Changing strategies

So they change their company name and agree not to advertise to
American kids. But they won't change their strategies.
What is sad is they are seeking to create a culture of smoking in
places where medical care has zero chance of fighting cancer and
absorb all (if any) disposable income.

Are there any better examples of humanity's greedy nature than Phillip
Morris and RJ Reynolds.
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Devotion: A Community of Faith

“Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another all the more…” Hebrew 10:24-25

 

A very common statement in our culture these days is that religion is a man-made institution while faith is a personalized spiritual journey.  The subtle subtext is that orgianized religion is oppressive and evil because it is institutional while an individualized faith is purer and better.

What lacks in this argument is the development of commnuity.  Religion is a community of faith.  It unites people.  Religion says that at our core, we are not autonomous individuals, but we are people who struggle with the same core issues that people struggled with 2000 years ago (look at the letter to the Hebrews…even they had pillow Presbyterians and mattress Methodists, 70 years after Christ’s death).

We can actually find comfort in knowing that others have gone through similar struggles and challenges—whether job loss, divorce, abuse, parenting, whatever.  The MTV generation cry of “You don’t know me!” is a false lament because at our core we are all united in and through God.

The gathered community of faith—a religious group—is not a man-made institution but a God inspired community that seeks to walk (and stumble) through life together.

 

What may prevent you from gathering together?  What ways are you being provoked towards love and good deeds?  Do you think that the term “religion” is now seen as a negative word?  Why?

 

"New" Church Development 101

Sadly, this parody hits it pretty much on target.

Ironic that it is produced through North Point Community Church--one of the major contributors in creating this new style of worship: emotionally focused canned worship services. Or as a collegue used to call it Emotional Gnosticism.

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

Devotion: Judgmental

John 8:15-16 “You judge by human standards; I judge no one. ¹⁶ Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is valid; for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.”

In Alabama a judge sentenced shoplifters to return to the scene of the crime and hold up signs that say, “I am a thief, I stole from Wal-Mart.” The thought is that this public humiliation would prevent them from stealing again, and deter others from facing the same embarrassment.

During the “Great Revival” when Christianity spread from the East throughout the wild frontier of America, many churches created “anxious benches.” As one person describes them: “The anxious seat or bench located towards the front of the congregation also proved effective. Reserved for those who felt troubled and agitated about their spiritual state but who were still unable to break with the past, the anxious bench set "sinners" physically apart where they became the main focus of attention.” The preacher and the congregation would focus in on the people in these pews trying to hype of the emotional appeal in order to prevent future sins, and deter others from ending up in the anxious bench.

While the anxious bench may not remain in most churches, the vestiges are still deep in American Christianity. 87% of Young Adults feel as though “judgmental” is an accurate term for Christianity. To many, the church can elicit emotions of guilt, embarrassment and humiliation. Family members and friends are pressured to go forward during altar calls.

The problem with this perspective is that it focuses on the wrong motivation. The story of the Bible is that our faith should be motivated by God’s love and grace, not by self-righteousness, guilt or peer-pressure. For, as Jesus says in John 8:15-16, we are not to judge, but it is God who judges us; however God’s final verdict is not embarrassment or shame, but sacrificial love.

Why do so many young adults think the church is judgmental? Can the church still proclaim that the Christian faith is transformative while not being judgmental? Is your faith more motivated by guilt or God’s love?