The Church is Messy - Part Two

     Sometimes I do not know what to think about the church. At times, it seems like we have it all backwards. We, as U.S. Christians, welcome imperialistic military developments that murder thousands of people in Iraq and Afghanistan, celebrating their "defense of the U.S.." We, as Christians, tend to be the most prejudiced, racist and anti-homosexual. We are pro-guns and pro-judgment. We tend to fight our battles with the military and with politics; whatever happened to peaceful revolutions and transformative grace? In the words of Tony Campolo, "If we were to set out to establish a religion in polar opposition to the Beatitudes Jesus taught, it would look strikingly similar to the pop Christianity that has taken over the airwaves of North America" (Claiborne 269).

     While I am making large generalizations, there is no doubt that the church has huge flaws. These scars can be seen throughout history - The Crusades, The Spanish Inquisition, etc. - and still today. Thus, on behalf of the church, I would like to say that WE (CHRISTIANS) ARE HYPOCRITES AND SINNERS; WE ACKNOWLEDGE TRUTH WITH OUR WORDS AND OFTEN DENY GOD'S TRUTH IN OUR ACTIONS. WE ARE FLAWED AND MESSY PEOPLE THAT ARE PART OF A MESSY AND FLAWED CHURCH.

     

     I say this for two reasons. The first reason is, "If people really knew what idiots we are, in all our brokenness and vulnerability, they would know that they can give this thing a shot too" (Claiborne 254). Thus, I hope that people realize that their imperfections call them to be a part of the church (which is very messy itself). (For more on this, see my post titled "The Church is Messy - Part One"). Second, I want to acknowledge the truth of Brennan Manning's words: "The greatest cause of atheism is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny him with their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." In acknowledging, this truth I hope that "the world would be willing to listen to a church on its knees, a church that doesn't pretend to be perfect or to have all of the answers" (Claiborne 251).

     Basically, I want to recognize the fact that the church is very messy and very flawed. As a result, it is easy for us to become disenchanted with the church. (I know that I do frequently). In the rest of this post, I hope to clarify that the flaws of the church or of Christianity are not the flaws of God. Furthermore, the church is a beautiful community that beckons those of use that are disenchanted to join in.

     The Church is the body and bride of Christ. It is the community of Christ-believers and Christ-followers. While the church is vital to God's work, it does not mean that all actions of the church are condoned by God. Rather, the church is the community that God gives us to interact together and to grow towards fulfillment in Christ. Thus, this community will get many things right and other things wrong. This community is necessary though because God has called us to not only enter into relationship with Him, but also to have relationship with one another.

     While reflecting on the last year, I have discovered that my approach to college was much like the approach that many of us take to the church. By this I mean that I expected Colorado Christian University to be an institution that represented God's desire, and the beliefs of the church in a well-balanced, unbiased manner. In other words, I expected my university to be perfect and I expected it to teach all the things I held to be important. Likewise, we expect the church to be the perfect representation of God's will and we expect it to satisfy us with what it teaches and how it acts. However, we overlook the fact that we were made to contribute to the church and likewise I have been called to contribute to CCU. The messiness of the church begs for our involvement in the church. We shouldn't disengage because of the messiness of the church; instead, wherever the church lacks or needs revival and revolution, we are called to action and engagement. Similarly, instead of becoming disenchanted with some of the stances, policies and actions of my school and its members, I now realize that I can use this opportunity to instruct others and to help our school draw closer to God. We are all a part of the body - that is the church - and thus we must play our role in instructing and edifying other parts to make the body the best it can be.

     My Cross-Country Coach frequently tells me, "The church is messy. That is why it is appealing to me." He is absolutely right. The church is messy because it is not perfect. In fact, nothing in this world is perfect. However, when we - the members of the body, the church - come together and learn and grow from each other we draw closer to what we were made to be; we move closer to our potential as the church and as the children of God. This is the true beauty of the church.

Source

Claiborne, Shane. The Irresistible Revolution. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006. Print.