Derek Webb “What Matters More”

Thank you Derek Webb.

Church and State

I recently watched a documentary called “Fall from Grace”. This had to be one of the most disturbing documentaries I have ever seen. It covered the lives of the Phelps family and Westboro Baptist Church. Fred Phelps has become pretty infamous a few years ago when he received some media attention for his cause. Normally I would call this a good thing. His cause? Protesting Military Funerals. Thanking God for IED’s. Praising God for every military death and wishing there was more. This is some backwards thinking.

I have vocally expressed to some of my peers, my opinions on the American Mindset and the Christian Mindset. I believe in our world that these 2 separate mindsets are key to structure in both politics and the church. I do believe that the foundation of American thinking is “Freedom for All”.  In that culture, how can we expect to not grant freedom to all ways of thinking and opinions that others own? Some groups of people in the past thought letting slaves be equal was an immoral thought, just as some now view homosexuality. I whole-heartedly believe that the American way is to grant freedoms to all people, and I hope they will.

What’s shocking to me is how the Christian mindset goes into a place where it doesn’t belong whatsoever. Politics. A true WWJD (ha!) mentality doesn’t even go into politics. It should have no opinion in policy. The person that votes either Democrat or Republican because of  “Christian Moral Values” is only fooling themselves. Both parties are full of policies that directly counter a Christian stand point. If a person is to vote, then I believe they must truly tap in to what they believe is right for an American public. Not because they think they are voting with a Moral Conscience. Part of me really wants to see this country, based on freedom for all, go to socialism (some say that we are there already). Then maybe on to communism. Part of me wants to see Christianity illegal. I believe that this the only way for the American church to realize what the Main thing is. Not just that though, I would love to see a unity happen. Not to fight the powers at be, but to love. Truly understand love. There are still parts of the world where believing in God is illegal. The place inside government today is the wrong place for Christians. We need a separation of Church and State. The government has infected our churches. Instead of focusing on how to love our neighbor we pray for policy changes that effect our neighbor. Is it because the church is a government sanctioned religion? The governments involvement in the church will be it’s biggest downfall. Running the risk of going all “Hellfire and Brimstone” The church will fall as an organization. The church as it stands now will fall because it is an organization. The government will use it’s position inside the American church to make it illegal. Now I know I just said before that I would love for this to happen. But not at the cost of Armageddon.

Now I know I am not one to change everyone’s mind. Who am I after all?  I just know that as the American Church we need to “keep the main thing the main thing”. I love that quote. Christ is that main thing. His life led the perfect example of what to spend your whole life doing and what to never get involved with or waste your time talking about.

Coffee with Kevin

This is from a conversation I had with the other moderator of this blog, Kevin Ross, close to Christmas of 2008. I am simply writing out the notes down that I took that night. It was an incredible conversation and one that I will never forget. What I have written here is not meant to be aggressive, or start fights, or take sides with anything. Or maybe it is. I would love to get some feedback on these topics, not to just start a conversation with me but maybe with other readers. You can post comments anonymously and that would be fine, if you choose to comment privately that is completely understandable. My email is on the Contact page.

Concerning the Churches viewpoint on it’s image. Is it all Semantics? How many organizations exist that will fight over which translation of the bible to use? Is this useful or the point?

The American Church is no longer the group of believers but many different corporate organizations. How many times will we hear “Structure is needed in a church”, and is this how we justify things that aren’t exactly from the bible?

Jesus wasn’t relevant to His culture. He was Revolutionary. He died not to make a culture better, but to change the culture and the mindset entirely. Should the age of being relevant die entirely? Is there some justification for a relevant church?

Do we market the “church”? Bookstores, coffee houses? Is this biblical?

Is the American Churches involvement with Politics healthy? Where was Christ’s stance on the subject?

Do most Church going Christians vote Republican for the sake of Abortion and Homosexuality? What about the death penalty and going to war?

On homosexuality and Prop 8. The Sanctity of marriage. Would this mean that divorced individuals should not be remarried?

Is the American Church alienating itself by protesting against things that they don’t agree with?

