State of the Church

In previous years I have done other state of the church posts like What’s the matter with church and Revival. I do this because if we don’t hold ourselves accountable, who are we to correct anybody else. (Matt 7:5) It seems like an apt time to revisit the basic idea and address recent trends, and my growing understanding of the creed. Faith is ultimately a journey. As much as we may realize we need to be at point D, we need to complete A-C first. That can be hard to do when everyone around you is fixated on points E or F and pushing you to meet them where they are. Disrespecting the process of Ever-increasing Glory. (2nd Cor. 3:18) Yet they never consider that so much lies beyond point F.

The biggest issue is the root of many others. People are only going as deep as their comfort will allow. Often reducing the gospel to simply being a good boy. So we frequently don’t challenge ourselves to become better disciples or more righteous people. Let alone set apart for a purpose. Getting stuck in maintaining our clean slate, instead of allowing our story to be rewritten. Many churches may even cater to this by only going deep enough to maintain attendance, rather than risk frightening people with uncomfortable truths. For example, we live in an age where belief, knowledge, and action are seen as separate and very distinct things. Yet in Christ’s time if you truly believed something you would educate yourself about it, and act upon that knowledge. Your belief was not seen as authentic otherwise. So this idea of “just believe” is not as passive as we often portray it. (James 1:22)

This brings us to my next point. Confusing validation for restoration. As I often say "God made us, and the world breaks us, but Christ can remake us." Yet in a culture so motivated by acceptance, we value the approval of the world that broke us, more than being remade in the image of our Creator. So we end up identifying with and making communities around our trauma, instead of the wholeness Christ offers. We have seen this phenomenon in popular music for decades. People feel less like outsiders when their feelings are validated through music when nobody else will. But if an action is unholy, self-destructive, or harmful to others; validation changes none of that. It only makes us feel better about our bad behavior for a time. It doesn't save us from the inevitable consequences.
   Offering empathy and understanding can open the door to exploring a fuller truth and eventually living that truth. Unfortunately too many only go deep enough to get to the door, yet never enter it where a transformed victorious life lies. It’s far easier to stay with the wounds we are familiar with than the healing we are not. Consider this. When we validate our brokenness, we're also rationalizing the actions of anyone who may have had a hand in breaking us. Is that what you want to do? Still, your healing is between you and Christ, not the offender. Why would you give them that power over you, other than to avoid facing your scars?

This leads to my next point. Our relationship with our past. We often see opposite extremes on this one. One side uses past trauma as an excuse to behave badly, not mature, and never become born again as a new creature. (2nd Cor 5:17) The other extreme just says to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, even if they are too worn and tattered to do so. Either way, both are avoiding truly facing and overcoming the past. Grace may absolve us of our past wrongs. But healing of the scars behind the sins is a completely separate entity. This is critical for overcoming our continued slavery to sin that trips us up in our walk. If more people embraced healing and overcame, rather than relied on greasy grace. More people would be inspired to choose restoration, rather than mere validation. 

   The consequence is that the church is merely offering shallow legalistic definitions. Instead of offering the in-depth advice of someone who has been there. Such people tend to be very prideful in their correction. Pride ultimately uplifts self more than glorifies God. No wonder God opposes the proud and the whitewashed validation that goes with it. (Matthew 23:27, Proverbs 3:34)

This is probably why we rely more on tradition and convention than in-depth knowledge and understanding. Which is my final point. (Matt 15:6, Mark 7:8) It's an easy answer that offers a mere illusion of complete truth.  Tradition has a habit of getting watered down over time if we don’t maintain its foundation through continued education of its intended purpose. Revolving the tradition around the truths we are most comfortable with, yet glossing over the details we don’t like as much. Plus, systematizing truth lacks sincerity in practice since it’s often followed more out of sentiment, than God’s will.

As you can see these points are interconnected. All of which feed a shallow, powerless, and insincere faith that inspires nobody. So it’s no wonder the church is struggling and in such a sad state. What are you going to do about that?

The Visual PARABLEist