December 6, 2006
What On Earth Is the Church? (Part One)
What is it that comes to mind when someone says to you the word ‘Church'?
Depending on your background and experience, it could be any number of things.
If your background is the Established Church – Anglican or Roman Catholic - perhaps it is robed choirs and organ music, the whiff of incense, a mosaic of light cast through a stained glass window, the chill of an ancient gothic building with gargoyles and statues, the clatter of a marble floor and the creak of wooden pews.
Perhaps the word ‘church’ conjures up something less grand for you – a plain Mission Hall with few adornments and decorations, maybe a custom built, prefabricated meeting place with air-conditioning; modern instead of musty, chairs instead of pews, carpets instead of marble, and guitars instead of pipe organs.
It is entirely possible that neither of these cameos describe what you have in your mind’s eye.
‘Church’ may not bring to mind buildings at all. After all, when people speak of ‘The Church’, it may be that you imagine the machinery and politics of all things ecclesiastical: Popes and prelates, cardinals and canons, dresses and dog collars.
For some, church is all about denominations or organisations - Baptists, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Catholics, Anglicans. Others again, have a more cynical view - to them, its all about TV preachers selling miracles for money, Salvation Army bands, huge elaborate cathedrals surrounded by squalor and poverty, and eccentric men with sandwich - board texts.
Even Rowan Atkinson's Mr.Bean has his more than amusing take on 'the church', which I include below. How many parodies can you identify with?
If we were to play a word association game and I were to say ‘church’, maybe you would say ‘scandal, ‘irrelevant’, ‘old fashioned’, ‘middle class’, ‘boring’, or even ‘hypocritical’.
Perhaps ‘church’ is a place where you were hurt, disappointed, or let down.
It may be that you have rarely or never attended a place of worship, and the whole idea of 'the church' confuses you. Who are they? Why do they bother? Is it somewhere for the very old or very young? Is it just a refuge for the weak and feeble minded?
Well, I hope to answer some of those questions in this short series of blog entries entitled "What on Earth is the Church?"
It may be that you are a Christian with real and living faith in Jesus Christ, and you also have questions, frustrations or strong opinions about the nature of the Church. If that is the case, I hope to engage you with honesty and clarity as to the nature, practices and beliefs of a true Church.
My hope is that you will discover something of the passion that I have recently rediscovered in my reading, listening and thinking concerning the Church of Jesus Christ.
Posted by Danny at December 6, 2006 11:43 AM | TrackBack