What about separation of church and state? Is that what those who left England meant to do?

Topical.

I had an excellent conversation last night with a friend. We were talking about topical churches, and it wasn’t a debate or anything like that but it was something I found myself getting a little “passionate” about (this I believe is the safe word around Christians for pissed. Much like the safe phrase for ‘he is stupid’ is ‘bless his heart’. Along the same lines.). It was mentioned that a group of people are leaving the church that we attend. And when asked why they replied something along the lines of (paraphrasing) “It’s too topical of preaching. They (the pastors) don’t just read out of the Bible. It also has to do with the 40 days of Purpose material.” This was interesting in a couple of ways. First, the 40 Days of Purpose material. This is a book and study material written by a guy named Rick Warren, you may remember him for the prayer he did during the inauguration. He is a pretty smart dude, but just like everyone else, has his own material. This is a BIBLE study material and in no way shape or form be taken as anything other than that. It’s a supplement to help with ones “Daily, spiritual walk”. If you get something out of it then fantastic! If you don’t, then it doesn’t mean you are doing anything wrong or that it’s not worth the time, or that it is sin incarnate. It’s a study. That’s it. Now the direction of that study might be aimed at something specific, which is great. I just think the main thing to remember here is that it is a study. Next, the “topical” preaching. Recently my thoughts and ideals have been rocked at their very core about what I believe in. This is something that I believe has been evolving over the past 4 years. I have been able to explore my faith in ways I never knew I could. It’s been truly amazing. When some one says “they preach on topical stuff, and don’t just read out of the bible”. It bothers me a little. Because when looking back at the letters that were written from all the apostles and Jesus speaking, it seemed that it  all was very topical stuff. Especially the letters. Now I don’t believe there is anything wrong with digging in to these letters a little bit and getting some timeless truth. I do think its wrong that if we do not understand the context in which that stuff was written and then take it and make some “truth” out of it. Most of those letters were specific to a group of people in one area that if Paul got the address wrong it would make no sense to someone else at that time. We have the benefit of having history on our side and we are able to see much more than what they saw. When people “preach” nowadays I believe that it needs to be somewhat topical to our lives. Not just reciting verse for verse out of a book. Of course this principal can be taken too far into what I like to call “feel good” preachers. I am not going to point any out. This is of course stemming from the thought that Sunday should not be the only day that we think about God, and we don’t have to carry around a bible with us all the time to prove that we love Jesus and believe that Jesus loves us. We just need to live it. No that does not mean we go up to every stranger with that bible in hand and say “Do you know that Jesus loves you?” Cause to be honest, it freaks people out. And not in the good way. I used to hear “I just don’t want to jam it down peoples throats that I am a Christian” and thought it was a cop-out. Now I honestly believe that. I shouldn’t have to jam it down people’s throats because they should just be able to tell with how I live my life that I am a Christian. I believe  I strayed from the original point of the “topic” but there you go. Wow, cheeeeeese.

Hypocritical What?!

From a passage from unChristian.

People will reject Jesus because they feel rejected by Christians. I know that sounds incredibly bland. Overused. Think about it. It always amazed me that people could reject such a loving guy. Whenever I am able to share my faith, that’s the one person I focus on. What’s amazing is that we don’t realize how much we get in the way of letting the loving guy push through and be exposed for who HE is. By getting in the way of who Jesus actually is we are getting in the way of what He is able to do in the life of that person. I just don’t think we realize what type of impact we have on the world when it comes to Jesus and Faith. It seems such and obvious statement but how many times are we going to take what we have for granted. It is frightening to share our faith. Getting the main picture is so important. We are human. We lie, cheat, steal. I think we need to have a reminder that the worlds only perception of Jesus is a lying, hypocritical, sack of crap. We can change that so much! It’s just by putting in the effort. Putting in the effort to get out of the way.

-Ryan

I Am The Church

Lets start off with a simple assumption. The church is not a building. Sure this seems like something you hear every Sunday at “church”, but wait, isn’t that whole sentance a bit contradictary?

