Friday, August 31, 2007
Being active
I have only missed church I think 3 Sundays this year and have been to about 6 different churches. I have been to Sunday School at 2 churches and I really wasn't impressed with either really, but that is not surprising since I rarely am. I think that I have my church search down to 2 different churches, but I still want to visit at least 2 more churches. I really like a particular church that is not part of a denomination that I might normally be a part of. It is tough to think about leaving a denomination even though you have thought about it for a long time. It is tough to think about leaving connections behind and going forward to new ones. There are certain fears involved. Will I ever be welcome back at an SBC church? That is really ridiculous, but yes that is a fear. Will the new church accept me? Will my differences in belief stand out? Really, I have unique beliefs from the standard SBC thoughts, so really nothing should be new. I guess that I am afraid of the unknown changes that will result from the move.
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2 comments:
Around here the churches are not necessarily denominative. There are a few large CofCs that don't seem like CofCs and there are more than a few SBC churches which bear little resemblance to the SBC.
I came late to the SBC party, and still don't consider myself to be "SB". I can't speak for the SB mindset, then, but I imagine you'd be welcomed back if you wanted to go back to a SBC church.
Here is some (hopefully) timely food for thought on this very subject:
From "The New Diasopra: Strange Measures for Strange Times," by Alan Morrison:
"Everything which I write comes from the heart. Occasionally it comes from the heart with a special seal, a particular passion. This article is one of those seals and passions. It is a subject very dear to my heart. It concerns the way that the experience of "church", for so many today, has become a nightmare holocaust ghost train instead of a dream vision growth journey. Readers should be warned that this is not a cold treatise on Ecclesiology. Rather, it is a passionate exposition of the manner in which the reality for many has fallen short of the ideal.
...It is a modern fact of life that many genuine, diligent, Bible-believing Christians do not attend a church. Not being with a church is not an ideal situation. But we live in strange times; and in strange times, one has to take strange measures. Many today have taken strange measures and — wounded, abused and utterly disillusioned — have left churches altogether. In fact, what has happened is that a New Diaspora has been born. It is a global Diaspora pregnant with great potential for the Kingdom, if only there will be understanding and empathy, instead of rejection and browbeating.
...So today we have this abundant New Diaspora. What could have led to this phenomenon?
...There is a common ideal about "church" which just does not match the reality. There seems to be a prevailing idea that "church" is the solution to everyone’s problems — that all people have to do is to go to church and the sun will shine forever. Go to church and the Lord will bless you. Go to church and receive the ‘means of grace’. Go to church and your life will be transformed. Go to church and your needs will be fulfilled. Go to church and receive the teaching of the Lord. Go to church! Go to church! Go to church... etc., etc., ad nauseam.
Sadly, for a great many people, this has turned out to be anything but true. It has instead been a case of... Go to church and get screwed up. Go to church and get stabbed in the back. Go to church and get poisoned by lies. Go to church and massage a pastor’s ego. Go to church and have your worst nightmare. For many it has been a case of... Go to church and be robbed of what little faith you already had. Go to church and wish you’d never been born.
Yes! "Go to church and wish you’d never been born". Shocking, isn’t it? Now if you think that is too strong, I can tell you that for many it is a total understatement! For them, churches seem more like the slumly environs of hell than the sublime suburbs of heaven. When they go to church, they see a nest of hornets rather than Abraham’s bosom. They’ve been stabbed in the back so many times that they will say to you (as one once said to me): "When you sing that hymn, just make sure you sit in the back pew". Now you may not like it that so many people will say that today, but you’re going to have to live with it anyway. Because it is true. You cannot pretend that reality is something other than what it is, no matter how uncomfortable it may be and no matter how much you may want to do so."
The above article in its entirety is located at the following URL:
http://web.archive.org/web/20041017000642/www.diakrisis.org/New_Diaspora.htm
Another goood read by Alan Morrison on this subject:
"The Necessity of the Maverick in the Church" at
http://web.archive.org/web/20050514060253/www.diakrisis.org/The+Necessity+of+the+Maverick.pdf
All of Alan Morrison's work from his now-defunct "Diakrisis" website is still available through the enterprising efforts of Richard Boyden - thanks Richard!
see ---> http://www.richardboyden.com/False%20Religion%20Information.htm
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