Friday, March 24, 2006

The Heart of the Matter

(Disclaimer: In the following post, the word "church" should be read with the negative connotations associated with the word in recent history. In this post, "church" refers to those sub-cultural, aggravating, disheartening intricacies associated with many establishments.)

I was reflecting the other day on various experiences that I have had over the past couple of years. If you've talked to me much at all, you realize that my church experiences have not been the most positive ones over the past several years. Furthermore, this has cause somewhat of a cynicism to arise which has lead me to distrust and discount much of the established hierarchal system which we call "church". As I was contemplating all of this while reclining on my "thinking chair", I had a thought which would alarm me, aggravate me and cause a certain amount of conviction. This is the thought, somewhat edited because I can't really remember it verbatim. "I can take myself out of "church" (see disclaimer), but.... can I take the "church" out of me?"

So I realized, that in all my analyzing and critiquing of the speck (lets be real... its larger than a speck... but I'll go with it anyway... lol) in the eye of the "church", I have actually looked right past the same looking plank in my own eye. I'll admit, I have responded ungenerously to the ungenerousness of "church". When confronted with hate and ignorance, I have responded with anger (not righteous indignation, mind you) and negative criticism. I have seen intolerance and responded likewise. In other words, I have seen the "church" out there, but looked past the "church" inside. How often are we like that? Perhaps there is a better way.

9 comments:

ndfugate said...

and what might that better way be.

m.d. mcmullin said...

Good post.

I recently had a similar revelation where I realized that by the way I was criticizing, I was actually making something worse not better.

It was humbling to realize I was right but I was wrong because of how I expressed it.

joel w. clackum said...

great title... and the post is painfully honest.. Thanks.

Chris and Holly said...

God help us. Here's my question. I have fortunately (or unfortnuately) been accepted by the "church." But at what point do you stand up to the "church" and prophetically say that this actually looks nothing like the kingdom of God. The church is the family of God. However, from this vantage point, I have to say that it is a rather disfunctional family.

Brandon Anderson said...

have faith and believe. that's all

Brandon Anderson said...

have faith and believe. that's all you need

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