The Local Church Lexicon — Common Phrases

[OBW]

Originally Posted by Igzy

The LRC didn't really disdain works, they just disdained the works traditional Christianity emphasized and focused on different works. Traditional mainstream Christianity emphasizes outreach/mission related works. The LRC emphasizes church-building/movement-building works.

When I read the Bible, I see a lot of outreach, mission, relational with respect to others. The "Great Commandment" was a combined two: Love God and love your neighbor. And the example given of who is a neighbor makes everyone we meet on the list.

So what are church-building works? How many of those were commanded relative to others. How much of the "sermon on the mount" was about religious gatherings and the development of religious groups? How much was about your interaction with others — both your brother and your neighbor? How much was about your personal righteousness?

So does anyone think that the "works" that "traditional Christianity" emphasized are worthy of disdain? What works that Christian groups do fall outside of the commands for loving your neighbor? Providing "justice" (care) to the widow, orphan, alien, homeless, unemployed, etc? I'm sure that some will try to compare the amount of LRC-style meeting exuberance those places have in their meetings. But since when is exuberance in meetings a criteria for meetings? Since when is the sober celebration of Christ and his sacrifice evidence of a poor state of spiritual being?

So what do we mean when we say "works"? So we mean something contraindicated by Christ. Or by Paul? If so, then what part of the "works" of those other Christian groups is actually contraindicated?

And if it is a matter of a perceived lack of "abiding," then what do we think abiding is that we are so sure that they are not doing it? If we learned to disdain the works of traditional Christianity, and still do it, then I would suggest that we have a serious problem with works, and therefore with obedience. It seems hard to have it both ways.

And I think the biggest problem is that we still have some kind of chip on our shoulders about at least some portion of Christianity that we think just isn't doing it right. It isn't enough like what we were taught and think. So they still must be poor. Just not quite mooing cows.