Whole books have been written, ongoing blogs and YouTube videos are created, all with the purpose of defaming the church, organized faith of any kind, and especially evangelical Christianity. As I said, many of those involved in it are of my generation, and many grew up in solid Christian faith.
Do things happen inside the church that shouldn't? Yes, sadly. There is a reason for this. No one is perfect, aside from Christ Himself. A church I know well in South Dakota has a slogan "No Perfect People Allowed." In saying that, they aren't suggesting that some are perfect, and therefore unwelcome. Rather, they are acknowledging in a tongue-in-cheek way that no one is perfect, and all are welcome to come in and hear the truth.
Very few people (if any) that I hear who try to dismantle Christianity have logic in their equation. Very few claim to have left the faith over theology. It's almost always about people. Someone hurt them. A group of people hurt them. People have let them down or disappointed them.
I remember when I was going to a secular community college at age eighteen. I went out to dinner with two friends from my class, and as we ate, I was trying to share the gospel with them. All they kept saying was, "But what about the hypocrites?" That's all they could talk about. I finally said, "What about them?" This kind of ended the conversation, as they didn't have an answer to that, but didn't want to hear more from me.
As Christians, we need to take our testimony seriously. We need discernment, especially when running any sort of ministry. But someone being hurt or offended by the church is no excuse for them to deny the faith. God isn't going to listen to excuses on Judgment Day for their rejection of His Son.
The church is many things. It is community. It is fellowship. It is tradition. It can be fun. But the ultimate purpose of the church is the truth. If a church is no longer teaching the truth, then it's a good time to look for another. But if someone is so busy counting the hypocrites that he fails to hear the truth, he only harms himself. God will deal with the hypocrites in the end. But if someone fails to embrace the truth, he ultimately loses.
One thing I notice about all my contemporaries who decry my faith is that they have no real doctrinal positions. They know what they dislike about Christians, but they don't really have a statement about what they believe themselves. They are doctrinally indifferent. This is nothing new. In his 1923 book Christianity and Liberalism, John Greshem Machen shares his great concerns for the liberal view of the faith--the vague indifference toward exact doctrine. This book is almost 100 years old, but could have been written a month ago. Machen expressed a lot of concern with the way people he knew were getting in the mindset that downplayed doctrinal truth and redefined Christianity as a "way of life," emphasizing good deeds over truth. He says, "Christianity...is a religion, founded not on aspirations, but on facts." Doctrine is what matters. Did the pastor do something hurtful? I'm deeply sorry. If you can't live with it, find another church. But did he preach false doctrine? Then run--don't walk--as fast as you can in the other direction. It's about the truth.
I understand being hurt by other believers. I understand disagreeing with the majority of the Christian community on something, and feeling like the odd one out as a result. I understanding seeing some of the church's marketing efforts as lame. That happens, unfortunately. But faith should never be about that. It's about the truth of who Jesus is and what He has done for us. If you believe that, and have embraced Christ for yourself, that's what matters. God is big enough to fill in the gaps left by imperfect Christians. You are responsible for your soul. You have one life on this earth to choose to follow Christ. Don't blow it because of less important distractions.
No comments:
Post a Comment