Is Christianity Broken?
This question has recently been asked over at
Cerulean Sanctum.I have offered my two-bobs' worth over at Dan Edelen's site and will put an abridged and altered version here. My apologies if it seems a bit fragmented.(You may wish to read Dan's original post and the full text of my comment there).
Is Christianity broken? Of course it is, it always has been. Is the Church broke, Of course it is, it always has been. Would some unbeliever reading the Scriptures think the Church, as constituted in the Israelites and the post-resurrection community, is broke? Just look at the lives of Adam, Abraham, David, Peter, the Corinthians community, six of the churches in the Revelation, etc, etc, etc. Sure, of course anyone reading the Word could think the whole thing is a sorry mess.
But, isn't that getting to the whole point of what God is doing? People who ain't broke don't need fixing, they don't need a Redeemer.
Perhaps what all the criticism of those blogs by believers that don't present Christianity in a shining light shows is our capacity for pride and prejudice: self-justification and other-condemnation; it will simply mirror what we see about us in the/our fleshly capacity.
Bloggers in the first century?
What is the heart of the first-century church? Is it not LOVE? It is the same heart of/for this-century church. Does this relate to blogging?
Are we to ask, Should we not be blogging because there is no Biblical example of every man, woman and their Christian dog publishing their thoughts and experiences, good or bad? What are we actually permitted to do in this day and age? And, what constitutes a Biblical example of approved actions and behaviour (that is easy for a literalist to answer)?
It is easy to appreciate that there is no Biblical example of thousands and thousands and thousands of Christians, of the common pew-sitting variety, blogging away; they are putting out into the world community their beliefs, experiences, understanding, hurts, frustrations, anxieties, joys, successes, and pride and prejudices, and their love.
What are the implications of Christianity being broke and the divine command to love, for bloggers?
The very same as they are when they aren't at their PC blogging their socks off, simply to love and be loved. Are we to stop blogging because there is no Biblical example of it, no Biblical equal, or because it has the potential to cause harm, or because someone might take it to some extreme and do nasty things with it? I think not, but where the act of blogging is an expression of God's love and his nature as Redeemer then it will be both crucified in the earthly and praised in the heavenly. We can be sure of that -- just look at the Biblical precedants.
And so, in my mind it is simple: if we read a blog and it " often leaves [us] feeling confused, angry, depressed, and just about every feeling but the one the Lord wants to cultivate most in us, joy", then, don't read it. We are to dwell on the truthful (including truth that reveals things that need fixing), on the good, and loving, and Godly, on the joyful and uplifting (which can include attending to the broken as the Lord wills). We are to let God do what he does best with those things that are broken of which he alone has the business of fixing, including various blogs and bloggers. He may, of course, ask us to be involved in the process of fixing the broken, from time to time, something we are to do by faith through love.
Is Chritianity Broke? Sure it is. How is it fixed? By loving God and by loving our neighbour on a present and continual basis. And I believe we all are broke, you, me and every other believer; and we are now fixed, and in the process of getting fixed and of being presently and continually fixed.
So, for the believer, shouldn't blogging/living mean being pro-truth, pro-God, pro-love? I think so. What we aren't to do is to try and fix everyone else -- that's God's job and he is doing it just fine.
Cerulean Sanctum.I have offered my two-bobs' worth over at Dan Edelen's site and will put an abridged and altered version here. My apologies if it seems a bit fragmented.(You may wish to read Dan's original post and the full text of my comment there).
Is Christianity broken? Of course it is, it always has been. Is the Church broke, Of course it is, it always has been. Would some unbeliever reading the Scriptures think the Church, as constituted in the Israelites and the post-resurrection community, is broke? Just look at the lives of Adam, Abraham, David, Peter, the Corinthians community, six of the churches in the Revelation, etc, etc, etc. Sure, of course anyone reading the Word could think the whole thing is a sorry mess.
But, isn't that getting to the whole point of what God is doing? People who ain't broke don't need fixing, they don't need a Redeemer.
Perhaps what all the criticism of those blogs by believers that don't present Christianity in a shining light shows is our capacity for pride and prejudice: self-justification and other-condemnation; it will simply mirror what we see about us in the/our fleshly capacity.
Bloggers in the first century?
What is the heart of the first-century church? Is it not LOVE? It is the same heart of/for this-century church. Does this relate to blogging?
Are we to ask, Should we not be blogging because there is no Biblical example of every man, woman and their Christian dog publishing their thoughts and experiences, good or bad? What are we actually permitted to do in this day and age? And, what constitutes a Biblical example of approved actions and behaviour (that is easy for a literalist to answer)?
It is easy to appreciate that there is no Biblical example of thousands and thousands and thousands of Christians, of the common pew-sitting variety, blogging away; they are putting out into the world community their beliefs, experiences, understanding, hurts, frustrations, anxieties, joys, successes, and pride and prejudices, and their love.
What are the implications of Christianity being broke and the divine command to love, for bloggers?
The very same as they are when they aren't at their PC blogging their socks off, simply to love and be loved. Are we to stop blogging because there is no Biblical example of it, no Biblical equal, or because it has the potential to cause harm, or because someone might take it to some extreme and do nasty things with it? I think not, but where the act of blogging is an expression of God's love and his nature as Redeemer then it will be both crucified in the earthly and praised in the heavenly. We can be sure of that -- just look at the Biblical precedants.
And so, in my mind it is simple: if we read a blog and it " often leaves [us] feeling confused, angry, depressed, and just about every feeling but the one the Lord wants to cultivate most in us, joy", then, don't read it. We are to dwell on the truthful (including truth that reveals things that need fixing), on the good, and loving, and Godly, on the joyful and uplifting (which can include attending to the broken as the Lord wills). We are to let God do what he does best with those things that are broken of which he alone has the business of fixing, including various blogs and bloggers. He may, of course, ask us to be involved in the process of fixing the broken, from time to time, something we are to do by faith through love.
Is Chritianity Broke? Sure it is. How is it fixed? By loving God and by loving our neighbour on a present and continual basis. And I believe we all are broke, you, me and every other believer; and we are now fixed, and in the process of getting fixed and of being presently and continually fixed.
So, for the believer, shouldn't blogging/living mean being pro-truth, pro-God, pro-love? I think so. What we aren't to do is to try and fix everyone else -- that's God's job and he is doing it just fine.
1 Comments:
Alright! Someone who explains it so right. I guess this is why I blog! I am so not perfect and if I was I wouldn't need Christ! Yes yes yes. Just what I needed to read when asking myself lately why am I blogging.
Post a Comment
<< Home