Does The Church Have A Complex?

I will start off this blog with a warning. I'm upset and disappointed with my church right now, so the things in this post may be unfair and/or an oversimplified stereotype.

I have heard the expression asked before "when did A CHURCH become THE CHURCH?"

Why does a denomination or a dominant interpretation about Christianity automatically deem itself the ultimate truth? At what point do we distinguish between heresy and open mindedness? Should a Christian question? Should a Christian believe blindly? Should it be a mixture where we believe certain things blindly based on other things that have proved themselves?

Would things we believe blindly change if the things we thought were "proved" showed to be inconsistent?

Would it be beneficial or destructive to show those inconsistencies?

I like questions. Questions spawn thought. I like to think. So I guess liking questions and thought compliment each other well.

I have to ask myself... does the church like questions and thought? If so, does it like all questions and all thought, or just "contained" questions and thought?

Thinking just now if questioning can be dangerous, I'm sure there is backing for that. Often times you will hear thoughts along the lines of "if you start asking those questions they'll lead you to destruction." I don't know if I've ever heard that verbatim, but certainly those ideas.

It is a thought that is backed by something. The beginning of the destruction of humankind began with a question... "Did God really say?" The beginning of humanity starts with Satan questioning what God really said. Now this might be legitimate, except in Genesis 2:16-17 God clearly states that man must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

It is also interesting to note, as maybe you've heard before, that Eve responds by saying they are not to touch the fruit. It's important to note that this is in no means God ordained. Some might say it is a good idea, but it is not what God says. For Eve, it may be just as sinful to touch the fruit as to eat it, for obviously there is temptation there, but to place that same law upon another could be quite pointless and burdensome.

We see questioning in another early book (chronologically). In the book of Job, Job has lots of bad stuff happen to him. First his servants are killed and livestock are stolen. Next a fireball from heaven kills his sheep and more servants. Then some raider come and kill even more servants (he must have had a lot) and steal his camels (I picture them stuffing camels into bookbags for some reason). Finally, his sons and daughters are having a big party and the house falls on them and kills them. Now all Job has is his wife, 4 messengers (that told him about these events), and his health. Oh wait... scratch that last one.

A little while later Job gets painful sores all over his body too. He's pretty bummed and says some sad stuff. His friends and wife don't do much to make things better. Job just kind of sits in his questioning misery. Job questions the justice and righteousness of God and the path he calls his righteous to. Job in essence questions if God knows what he's doing and if he's even good, if he really cares about justice.

This is very similar to the question that Eve ponders in her mind. Why would God not want me to know what he knows? Is he ripping me off? Does he even care about me? Is he even just?

God is shown to be unquestionable in these matter though. To Eve it is shown that her way has led to a spiritual death God did not desire for man. In Job's circumstance, Job becomes the one questioned. I love this verse, it makes me whither! God shows that because he is greater and has experienced all of creation, he knows more about justice than we ever could, he knows more about what's right for us than we ever could. But we "forget" that.

This was all to show that yes, questioning can be horribly wrong for man when it is an attempt to discredit God and justify ourselves. This is something that is deemed in the scripture, both where I showed and elsewhere, that questioning God's power in this manner is not good.

But there was also distortion in both of these. I mentioned about Eve not touching the fruit. That was a distortion. Also we see Job's friends accusing him of not being righteous, but Job knows himself to be righteous by God's Word. His wife calls him to forget about God for what he's doing or not doing, but he knows this to be incorrect due to God's Word.

There is both adding and taking away in these examples, which are not God's word, but man trying to reconcile himself with his situation.

Has "the Church" done the same?

Is it easier to take certain routes or justify certain paths because they fit culture better or they seem more successful? When leaders get ahold of scripture do they bow before it, or do they manipulate it to fit them? Or maybe not only leaders, but regular men.

The Crusades

The Salem Witch Trials

The Spanish Inquisition

The Ku Klux Klan

All using the name of Christianity as a dividing mechanism. One where they win and the others lose. One where they are right and those who oppose are wrong. We are looking at theological Darwinism here. Whatever version of Christianity survives is the correct version. God certainly would not let us live a faith that is not inspired by him, right?

That is seen over and over in the Bible. Israel falls away and is living by an incorrect manner. God allows them to see the punishment of what their people and leaders have chosen to believe and how they have abandoned and distorted God's call. Then God sends a prophet to bring them back to his way.

Perhaps for hundreds of years we have been astray or being led astray. The beliefs we follow are based on Jesus, but have also been crafted by the hands of men, as to what scriptures we will read. A council of men decided the canonized Bible. Scholars believe that these decisions were not solely based on the criteria cited, but also on what was popular and widely held as "the best."

William Barclay said, " It is the simple truth to say that the New Testament books became canonical because no one could stop them doing so."

So for one to question the interpretation of man into our understanding of God is completely justifiable, I believe.

In most churches we read the same verses and ignore many. We place the Bible into the 20th and 21st centuries and expect it to fit. How can we compare our lifestyle with that of the 1st century? We have completely different lifestyles, customs, metaphors, outlooks on life, etc.

I believe we need to reexamine the Bible as it was written. See what it looks like with a shadow of empire, a brilliant reflection from simplicity, the haze of self-serving theology, all wrapped up in the culture of the day and of the people. Once you have this vivid picture in your mind, which history so greatly provides for us, you can compare it to our world and see how the Bible can and is meant to fit in our world.

I question men for God, I do not question God for men.

I would say that there are places in our theology that we are mistaken. Some I am pretty sure about, others I am exploring. Theology isn't the main problem, but it does have a barring on the main problem. Our problem is focus. What are the things God is really concerned about. If we make our theology purposed in eliminating homosexuality and abortion we lose site of problems Jesus actually addressed.

Corporate and government overgrowth and greed, lack of communication across economical gaps, lack of leveling economical gaps in a personal manner, turning religious institutions into businesses, not opening up a faith to all (really opening it, not just saying you are or having a "policy"), minimizing government/political officials and becoming a land of people governed by their God, loving, being sexual moral on a deeper level, not inciting war by hating a neighbor, embracing harmony of creation, and on and on. We don't talk about these so much, but Jesus didn't stop talking about these things.

We've become a people about theology, rather than a people of spirit. Where caring and intelligence meet with humility to retrace our steps, find our mistakes, and insert Jesus's word in all of those shortcomings.