Here is the Church...here is the what???

What is Church?  In today’s culture “church” has taken on a bad name and rep.  In some cases this is not for no reason either – there have been many sad injustices due to the church.  However, that does not mean that the Church as a whole is a bad institution.  Yet – that is part of my question: should it even be an “institution”?  From the book of Acts and the early Christian movement, the Church was the group of people congregated to worship Yahweh – Father, Son, and Spirit – and to minister to those in need.  For some, the idea of “going to church” has such negative connotations that they write off anything to do with Jesus, figuring that coming to faith and any kind of relationship with Jesus would mean having to give up Sunday mornings to attend some archaic ceremony that leaves one bored and confused.  Well, to be honest, it would be nice if that was all Jesus asked us to give up!  But, in the end, the cost of following Jesus as Christ and Lord does not mean one has to start wearing a suit and sitting on a hard pew.  But….what will it mean?

Well, after writing the last two blogs on how we as Christians should be uniting – not dividing – and how we all now live in a Postmodern, Post-Christendom society where we think through things differently, I have come to see the need to approach the entire idea of “church” differently.  We have read several books in class – one being Your Church is Too Small by Armstrong.  This book was designed to challenge Christians from every sector to consider how to unite with those of other denominations, harkening back to the creeds and sacraments as the vehicle in which to unite us.  Another book I read was The Forgotten Ways by Hirsch.  This book dealt with the method of “doing church” in the Postmodern environment.  It promoted the idea of meeting together in pubs and cafés rather than in large buildings segregated from the rest of society.  The whole nature of the Church is to be living and active within the culture – serving and loving those around us just as Jesus loved those around Him when he walked on earth.  Does that mean we scrap every institutional church and building and all the programs and multimedia presentations?  Not necessarily; however, it does mean we need to take a step back and consider what the Holy Spirit intended when He called people to the Father through Jesus and filled them with Himself. 

Honestly, I am not good at this, but it resonates with me.  I feel like I should be taking more active roles in the world around me, particularly engaging in the lives of the poor and oppressed.  I long to engage those who may not want religion, but may resonate with the story of Jesus entering into this world as a Man and as God in order to die on the cross – a horrible, lonely death – for the sake of sin and sorrow...but then to rise again in bodily form, defeating Death and ushering in the New Creation!   New Creation is now ~ the time in history when we all can experience victory over Death because we can be filled with the same Spirit that came upon Jesus at the time of his baptism.  We live in a whole new world because of what He did…and continues to do.  Now, because of that foundation, we as the Spirit-filled people should long to grow in community – learning to love each other as Christ loves us and yearning to serve those around us like Christ served those marginalized.  Like I said, I do not preach this as one who has already arrived…but the reality that could be has me excited.  I am now pondering Church and Christianity in a whole new light.

So, what is Church?  If nothing else, it is the Body of Christ and the Body of Christ is the Church – all God’s children…Catholic, Episcopal, Orthodox, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, Mennonite, Lutheran, Non-denominational, and Charismatic.  But, like I mentioned in the first post, we must begin overcoming our differences in order to bring about the unity God intended.  Plus, in order to begin to be relevant to the Postmodern culture in which we live, we need to put ourselves out there, willing to be real and make mistakes and admit that none of us has all of the answers…ALL in the name of love.  That is how others will know we are Christians – by our LOVE. 

I hope that the Church can begin to transform into the living, active organic group of passionate followers of Jesus so that His Love and Grace are shown to all of the people in the world.  I don’t know what this looks like – but I do believe it’s possible – particularly with the cooperation and input of those who would not think of setting foot into a building called “church”.  It is imperative for us who are the Church to be welcoming all people who are not (yet) thinking of themselves as part of the Church.  We who are sinners must be the first to welcome and love sinners – not cast the first stone at those who deserve the grace of God too.  As a Thirsty Theologian, I would be blessed to engage with those who may not want to walk into a building but may want to walk along side another human being who has considered what it means to be a follower of Christ.  Is anyone else thirsty?

