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Thursday, April 22, 2010

the futility of the title.

A word, a thought. I suppose I am wondering what the point is, of calling ourselves Christians if we do not intend to act according to the very things we profess to believe. Perhaps this is too public a forum to ask questions as volatile as these (but I’ve not hid from that before, have I?). What do you think? Do you think that Grace absolves the Christian of Responsibilty? Accountability? Appropriate action?

I say this not to point a finger (except back at my own plank filled eyes), but even as I sit here in the middle of my own humanity, I cannot help but see the decisions being made elsewhere and wonder: what the hell are we doing?

Is the Church really acting like the Church of Christ? Or is it simply acting like a social club? Are Christians acting like Christ followers, or simply like upstanding-on-the-surface citizens? What are we doing with our time? What are we wasting our time with? What of our own behaviours do we excuse in the name of Humanity, justify in the name of Self Satisfaction, and cling to in the name of Independence?

This is not a condemnation of the place I call my home & family (the Church) but rather, a look at what I believe is reality: There are good individuals and good congregations and we are doing some things right. But are we doing those right things to keep up an appearance and because of our culture, or because we genuinely want to love God with our lives? Are we really changed?

If we were at our best, would homelessness be absolved, poverty lines be erased, marriages hold together? Or is this too much to expect from the Body of humans? Can I really ask a husband to stay faithful to his wife? He is just a man, after all. Can I really ask a wealthy entrepreneur to feed a hungry neighbour? He worked for his money. Can I really ask myself to be less self-centered, self-absorbed, self-concerned? I deserve everything I’ve got. Right?

What are we doing differently, as a church body? Anything? There are plenty of “good citizens” outside the church too. You can’t tell me we’re different in our Faithfulness; we cheat on our spouses and change careers and act on impulse as often as the next person. Some of us in the church are faithful, but so are some of us outside the church. You can’t tell me we’re different in our Morals; hidden addictions are just as prevalent inside the church as they are out. Some of us in the church live with integrity, but some of us outside the church live with integrity, too. Sadly, I’m not even sure you can tell me we’re different in our Love for others; some of us Love well, but some of us don’t; this pattern knows no difference from one belief to the next.

What do you think – are we IN the world, or OF it?

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