Church: A House Divided

My dad has been a minister for the Church of Christ all my life. As such, I grew up learning and breathing church life. My parents did their best to raise me up to become a faithful Christian, and they made sure I knew what was right and what was wrong. If you’re not familiar with the Churches of Christ, let me give you a brief and sloppy overview. (For a more in-depth history, click here.) The Churches of Christ are a part of the self-designated Restoration Movement. Growing up, I was taught that there is only one church. This church was established by Jesus and His Apostles back in Acts 2 with the baptism of the Holy Spirit during Pentecost. We can witness this church throughout Acts and in the letters written by Paul and others that make up the New Testament. Since then, however, things like the Catholic Church and the many different denominations coming out of the Reformation Movement of the 16th Century have perverted the one true church and have made a mess of Christ’s body. The Churches of Christ strive to return to the original practices and doctrines of the New Testament church.

Now, I may be biased, but I believe this is a noble goal. I do believe Jesus and His Apostles only established one church, and we can get an idea of what it looked like by reading through the New Testament. In Ephesians 4:3-6 Paul says, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Another aspect of the Restoration Movement was a striving to reunify all the different denominations that have strayed from the initial plan. Unity is a serious and righteous goal as well. The problem is: How do you unite all these different groups with their seemingly infinite amount of disagreements? The Churches of Christ feel that we can all turn back to Scripture and follow what we see there; nothing else. Again, I consider this something that is not only critical, but Biblical. Jesus prayed for unity of His followers in the garden before He was taken away to be crucified.

Paul tells the Galatians, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” There is only one Gospel. So, why is it so hard for us as so-called Christians to be united?

Unfortunately, the Churches of Christ have not united all denominations together, and have in fact become quite divisive. Though not ever explicitly stated, my dad taught me that there were three kinds of people in this world: the true Christians that belong to the church of Christ, non-believers, and those who belong to different churches but aren’t part of The Church. The latter were much better than the atheists and agnostics, but he still regarded them as outsiders.

The Churches of Christ among themselves have had several splits, over such mundane things as Bible classes for children, how many cups to use for communion, whether or not to have a kitchen in their building, and whether or not to use instrumental music during worship. There are even urban legends that float around about churches splitting over carpet color for their building, and with my experience, it doesn’t surprise me one bit. The Churches of Christ are very head-strong, and pride themselves on their Scriptural accuracy. It can make for a pretty legalistic and OCD-inducing faith. Little things like not capitalizing the “c” in church of Christ (except for when you use it as a proper noun, which is technically not possible because the church doesn’t have a name) and not calling the ministers “pastors” (because the word “pastor” is actually the word for what is commonly referred to as Elders) are things of importance to most of the old-school Church of Christers. Though, thankfully, there is a movement that is getting away from such trivial arguments.

So, what’s the solution? Well, I believe the problem is something that plagues many groups, whether religious or secular. The problem is a lack of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We, as people who claim to follow Jesus of Nazareth, have become just like the very people Jesus rebuked. We’ve become so caught up in the “rules” of church that we’ve abandoned things like love, justice, peace, and putting others before ourselves. We will never agree on all the little details, and we most likely won’t agree on the bigger details either. But can’t we all agree to follow Jesus Christ, declaring His death, burial, and resurrection until He comes again?

I understand that we have to draw the line somewhere. We can’t accept every doctrine as Truth, and we must use logic and the Holy Spirit to help us discern what is right. But if we get so caught up in what’s “right” and what’s “wrong” that we forget about God’s love, grace, and peace then what good are we to the world? Things like grace, love, patience, justice, and humility are attractive even to non-Christians. How much more could we do in the world if we united around Christ Jesus and His gospel of love?

Cleaning House

When my mom has company over it’s a big ordeal. Not so much when the guests are there, but before they even show up. She insists that everything be perfect and spotlessly clean. She’ll spend days clearing out the fridge, shampooing the carpet, and removing any dust that may have accumulated since the last time she cleaned. Everything must be in its place, and all signs of life and use of the house are removed. It doesn’t matter to her if it’s something you use every day, if it doesn’t look nice it’s shoved down into a drawer; hidden away until the guests leave.

