I’ve waited awhile to make this post about my faith journey and where its headed. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, praying and reading and these are the conclusions I’ve come to. I just really can’t stand the american church. It doesn’t even really matter what denomination were talking about. Baptists, Lutherans, Catholics, GCM, it doesn’t matter. I don’t think Jesus ever intended for the church to be a giant corporation where people try to climb the ladder of success and where older men who have insecurity issues and crave power more than God end up ruling (read ruining) people’s lives, telling them what God wants for their lives, as if they even know. I don’t think Jesus intended for the church to be more concerned with big buildings than with the people who fill them. And I’m certain that Jesus didn’t want us to simplify anything and everything He said into 5 step plans so we can feel better about ourselves. Yet, these are the things in abundance in the american church. And I just don’t think I can do it anymore.
I think that if church is ever to be successful again, its going to have to go underground. I’ve long been told, and thought myself, that we just need to try and change things from within. I certainly tried this at my last church, but I’ve come to realize that although its a nice thought, its just not going to work. And when I read the Gospels I see this trend. Jesus refers to it as the new wine skins. Jesus didn’t become a pharisee so he could change them from within, he didn’t tell them there was a better way, He told them there was a different way. He didn’t merely look the other way when the pharisees were making people’s lives miserable, He did something about it. He confronted the pharisees head on, and got killed because of it. How many people think they no longer believe in God because they don’t believe in the God of the conservative right? How many people think they have lost faith in God because they don’t believe in a God who cares more about the life of the unborn than the plight of the illegal alien? What of the people who left because they couldn’t reconcile the image of loving God with the Jerry Falwell’s and Pat Robertson’s of the world? When are we going to stand up and declare loudly that God is far more beautiful than the american church has portrayed Him?
I believe that God intended for the Church to be a display of his beauty, another example of goodness. And I believe that it still could be. But not as long as there are building committees and finance committees and the same old stale sunday morning services rehashed every sunday morning. I believe God really does want to romance us, and is inviting us into an amazing, exhilarating relationship. And I think the church should be the place where people are attracted to that kind of relationship. In the old testament, there is this amazing story with the Phillistines have made it so the Israelites don’t have any blacksmiths, and so they have no weapons. The only people who have weapons are Saul and Jonathan. The story starts out with all the soldiers standing around a priest admiring his priestly robe. Jonathan is frustrated and says to his armor bearer that they should just go to a phillistine outpost and see what happens, and if one thing happens they will know God is with them, and if something else happens, they will know He isn’t with them. So they go to this outpost, get a favorable response and route the phillistines that day. I think I have been guilty of admiring my religion for far too long. And I’ve finally reached the point of deciding to do something different. Maybe God will be with me, maybe He won’t, but at least I won’t be wasting my time fixing my attention on something that will never change.
Most of my friends don’t go to church anymore. And most of the really genuine people I know love Jesus, but have a strong dislike for Church. So, I want to start a community for people who don’t want anything to do with church. I want to be the type of person and to be in the type of community that represents the beauty of God and his plan for humanity. A community where Jesus loves people who vote for Barack and even Hillary. Where Jesus even loves the gays, and welcomes them to enjoy Him, and doesn’t require them to stop being gay before He accepts them. I want to be in a community where people who are unsure what they think about Jesus can be in our midst and not feel like outsiders. I don’t just want a better community, I want a different community.
I know that I’m young, and I’ll probably make a million mistakes (if I’m lucky). And I’m not even sure if it will materialize. But I know its worth a try. And when Jesus set the whole thing in motion all those years back, he chose guys just like me. And those guys changed the world. Maybe I will be so lucky.
i think the passage about new wineskins is oft misused. what was jesus there for, and what were the new wineskins he was talking about? we can safely say he was talking about a new covenant from God that had been prophesied about for 1000s of years. you betcha that new doesn’t fit with old when it comes to that. as best as anyone can tell, we aren’t going to get a new covenant while we still have this earth, so what we have is the new wineskin that jesus talked about, and i think it’s dangerous to re-apply that in different ways. what we have is the new covenant, and the church which is Christ’s body. you seem to be saying you would want to do church differently, not out of a hope to be more effective for the gospel, but because you can’t stand all the other churches. sure, maybe it’s both, but based on what you write continuously on here one can only conclude that it isn’t a heart beating for the lost that drives you, instead it’s maybe your own pain? imagine telling a woman that you love her but you hate her body. i don’t imagine she would really believe that part about you loving her, and would probably be right. i can’t say for sure, but it would seem to me like Jesus would react much the same way there. you’ve been involved with only a few bodies of believers in the small subset of american culture that is iowa, don’t make such a wide judgment even if it helps “put things into perspective”. i also notice a common thread being political throughout this. i think what you correctly rail against is republican christians who more or less let politics define their christianity. by aiming to be “different”, you’ll just be a blue version of the same thing. seems pointless to me. i think jesus was different because he was better. separating yourself just because you want to be different first, and hopefully maybe better too, that seems dangerous to me.
By: erik on February 24, 2008
at 3:43 pm
A “community for those who don’t like church”. Sounds like a church (gathering of Christ followers) for those who don’t like church. What happens when one day you look up and realize you’re in church? Will your desire to be wholly be unlike everyone else be a problem when all you are is a reaction to them? And if you do become like any of them… will that mean you too will be corrupt (since it sounds like just having their doctrine dictates that a church will).
I’ve been reading a bit of Romans lately and I don’t read anything about changing your church. I see “don’t let what you consider good to be spoken of as evil”, but it seems more to love other Christians regardless of how their convictions from or for the Lord makes us feel. And what about the section on submission to authorities? Surely God, for our good, puts people above us in the Church as well as the government. And surely as any human authority they are not perfect. Who would you say you were submitted to in the Rock… and were you ok with their plans or trying to institute your own?
I want to see you succeed Teege, but I think your anger/frustration toward the church will blind you and cause you to stumble worse.
By: Steve O on March 4, 2008
at 4:34 am
Yah, you guys are probably right, maybe Jesus should have just joined up with the Pharisees…
I don’t think what Im saying is that hard to grasp. There are serious problems with church today. And what I’m suggesting is that unless something drastic happens, church is going to continue to get worse, its not going to miraculously get better. Sure there are some churches that are better than others, but thats not really saying a whole lot. And I know you guys think that Im just bitter at GCM and thats what is fueling all of this. And you are partially right, I am bitter at GCM, but I had problems with the american church before I even stepped inside a friday night rock. All that GCM did was cement my certainty that there are things very, very wrong with the american church. I’m convinced its so wrong, that I can’t go back a normal sunday morning church service. Thats fine if you don’t feel that way. Just don’t tell me that I shouldn’t feel that way, thats its not wise. Because I will respond by saying its not wise to stay on a sinking raft thinking that it will patch itself if you continue to ignore the problem.
I realize this comment is very bold and forthcoming, and that it is likely to offend. But I’m tired of being treated like the idealistic kid who never grew up. I’m not an idiot, and I have God-given dreams. And just because those dreams never fit into the GCM 5 step plan to become a man doesn’t mean they don’t have value.
By: tjlyttle on March 4, 2008
at 7:31 pm