Commentary by Dennis -
I've been wondering why Christianity seems to be waning. I interviewed a couple of young people for a Church project, and discovered that many people are frankly disgusted with the behavior of so-called Christians. For some reason, Christianity seems to have evolved into some kind of exclusive club that only a few are worthy of joining. No one, it seems, passes judgement on people more than some Christians. Ironic, isn't it.
Recently, a poll was taken asking where the phrase “God helps those who help themselves” originated. Seventy five percent said the Bible. Not only is that phrase non-Biblical, it is anti-Biblical to Jesus’ strong message of love of neighbor. The phrase is actually Franklinian, as Poor Richard is the originator.
Christianity can be summed up in one word: Love. Please do not be taken in by those who profess to be Christian, yet completely ignore the beautiful words of Jesus. Anyone out there who wants to understand Christianity, I strongly encourage you to read Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=91693103. (Be careful in reading various so-called analysis's of the Sermon on the Mount as many groups have tried to "interpret" the words of Jesus to match their ideological viewpoints. Just read it for what it is.)
After our Church was torn apart 2 years ago, the remaining remnant of the Presbyterian Church USA has been involved in a new church development in Quincy. We lost our building, so we have bounced around from basements, a nursing home chapel, and now we meet at John Wood College auditorium. We are a small group, but we love everyone. NO one is excluded from worshipping with us!
After everything we’ve been through, I’ve come to one conclusion: I am not an evangelist. I guess I subscribe to the Matthew 6 philosophy of evangelism. To me, closeness to Christ is something that I seek, not something that I sell. It is the realization in my mind that God has a message for me. It is me as an individual coming to the conclusion that I need God in my life. It is not something that I would allow to be thrust upon me as our old Church was so intent on doing. I’m uncomfortable with the metaphorical “standing on a street corner” to be seen by others. I take the words of Jesus Christ very seriously, and honestly question the message of others within the bible, especially when I view their message as counter to what Jesus said. Every so-called commandment in the Bible that can’t be reconciled with Jesus’ strong message of “Love of God” and “love of neighbor” became patently obsolete when Jesus uttered those words. As I have chosen Jesus as my Christ, I believe his words trump the message of everyone else in the bible, including Paul. With this in mind, the process of developing a new Church seems to involve a tremendous amount of “street corner” evangelism, of which I never wanted to be a part of.
People don’t ultimately respond to the drumbeat of human proclamations, they respond to the drumbeat of the Holy Spirit. Virtually everyone on this Earth has been exposed in one way or another to Jesus Christ. When they are ready, they will find him and learn about him. But it’s a conclusion that they have to come to on their own. I consider myself a man of science and logic. I get very frustrated when people stop thinking for themselves and allow the prejudices of man to dictate their thoughts. There is one caveat however. If I thought logically about Jesus Christ, I would easily be an atheist. But for some reason, there is that drumbeat in my head, telling me that God is real, and that he loves me. I think that drumbeat exists somewhere in all of us whether we choose to listen to it or not.
The purest example of Church to me is a hospital chapel. When you walk into a hospital chapel, you may see someone sitting with their hands clasped tight, praying to God alone. It is a deep one-on-one conversation with God asking for help, guidance, love, and forgiveness which is completely and unabashedly sincere. It is a relationship with God at its most powerful. Every conceivable emotion we have is funneled directly into that conversation with God.
As Christians, it is up to us to do our best to answer questions and/or get answers to questions that anyone may ask. Not answering with bold confidence, but answering with sincere humility, trying our best to help someone reach their own conclusions. It is in comforting those who need it and rejoicing with those who have been blessed. It is determined silently by our actions as opposed to our words. It is in loving, not hating; empathizing, not judging.
To fail, we would polarize our group and others. We would insist that our way is the right way, instead of learning from different points of view. We would ostracize instead of welcome. We would be defensive and intolerant.
I suppose that my idea of a successful Church is clearly not an attainable goal. Human desires; human biases, and frankly human failings will ultimately decide whether today’s Church will be successful. The Presbyterian Church and virtually all other Churches view success as sustained growth and the ability to meet people’s needs, even if that need is help with doing their taxes or babysitting their children. While these things certainly help people meet their needs, it, in my humble opinion, does nothing to foster that deep on-on-one relationship with God that defines my vision of success.
I guess, I simply have no answer.