Flood of "Post-"s

Post-Modernism, Post-Christendom, Post-literate, Post-man?  It is funny how we like this idea of being "post" everything.  What does that mean?  Are we as a society moving beyond these archaic, historical institutions and somehow living in the aftermath of them?  Looking at Postmodernism first, I want to explore these concepts of our current trend in society.

Postmodernism is an oxymoronic word.  How can anything be beyond the modern time?  Is our present way of life so fast that we can't even live in the moment, we have to live in the future?  It seems like this term - now quite overused - is one of great controversy, misunderstanding, and unease.  It balks at Modernism with all of its rationality, reason, and Enlightenment thought and seeks to define a new method, outlook, system, and culture.  In some Christian circles, this movement is seen as a negative direction, leading to complete relativism and foundationless spiritualism.  But - is it?  It's interesting to me that the terms Modernism and Postmodernism sprang out of architecture and art before turning into philosophical ideas and movements.  Once people latched onto them, though, they became descriptions of entire groups of people who speak, think, write, and believe certain grander notions of the world -- physical and metaphysical world around them.  I am no expert on either philosophical view of the world - only that some think the Modernist movement can be stretched to the Enlightenment when all phenomena could be explained through rational thought and scientific calculation, thus cutting out any need for a Supreme, Higher Being we would call "God".  Man could be god because of his own mental capabilities and insights.  Now, though, there is the movement toward spiritual thoughts and insights...people are beginning to consider the WHOLE of things rather than the parts that make up the whole...they are more inclined to think in stories and pictures rather than facts and formulas.  Now, instead of cutting out God because man can figure it all out on his own, we have adopted ALL gods because we know we are spiritual but do not want to claim any one god or being or spirit or universal power as being better than another.  So, in essence, our futuristic mentality (post-modern) is actually a step to the mystical polytheism of the past (only now, we have cool tools like iPads and internet blogs to expore these things). 
So, is Postmodernism "wrong"?  Or is it simply another way people are beginning to view the world?  Can it actually help us come together as a people and discuss those important questions like "Why are we here?" and "What is the point?"  I think there is a fear among Christians that Truth will become relative and therefore we will not be able to explain the tenets of our faith in a clear and concise manner...mainly because people are no longer looking at Christianity and the Church as a valid, respected institution.  People are not being raised with any religion per se and thus seemingly have to explore all religions to determine which is the best fit for them.  This could lead to richer dialogues between us Christians and those who want nothing to do with Christianity, if we all come to the table with humility and patience.

That leads me to the Post-Christendom idea.  Many Christians don't like this concept, but I feel like this too could be a benefit to the Christian faith.  In the Christendom era (from Constantine on) the Church was the main institution that governed people.  It was assumed people were Christians in the Western world and there was little room or tolerance for anything else.  Most likely there were both very strong, faithful followers of Jesus...and very bitter skeptics who unwillingly went along with the trend because there was no other choice.  There are plenty of evil things that this era produced - wars and injustices - but there was a lot of good too -- great theology and strong organizations designed to help the poor and needy.  Now, though, we live in a world where Christianity is just another religion on the smorgasboard of life.  There is probably a large percentage of people who have a Christian background - though may not go to church or believe in Jesus, the resurrection, or the power of the Holy Spirit now - yet there is a rising percentage of people who do not have any kind of religious background.  I am repeating myself a little, but I feel like it's important to consider this again, because there is a new outlook most of the world has that Christians do not - and that is Christians are not right.  And so, what do I - one who believes in this historical man Jesus to be the Son of God, the one who died and rose bodily from the grave in order to bring about New Creation - what do I do with this new wave of beliefs and outlooks? 

