"It's not "The Church" that needs to have a reformation of the heart, it's you and I".
-Keith Giles
It's quite entertaining for us to wax poetic about the ill's of the church but it becomes a bit uncomfortable when we open our own hearts for examination.
1 comment:
Interesting comment.
As in any institution, the whole is made up of parts, and ultimately, individuals, so I have always read such 'waxing' with the understanding that any negative comments on the state of the church were comments on the state of the individuals' hearts. Naturally, in every case, it goes to a mis-understanding of the Bible and some of them are dangerous misappropriations that attack the foundation of who we are as individuals.
I think mainly of individual leaders who have a mis-understanding of the authority that they have, often leading to over-stepping. This is probably done with good intentions. If I thought I was better connected with God than everyone else, sinned less than everyone else, and since God brought me to that place, my decisions must be the right ones, I would abuse my authority, too.
The individuals who comprise the laity suffer too. From the ingrained behavior that the pastor is not to be challenged to their own misunderstandings of what it means to be a human being with a sin nature, the typical member will just about assent to anything the pastor puts forth.
Missing here is that the heart of man is evil. Made righteous by Christ and given the ability to do right, sure, but we still have those same abilities for evil and the pastor is no exception.
In any organization, the culture is not to be overlooked. Business thinkers are finding more and more how important it is to find inviduals who fit the culture of the organization you're trying to create versus finding skills that are needed. This holds true for the church, too. A church who values one-mindedness and lock-stop agreement with the leadership will culturally attract those who feel the same way. It is exactly why over the past twenty years, the evangelical church resembles a Republican convention, with a very conservative, chain of command, and 'patriotic' bent who tend to see issues regarding the church in black and white.
This would be true of Calvinists, liberals, as well. You must know your tendencies and weaknesses so you can guard against them. To attack that at the individual level is the right way to go, because as we know, the whole will equal the sum of its parts.
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