From Dictionary.com:
con·ten·tious
adj. Given to contention; quarrelsome.
Why are Christians so contentious? Personally, interpersonally, intrachurch, interchurch, cross-denominational and with respect to the world at large, sometimes it seems like Christians never lack a bone to pick. Like me, right now, complaining about the fact that we complain and argue so much...
Do we feel a need to prove something? To defend the world from the evils of itself? To prove our holiness and become somehow more acceptable to the Almighty? Look at the following list, and rank them as to who would be most acceptable at your church.
1) A homeless man, smelling of urine and alcohol.
2) Two men, openly gay.
3) A young couple: spiked hair, black lipstick (on man and woman), spiked collars, enough piercings to make a Volkswagen.
4) A man in a suit, outwardly proper leading a secret life of sin.
All? None? Some? What "sins" do we regard as more evil than others? Premarital sex? Drinking? Hypocrisy? Swearing? But sins are not the only thing that can put up a wall. People who dress different, talk differnt, speak out of turn. What keeps you from embracing your brother or sister in love? What keeps you from seeking the help you need in the Body?
Do we really regard one another as more important than ourselves, or do we simply claim that high-minded nobility when it will impress others. Is my kindness more than a way of trying to signal to single women that I'm a good, godly man that they should get to know better?
Is worship more than cheerleading? Is prayer more than talking to ourselves to make ourselves feel better? Is church a social gathering to meet friends, get to know people who could be of use to your own goals, or a way to make yourself look good to God? What's with the Trinity - is it just a way of reconciling factual errors in the Bible?
If I want to get married but can't gather the nerve to ask for a date, can I blame God? If a childless couple wants children but cannot have one, is God really involved for good or ill? Not one sparrow falls to the ground apart from God's knowledge of it, but lots of sparrows are bought and sold and killed. How can God allow things like the Holocaust, Somalia, Rawanda, Bosnia, Darfur, Iraq, Palestine? Does God intervene, or do we just like to think that when good things happen?
Is faith worth the cost?
[Wow - that got away from me. I had a point, but it's late, and I like the questions. Some have answers. It's too late for me to start on that road intelligibly.]
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
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2 comments:
There is some real meat inside your post. You point about who is most welcome in church in particular is well taken. I have criticized my mother's church and their aging congregation in the past. I visited her church for the first time in a couple of years a few weeks back. To my surprise, they had begun reaching out to the community around them. One half of their youth group were black. There was a homeless lady on the front row. I must admit, my own church could learn a lesson
An error I would tend to make is one of self-serving bias. It's not how I like it, therefore it is wrong. Seniors need God, as much as teens, young adults, or middle-aged adults. But it is crucial that every member of the Body of Christ show the love of Christ to others, "especially to those in the body of believers."
The true church can be modern, postmodern, ancient, or some blend of the three. What matters is the heart. C.S. Lewis didn't care much for the hymns of his church, being poor words set to poor music. But his epiphany was that despite the quality of these songs, they were nevertheless being sung with devotion and benefit by a godly nobody.
How many rules do we need? I like the following:
1) Love God with a love that utterly consumes you.
2) Love everyone as much as you love yourself.
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