
The above came from a recent conversation with a good friend and seminary classmate that I like to talk about these things with. Why, we were asking, does all church look like a ridiculous distortion of what Jesus seems to have been about and/or what he came and did? So many churches seem to do absolutely thoughtless (meaning un-thought-about) things in God's name.
Where he lives in the midwest for example, one church advertised its Easter egg hunt. It was going to hide 250 thousand eggs, some containing tickets for large prizes, like TVs. This was in the name of drawing in families, in the hopes that they would somehow 'get to know' the church while attending this event, and make the hard-to-imagine psychic leap to then attending weekly services at the church. 'You know where I want to learn about God? From those people that were so nice to give us that TV!'
It is things like this that make me literally ashamed to call myself a Christian sometimes. Is there even a Pastor of ANY kind in charge at these places? Do you mean to tell me that he or she has honestly spent time sitting in the office, thinking, 'What would Jesus be doing if he were here right now? Yep, an egg hunt'. Don't even get me started on the distortion between Easter Bunny Easter and What A Church Should Offer.
But enough negativity. We reached the same point in our conversation that I'm at right now in this entry: so what, then? Where does that leave us? Why do we stick around? What's the alternative?
The alternative, if you listen to my friend, and something deep inside speaks to me in what he said, is love, rather than incorporation. It is community, not an organization. It is choosing the real relationships that you have with your friends, however flawed they may be in some ways, over the 'networking' relationships you have with people in church. It is a place where you can be yourself- your true, freaky, opinionated, swearing, day-to-day self, without feeling like you're going to be judged by your parents or your kindergarten teacher.
Am I saying that true Christianity is found in swearing in church? Of course not. Am I saying that we should just listen to whatever rock songs we're into in a car, and call that worship? No. But am I asking for transparency? In the people, and in the group? Yes. Am I saying a true church shouldn't get bigger than everyone knowing each other? Really honestly knowing each other like 'their name is on my contact list' for real friends? Yep. That's what I'm saying.
At some point there's a difference. Your worship community is not JUST your circle of friends. There has to be some difference. And that's something we can further explore. What is that difference? What happens when new people join, or want to join? Do we need to pursue those people? (churches of all kinds have felt for years that this growth is absolutely ESSENTIAL. I'm not so sure).
If this sounds like your kind of religious community, I urge you to keep following this blog, keep in touch with those of us whose names you can find here. Join the facebook group of the same name. If you build it, He will come..... and if you want it, you can have it. But you have to reach out for it.
The above came from a recent conversation with a good friend and seminary classmate that I like to talk about these things with. Why, we were asking, does all church look like a ridiculous distortion of what Jesus seems to have been about and/or what he came and did? So many churches seem to do absolutely thoughtless (meaning un-thought-about) things in God's name.
Where he lives in the midwest for example, one church advertised its Easter egg hunt. It was going to hide 250 thousand eggs, some containing tickets for large prizes, like TVs. This was in the name of drawing in families, in the hopes that they would somehow 'get to know' the church while attending this event, and make the hard-to-imagine psychic leap to then attending weekly services at the church. 'You know where I want to learn about God? From those people that were so nice to give us that TV!'
It is things like this that make me literally ashamed to call myself a Christian sometimes. Is there even a Pastor of ANY kind in charge at these places? Do you mean to tell me that he or she has honestly spent time sitting in the office, thinking, 'What would Jesus be doing if he were here right now? Yep, an egg hunt'. Don't even get me started on the distortion between Easter Bunny Easter and What A Church Should Offer.
But enough negativity. We reached the same point in our conversation that I'm at right now in this entry: so what, then? Where does that leave us? Why do we stick around? What's the alternative?
The alternative, if you listen to my friend, and something deep inside speaks to me in what he said, is love, rather than incorporation. It is community, not an organization. It is choosing the real relationships that you have with your friends, however flawed they may be in some ways, over the 'networking' relationships you have with people in church. It is a place where you can be yourself- your true, freaky, opinionated, swearing, day-to-day self, without feeling like you're going to be judged by your parents or your kindergarten teacher.
Am I saying that true Christianity is found in swearing in church? Of course not. Am I saying that we should just listen to whatever rock songs we're into in a car, and call that worship? No. But am I asking for transparency? In the people, and in the group? Yes. Am I saying a true church shouldn't get bigger than everyone knowing each other? Really honestly knowing each other like 'their name is on my contact list' for real friends? Yep. That's what I'm saying.
At some point there's a difference. Your worship community is not JUST your circle of friends. There has to be some difference. And that's something we can further explore. What is that difference? What happens when new people join, or want to join? Do we need to pursue those people? (churches of all kinds have felt for years that this growth is absolutely ESSENTIAL. I'm not so sure).
If this sounds like your kind of religious community, I urge you to keep following this blog, keep in touch with those of us whose names you can find here. Join the facebook group of the same name. If you build it, He will come..... and if you want it, you can have it. But you have to reach out for it.
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