Some friends of mine and I discuss these quandries a lot -- Postmodernism/Post-Christendom and the Church.  There are many things to consider when looking at these new shifts in our culture and the historical truths of the Scripture, Church, and Jesus.  That's why I would love it if some of you who do not believe in Christianity would provide some input into this new "Post" world we live in.  I can tell you all I read in a book and discussed with other Christians about this new world - but I would love to engage in dialogue about how people think about Jesus and religion and life in general.  There are plenty of possibilities to explore here...and, again, I want to humbly listen and learn as one who both thirsts for knowledge and thirsts for Jesus.

Living Water

I suppose the very idea that the Holy Spirit is Living Water brings me some encouragement and sanity.  I do not think that I have all the answers to life - not in the least - and as I continue to study God and His Word, I realize I know much less than I had once thought.  This leaves me thirsty.  Yet, when I thirst, I also know that I will be given water.  We live in a dry and weary land where there is no water - nothing really quenches one's thirst - sex, power, money, status, popularity, security, religion - all leave us thirsty.  These are manifestations of idols that we worship in our hearts, believing them to be better than God, the only one who can bring satisfaction.
But - how?  Every single person has an idea of who God is and what he is like.  Everyone has a notion of what life is all about and what happens when we die.  But - no on knows for certain - even those who claim that they do know for certain.  It is all a mystery.  I come from a Protestant, Evangelical Christian background - one that has helped me a lot in understanding God's love and mercy, grace and peace.  I have come to see God as Yahweh, the God of Israel that manifested Himself in the man Jesus Christ - true God and true Man.  I have come to love the Holy Spirit and recognize His power and purpose in my life; He is the Living Water!  However, not only are there differing opinions about who God is among us Christians, but there are obviously numerous religions that have differing views on who God is. 
I wonder how we both as the Church (those who believe in Jesus) and those who hold to other religions can come together for the glory of God and the good of mankind.  This statement could get me into trouble in both circles --- those who are followers of Jesus have a hard time considering the idea that those who don't follow Jesus could offer much to either Christianity and/or the world as a whole...and those who are not followers of Jesus have a hard time with any assumption that Jesus is the only way to God.  For both sides - it comes down to "Who is Jesus?".  That is the question I'd love to discuss.  I feel like I have an understanding based on my current understandings/perceptions, but it certainly is not the fullest picture one can have.  I hold to the idea that there is mystery in all of this.  THEN - once we consider Who is Jesus - what do we do about that?  What do we do in response to Him?
I am currently in a class called "Generous Orthodoxy" where we discuss the problems with Church as it is today...broken up into Catholics, Orthodox, and myriad Protestant sects.  We discuss the notion of unity in the Body of Christ and our need to seek after Unity more than Truth (though neither is to be compromised).  We consider the implications of our disunity - particularly when it comes to loving people, helping the poor, and restoring the earth for God's glory.  It has been challenging for me to consider all of this because I grew up retreating to church in order to separate from the world - not considering the idea that we who are following Jesus (the Church) should be engaged IN the world.  Thus, ultimately, we as Christians need to consider how to come together as One - not giving up on doctrine or watering down our beliefs on certain issues, but rather to place LOVE and UNITY above doctrine and recognize how we all can still come together as a family in order to restore the world for Christ. 
Then - engaging the world - how will we interact with people of different religions, backgrounds, beliefs?  Can we as Christians recognize that we could actually learn from others?  And, if we humbly listen - first to other sects of Christianity...then to those who do not claim Christianity at all - what could we learn?  I suppose that is why I have started this blog...I am a Thirsty Theologian who wants to drink deeply of Christ (the ultimate source of joy and satisfaction).  I also thirst for a greater uderstanding of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit (Yahweh- the Triune God)...and that means I have to engage with those around me and consider all that is said.  I need to learn to listen.  So, I apologize for the length of this first entry, but it provides a foundation of my thought right now and what I would like to glean from doing this.  If there are any others out there who are thirsty, let's sit by the well together.