CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST
April 20, 2008
25424 Aldine-Westfield, Spring, TX. 77373
www.geocities.com/adon77373/cypresswoodbulletin.htm
www.cypresswoodchurchofchrist.com
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IT AIN’T OVER TILL IT’S OVER
“Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2).
Someone said that the reports of his death are greatly exaggerated. Read the following headlines and one would wonder: “They Love Jesus: They Don’t Like the Church” or “The Cultural War is Over: We Lost!” In a recent survey, it was reported that the ranks of those who do not attend church, though they still believe in God, have grown. A new book, unchristian, speaks about how the younger generation views Christians, Christianity, and church. All of the above state that we have a problem.
There is truth in what is reported. Young Christians are seeing what is being preached and how Christians are living, and wonder why the older generations have not taken the message to heart. They see poor and sick people and big, fancy church buildings. They see ungodly behavior in lives and speech rather than loving all. They see politics as more important than theology. And these young are rejecting organized religion for something more vital; relationships and practicing what is being preached.
Churches of Christ are facing similar problems. A number of big congregations are adding instrumental music to one of their assemblies. Among the reasons given is that it will attract people and keep the young, who listen to it on religious radio stations. They want to change one form for another. That is nothing new since we have been a people dependent on forms. We have argued over the use of overhead projectors, film strips, and praise teams. All these “forms” were meant to attract attention for one reason or another. We have also argued that culture should not influence us though if we are really honest with ourselves, we would realize that we have been influenced by previous generations, particularly the 1950s generation, but not limited to that.
The question that is raised is how do we reach a new generation? Some have decided to redefine sin because since God loves all people, we must respect the behaviors of others, such as homosexuality. In other words, calling this sinful behavior is judgmental. The new name for this is “emergent,” but the old name is liberal theology as seen in the mainline denominations (1). Commitment to them is to love all regardless and to accept all.
We do need to be accepting of people just as Jesus was, welcoming tax collectors and sinners, but He also made it clear to “go and sin no more” (2). Sin caused the cross. We cannot downplay it. What we need to understand is that God seeks what is best for all and is what is know as love. We are to love God with all our being and to love our neighbor. When asked who was a neighbor, Jesus illustrated with a Samaritan who helped a injured fellow when priests and Levites passed by. Jesus welcomed all but that did not mean He approved of sinful lifestyles; He didn’t. Rather His challenge to people was to change and walk in holiness before God.
We have not behaved as Jesus did when we use vulgar language about those who live different lifestyles, who disagree with us, and label them things they are not. The reaction to the instrumental situation above was a full page ad in a local paper marking a congregation as heretics. Those who put the ad out think that they are defending the truth but those who read it see a group of people who are unloving toward others. That impression is damaging and like it or not, people are watching when we speak and how we live.
How do we deal with people who we do not agree, whether in doctrine or lifestyle? One example is that of Abilene Christian University (ACU). When the homosexual group, Soul Force, informed ACU that it would attend its campus, ACU prepared to meet them by allowing them a forum to speak and debate. ACU made it clear that they do not agree with the gay lifestyle but they did it in a way that reflected Christ. A number from Soul Force were impressed by their meeting even though they did not change their opinions. Unlike other campuses, there were no riots and few criticisms during the visit. That is one way to do it.
Jesus went where the sinners were. Peter was fishing and Jesus got in his boat, then talked with him. We expect sinners to come to our assemblies and behave the way we do, but they have no basis for this. Rather, we should be open to go where they are and work where they are to draw them to Christ. Of course that is difficult for us; we sometimes behave more like the priest and Levite passing on the other side of the road. People see this and just do not understand.
Why are people leaving churches? One reason is that they see how people are treated by leadership or others. Gossip, labeling, and a refusal to listen to others have caused some to leave. Others have left because opinions become doctrine and those who do not follow it are told either to lump it or leave. Hypocrisy, saying one thing and doing another, has caused problems. But a surprising reason some are leaving is that they are not being challenged enough by leadership. The Bible has many challenging things and people want to dig into them. They understand that not all things are as “black and white” as some think. Leadership is afraid to allow such questions to occur for fear of having no answers. Traditions and the refusal to face the challenges of life have hindered the teaching of scripture. The fear of false teaching have hampered Bible study and people want to study. Spending too much time in the Old Testament or looking at earthquakes, etc. as something God might be behind are examples of issues many do not wish to discuss.
I think that there are important things being said by those who are no longer attending church. I think that it is true that we have spoken foolishly far too often. But ignoring or compromising scripture is not the answer. We need to practice the lifestyle of Jesus, difficult yes, but worth living. Not all will be happy when we call sin sin. We can do it in a way that shows that we still love people, yet some will be offended even when we do it. We will reach people when we come to the realization that there is more to Christianity than traditions; that how we live is as important as what we teach. G.K. Chesterton said, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.” That is a challenge for us!
George B. Mearns
(1) This is a very broad suggestion; the emergent people are not all liberal in their theology. It is a philosophy or theology that is in the process of developing.
(2) The context is John 8:1-11 and the woman caught in adultery. It was after everyone left that He told the woman not to sin anymore.