Why would they Listen to the Church?
I heard a church advertise on the radio that they are going to be giving the truth about the controversy raised by the Da Vinci Code, why? First why would anyone listen to the church about the questions that are raised by the movie,since it is depicted that the Church has been covering up the lies for two millenniums. Why would anyone care to hear the "Truth" from the lying group anyway? Secondly, I would rather allow conversation to develop out of relationship.
We have neighbors that we talk to on a regular basis, actually we get to hang out with them a great deal. Last week we went out to dinner with them and sat around after we ate to talk. I had no agenda, no plans to talk about faith, religion or church. As we sat there our neighbor's wife asked me what I knew about the Gospel of Judas. She said "The Bible is so old of a book and is not relevant to us today I don't believe that God expects us to live to the Bible anymore, and the things that I heard about this older gospel is that it proves that the Bible is all lies anyway."
If we didn't have a relationship and that they had trust in us there is no way that we would have ever had the opportunity to explain what the book of Judas was, talk about Gnosticism, and explain how and why books like Judas, Thomas and the gospel of Mary Magdalene didn't make it into the Bible.
With all the lies, abuse and even priest being on trial for "ritualistic" slaying of a nun, why, why would the world listen to the "Church" without first having a real relationship with someone that is living the message they preach?
posted by Momentum Church at 12:36 PM
3 Comments:
You are the church
I do think it sounds somewhat presumptuous when Churches (or Christians) advertise that "we have the truth." And I'm not saying that we don't... but does it matter if no one takes us seriously or will listen to us?
Scot McNight has a good post about 'Emerging Evangelism', and arrogance is one of the issues he points out that many have with evangelicals. I agree.
Andrew has a good point too... "we" are the church. Not an advertisement; not a purpose statement; not core values. Those things can be useful, but they are not the body. I don't think we should hide the fact that we are the church, but that doesn't mean there aren't some things we need to address.
I liked the idea in BLUE LIKE JAZZ where they set up the confession booth - so the Christians could confess and repent to the non-Christians.
Andrew,
You are so right, I am the church. Yet, at the same time, I resent that. As someone that likes to hang out with people that don't like church, don't like the "Christians" they have met and know I have seen the other side of what the world see as the church, the social club that you belong to when you reach the right status in life.
I wonder if Christianity to the Hindu that sees the church in America, as part of the same Cast system they are part of. when you start out you go to a Church but as you rise into better "Casts" you go to the more prestigious church, serve as a "Servant of God" graduate into a Church "Leader" and if you are really spiritual you become a "Pastor"? Only in our Cast system you don't actually have to die a physical death, only be "Born again" and again, and maybe even again if you are really having a hard time getting it all "Right" in the Laws of the Church.
I'll admit it, too often I find myself being turned of to the "Gospel Message" that many "Christians" send. one of "turn or burn", one of "save yourself from Hell" one of self preservation instead of one of giving up your life.
Actually I am part of the Church, I'm not The Church. and as I see it I'm an outcast from the "Church" that thinks we have the responsibility to condemn and change the world. I don't believe that. I believe that we are to Love our enemies, hang out and relate to the ungodly so that they can see Christ in me. I don't say this as though I shouldn't hang with other Followers of Christ, because I definitely believe that in order for me not to fall, more often then I already do, I need to meet together and be held accountable, but the church as it is perceived in America, I have a hard time relating to that mentality.
I don't know if you understand what I'm trying to say, my desire is not to cause division between the ranks but to have everyone examine their own life to see how their Doctrine and Theology lines up with the message of Christ. "Woman where are your accusers? ... Then I do not condemn you either, go and sin no more".
Dan,
That confession booth was one of my favorite parts of the book as well. If only "The Church" would do just that and allow the world to see that Christians don't have it all together instead of trying to cover up our sinfulness with a fig leaf, if think we would be in a much better position to be relevant to a world that sees clearly that those Christians are no different than I am they only waste their Sunday mornings getting together and trying to look better than the rest of the world.
Just my thoughts, take them for what you want.
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