Day 17: A Place to Belong
I like Rick's statement that "the church is a body, not a building; an organism, not an organization."
But I disagree with Rick's statement that "the first symptom of spiritual decline is usually inconsistent attendance at worship services and other gatherings of believers." Would Rick say that all churches were created equal? And that Catholics, Protestants, Baptists and all other subcategories of Christians are the same? Perhaps they all start from the same base belief that Jesus Christ existed and that Jesus was the son of God, but what if a person stopped attending worship services and other gatherings of a particular group of Christians because that group's teachings seemed inconsistent with the individual's beliefs? What if another Christian group's message made more sense to the individual, and that individual was subconsciously seeking this other group, not to the disavowal of Christianity altogether?
Perhaps when Jesus existed, the church in his time was indeed holy. But I believe that today, in modern times, the churches of the world are very much human institutions. And as human institutions, they are not holy in and of themselves, and they are subject to human fallacies such as corruption. God's household, the real church, I feel is not the Catholic church, the Protestant church, or any such institution. The real church is a concept of familial ties among God and every single Christian.
A quick digression: Thinking back to basic, common beliefs among all Christians, do all Christians believe that fellow Christians should be loved and cared for before non-believers?
In this chapter, Rick touches on the "universal family of human beings", a family into which one is born at birth. Then, he moves on to emphasize the need to be born again into the family of Christ or the family of God.
Rick makes another point that I should try to keep in mind more regularly: "Attenders are consumers; members are contributors." Membership, as a concept in any setting, should not be taken and used lightly.
I can agree that belief unites people and that through a shared, common belief people can find a sense of belonging.
I can't speak for involvement in a church, but as far as involvement in my local community... that level of involvement, whether in Brookline or in Boston, is definitely underwhelming.
But I disagree with Rick's statement that "the first symptom of spiritual decline is usually inconsistent attendance at worship services and other gatherings of believers." Would Rick say that all churches were created equal? And that Catholics, Protestants, Baptists and all other subcategories of Christians are the same? Perhaps they all start from the same base belief that Jesus Christ existed and that Jesus was the son of God, but what if a person stopped attending worship services and other gatherings of a particular group of Christians because that group's teachings seemed inconsistent with the individual's beliefs? What if another Christian group's message made more sense to the individual, and that individual was subconsciously seeking this other group, not to the disavowal of Christianity altogether?
Perhaps when Jesus existed, the church in his time was indeed holy. But I believe that today, in modern times, the churches of the world are very much human institutions. And as human institutions, they are not holy in and of themselves, and they are subject to human fallacies such as corruption. God's household, the real church, I feel is not the Catholic church, the Protestant church, or any such institution. The real church is a concept of familial ties among God and every single Christian.
A quick digression: Thinking back to basic, common beliefs among all Christians, do all Christians believe that fellow Christians should be loved and cared for before non-believers?
In this chapter, Rick touches on the "universal family of human beings", a family into which one is born at birth. Then, he moves on to emphasize the need to be born again into the family of Christ or the family of God.
Rick makes another point that I should try to keep in mind more regularly: "Attenders are consumers; members are contributors." Membership, as a concept in any setting, should not be taken and used lightly.
Point to Ponder: I am called to belong, not just believe.
I can agree that belief unites people and that through a shared, common belief people can find a sense of belonging.
Question to Consider: Does my level of involvement in my local church demonstrate that I love and am committed to God's family?
I can't speak for involvement in a church, but as far as involvement in my local community... that level of involvement, whether in Brookline or in Boston, is definitely underwhelming.