Quote:
Originally Posted by Igzy
There are three ways to respond to the imperfections of the Church, aka "organized Christianity."
- Do as Andrew Sullivan recommends and "forget about" the Church and just "follow Jesus."
- Work within the Church, doing your best to contribute and be a positive influence in whatever flavor of the Church you find yourself.
- Start your own "ideal Church," with special ways and rules, and which, by means of a rigid culture, is designed to drive away anyone who doesn't fit in. Strengthen the internal image of your church by claiming it is the true way and that all other groups are pretenders, rebels, Babylon, etc, etc.
#1 is obviously not a scriptural option. We've had several come by these forums which have taken this path.
#2 is the best path, IMHO.
#3 is the path the LRC took.
But each choice is a way to deal with the issue of the Church not being perfect. Which, history tells us, is not going to change any time soon. |
I saw a quote elsewhere from
Igzy which reinforcing option #2, which said, "...it becomes apparent that if we give up on the church, we are giving up on humanity. Because the church is the promise and presence of a redeemed humanity in Christ."
My response was: "...this for me subsequently calls into question the legitimacy of the whole Protestant Reformation, with its call to
'come out of her, my people'... and I have been a card-carrying Protestant from day one (save my foray into the Nee/Lee secession from the Protestant fold)."
If we paraphrase 1 Corinthians 7 and say, in effect, "whatever church you got saved in, there remain", then we are forced to consider the legitimacy of every church group emerging since the first one. Each new and separate church, measured against this rule, is less legitimate than the last. The Roman church, having been separated from the Orthodox church over the date of Easter, is illegitimate, as are the Protestant movements (Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, etc) and their various splinters (Lee's LRC included). Each spin-off is less legitimate than it's parent. It is like a bitter man who produces bitter children. They are so bitter they even despise their father!
So I have that small caveat to
Igzy's option #2. Interestingly, however, it seems that the way for you to remain "legitimately Christian" is to love your brothers and sisters in those gatherings. If that's where you got saved, or where the cat dragged you in after salvation, fine. Stay there. Remain. I think 1 Corinthians 7:17 is a great guide to finding yourself in imperfect religious groups as well as other less-than optimal social circumstances. Jesus clearly told us to love our neighbors as ourselves. This command clearly leads me toward option #2 (in spite of my repeated criticisms of Church history, structure, teachings, etc).