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.
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I argue that the first option, "forget about the Church, and follow Jesus" will lead you to option #2, the imperfect Church. Because if you take carefully your path of being Jesus' disciple, you will clearly hear Him saying, "take care of the sick, the poor, the hungry, etc..." and "Shepherd My Sheep. Feed My lambs". And you will feel God's care, in Christ Jesus, for the lost souls; and you will also sense the power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead now operating in you and through you to reach others, who are now dead to the Father (cf
'My son was dead but now lives' in Luke 15).
And, I would argue that wherever two or more are gathered in His name, there is the ekklesia. As soon as you love God, you must perforce love others (see e.g. 1 John 2:9), and if you love your neighbor and receive them in the Lord's name He says He will be there. To some that may not be officially "option #2" if there is not a website and a name registered with the government, but to me it may have those outward aspects but it does not necessitate them. If you make an effort to love your neighbor then you are still in the flock, following the Lord. Unless you become a desert hermit, you cannot and will not "go it alone".