Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire, or From Political to Financial Institution

I just finished reading about the papacy of the middle ages in Church History in Plain Language by Bruce Shelly. According to Shelly, the 14th century marked a decline in the papacy because of the Great Schism – a time in which the Roman Catholic Church had two popes! How did this happen? In short, because men became power hungry and leaders of a heavenly kingdom desired prominence in an earthly one. Other horrible things transpired because of this greed for power – the inquisition, indulgences, and the crusades (some that even took place within Europe).

While I was learning a little church history my granddad suggested I read a Forbes article by Rich Karlgaard reviewing a biography of Walt Disney. Before getting into the review, Karlgaard mentions how difficult it is to find a good business book. As a side note he suggested Rick Warren’s The Purpose-Driven Church. “Just substitute ‘business’ for ‘church’ and it is all there.” I was appalled to say the least.

I mention both these things because the American Church is looking dangerously like the world, just as the Roman Catholic Church did years ago. As evidence, I point to the Forbes article, and to a church’s children’s ministry having three plasma screen TVs. Another church having dirt bike stunts performed in their “sanctuary” provides another good example of how we have strayed (I don’t know if they really call it a sanctuary. “Stage” would be a more appropriate title, they are giving us a show).

These are just a few example among many, and all this reminds me of a sermon preached by a man named Roderick. If he preached weekly at our campus, I’m sure he would gain a huge following, only because he has a great gift of exposing hidden truths (or details?) in scripture.
A couple of months ago, he read about the temptations of Christ, in particular when Satan challenged Christ to cast himself from the temple rooftop (Matt 4:5-7). Roderick argues that there is more going on here then just testing the father. The temple is in the middle of a town. People are in a town. If Jesus jumped and survived unharmed, people would have quickly joined his ranks. But Jesus didn’t come to show off his powers. This is further evidenced by his refusal to perform signs for those who demanded them for proof of his claims (Matt 12:38, Mark 8:11, Luke 11:16). He often healed those who already believed in him or had faith in him. He didn’t come to entertain us or perform a show. He came for much more substantial reasons. To give us life.

Many churches have become well-run businesses with well-organized once a week shows, much advertising, and even borderline prosperity gospels. This makes me nervous to say the least. We must remember our roots – the early church had few wealthy people, and little attractiveness for the world. It was a social movement that was completely counter to the Roman culture. They trusted in God to provide, not the government, as everyone else did.

Today, we look exactly like our culture with all our concern for finances and for being glitzy and glamorous like Hollywood. The Graham family is in the middle of a huge feud right now because the oldest son wants to turn Billy Graham’s burial sight into a tourist attraction. Why? To raise money for the next generation of ministry! We are trusting too much in the world and its money. We need to turn back to a child-like faith and believe that it is God who provides for us, not supporters, not stock options, not paychecks, as everyone else believes.

I digress. The business model may be working for us right now, and some argue that makes it right, or at least okay. Remember, the papacy was effectively able to maintain territorial power for a period, but that does not make it right and time eventually showed how far off base it really was. I just wonder when the same is going to happen to the American Church.

Is it worth it?

So my blogging has been intermittent lately, partly because of my busy schedule, but also because I question the value of blogging. It often appears an escape from actually engaging people. Instead of having interesting discussions face to face, we have written dialogues, faceless to faceless.
Of course, this isn't necessarily true. It seems by and large blogs are read by friends, or friends of friends, and some identity is there. Also, many friends may be separated by long distances, and thus blogging is the best way to keep in touch (and regardless of my attitudes to personal blogging, I love to read my friends').
Ultimately, I've decided that blogging is worth it. Why? Because I've been busy all this semester, and my time with friends is precious. The little time I have with them I want to spend learning about what is going on in their lives: relationships starting or ending, classes good or bad, new hobbies, etc.
Not everyone wants to talk about weightier issues, and sometimes it is hard to discern who those people are, and sometimes I waste my breath talking about spiritual things, or philosophical things.
Blogs can be an awkward confessional thing (my girlfriend just broke up with me, my pet Squibbles kicked the bucket, I ate the best chocolate fudge of my life, etc), but these blogs can be a great place to enter into the intellectual dialogue, which is what I want to do.
And most won't notice me. That doesn't matter. Maybe keeping this thing going will give me practice for the future, when I will have a larger audience. Maybe it'll help me better articulate my ideas, and maybe this will find those people who want to talk about weightier issues.
So you probably won't learn alot about me or the events of my life through this, but you will learn what I think about a lot things.

Talking about the inerrancy of scripture seems to be missing the point of scripture.
And facebook is really shallow.
More on those later. Okay, maybe just the first one.