What’s sad is that this was a common experience for me growing up in church. Church wasn’t a place to come as you are (a redeemed sinner), but a place to put on your best clothes, your smiley face, and pretend that God has made your life perfect. Before going to church we put away any unsightly emotions or doubts, making sure that any life struggles too ugly to admit were shoved in a drawer until we got home.

My mom obsessively cleans her house for the same reason most Christians make sure their lives appear spotless before coming to church: they fear judgment. Everyone wants to be admired and looked up to. We want respect and recognition for our accomplishments. Church becomes a beauty contest, instead of a safe place where ugly and broken people can come to find refuge.

We perpetuate the cycle ourselves. Jesus said, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2). If you judge others by a certain criteria, you’re most likely going to hold yourself to the same standard; judging yourself. You’re also more likely to think that others are judging you the same way you judge them.

For the many times the Bible talks about not judging others, it’s amazing how much the Church has become known for its hypocrisy and judgmental attitudes. Are we trying to show that God can cure any of life’s problems? Is it the good ol’ Protestant work ethic that is still influencing us? Or are we just scared that we’ll be found out, so we bring the attention to others’ faults? Whatever the reason, we as the Church have greatly tarnished our reputation.

Sure, my life is much better because I grew up in the Church. Faith in Jesus can lift a lot of burdens from a troubled soul. But I’ve been through a lot in life too, and I’m not always in the best of mood. Maybe it’s a lack of faith, or maybe I’m just human. Unfortunately I can’t share the truth in a place that claims to carry the ultimate Truth. We’re all too concerned about how others view us.

No matter how clean my mom gets her house, it’s still a home; a place where real people eat, sleep, and even relieve themselves. My parents get sick, and leave their stuff sitting around, and make messes when they eat. They don’t have a perfect life or marriage, even if they may appear that way. In the end, we’re all struggling with something. None of us are immune to trauma, mistakes, or disappointments. Our lives will never be perfect, nor will we; no matter how much we work at convincing the people around us otherwise.

I see a church where the leaders and the members can come to each other in humility and confess their sins to each other. I see a church where all can come truly as they are and find a place of peace and refuge; a place where they don’t have to fear judgment, but find true unconditional love. I see a church where the grace and love of God is real; a church that is more concerned about lifting burdens than imposing moral laws. I see a church of gentleness and acceptance; of peace and unity. I believe this is the church that Jesus established.

Infinite Possibilities

Everyone thinks they're right.  Sure, there are those who are wise and humble enough to admit that they may be wrong, but no one chooses to follow an ideology they know or feel is wrong.  Most of us have at least some knowledge about what we believe and have determined it to be correct, at least for now.  There are, however, some that hold their views to be fact.  All evidence to the contrary can either be explained or is dismissed.

Every belief has its contradictory counterpoint, and everything in between is accounted for.  There seems to be an infinite amount of opinions regarding almost every subject, all fiercely debated by finite human beings.  If you've spent any time looking into what different faith traditions believe about certain issues, such as the divinity of Jesus, baptism, speaking in tongues, church government, sexuality (especially homosexuality), or even something as benign as instrumental music, then you know what I'm talking about.  Most claim to have God and scripture on their side, and yet they still disagree.

So, what are we to believe?  What scholars are we to listen to?  How are we to know that what we believe is Truth?  Is there even such a thing as Truth?  Is all the knowledge of the world meaningless?  I had a professor in college who would tell us that at the end of the day you have to stand somewhere.  No matter what the subject, you have an opinion.  Even if that opinion is "I don't know", I still think you have some sort of thought about the subject, but are either too scared or too wise to share it. 

I'm hoping to create a place here where I, as a finite human, can discuss things not only of utmost importance, but that seem to have an infinite amount of answers.  Please feel free to respond and share your opinion.  I just ask that all responses are done with respect and kindness.