Too often we associate church with a cathedral, a place of worship, or even a spot where you have “Christian activities.” The problem with this thought is that we are robbing ourselves of the blessing of what the church really is. If we see church as only a building then what do you think the world see’s us as?

The basis of Jewish religion in the time of Jesus was Temple worship, it still pretty much is in most Judaic cultures. All of this is exemplified by the cycle of sacrificial offerings that dominate the books of the Old Testament. You went to the Temple to conduct your service to God and ask for His forgiveness for the sins and misgivings that you had participated in that year. For some it was a weekly thing, others a single offering every year. I know this is a pretty elementary explanation, but its merely a basis for what comes next.

Here’s an excerpt from a typical Sunday morning conversation in the house of most evangelical Christians.

Dad: Kids get up, we’re gonna be late for church.

Son: You gotta be joking, it’s like 8 a.m.

Dad: Hurry up we can’t be late for the second service.

Just so you know, I’m guilty of this all the time. Church has become a place and ceased to be the living presence of God manifested in our life. No matter how much we preach that the church is people, we still default back to “church functions” and the “going to” mentality.

Now what I’m saying is not new. I’m just saying that if we want to make a positive change in the world around us we need to step outside our “church”  and really become the church to those around us. Early Christians didn’t meet in dedicated cathedrals with steeples and pews, they engaged others in their homes and connected one-on-one with other beleivers. It was this personal church that caused Christianity to become the force that it was in the early days.

I’m guilty of “going to church” just about every week and forgetting that I am the church every single day. Christ died so that he could set up His temple inside of me. The implications of this alone are huge and could quite drastically change everything about our lives if we accept it. If indeed the temple is really inside of me, then I am a literal, breathing body of worship at all times. A lot of people feel good when they don’t curse in church, but if they are the church, then maybe the idea of loving God and their neighbor would take root deep inside of them.

A cry I hear from pulpits all the time is that we need to “be the church,” when the truth is that “I am the church” every single day of my life. Hopefully we all, myself included, can finally start acting like it. Imagine what change we could bring about in the world if we really believed it. So stop “being the church” and “doing church” and simply realize that “I AM THE CHURCH.” The world is counting on us.

-Kevin

Another Intro..

Hey guys this is Kevin from over at One Page Behind and I’m happy to announce that I will be doing some guest blogging with my good friend Ryan here at American Church.

So let me start off by just giving you a couple little things to think about.

Is it better to go to church and “be fed” then to go out into the streets and feed those who don’t have anything to eat?

How many times is the word guitar used in the Bible?

What do politics and the church have to do with each other?

Okay I’ll be back shortly with a full post. Just chew on those for a while.

-Kevin

An Intro

I have recently begun to get back into reading after forcing myself through the book Revolution by George Barna. I say forced myself to read, this woud be false. I had to talk my self in to starting it. From that point it was pretty easy to keep going. Really easy. When I finished this book, I found myself to be changed.  Renewed to a new way of thinking I had never considered before, or rather, not been aware of before. Honestly though, it wasn’t anything specific, I can’t narrow it down to one thing. I know I will keep reading and studying feverishly.  I have a passion for what I have seen in the American Church and what surrounds that. I am not saying that every church is wrong, and that if I start up one then it will be perfect. It’s just a hope that I have. I believe that the church needs a revival. Revival. Just the word makes me a little sick. Revival is the thing that Baptist churches do once every 5 years. The Pastor rents a giant tent to put on the grounds, gets tables and chairs, and the old ladies bring potatoe salad. Then the you have about 600 guest speakers that no one has ever heard of talk very softly about getting fired up for the God. Then all the women nod their heads while the men grunt an “Amen”. I am not talking about that. There needs to be a movement inside the church. An Uprising of believers. We need to stop just going to a place where some dude gives his study and interpretation of the Bible. We need to start living it. Live like Jesus did. Selflessly. It’s not about how many verses you memorize or that you sing or lead the choir. The church should just be getting together to celebrate Christ, God, and what we are doing in the community to make a difference. What will the church do in the new year? It’s the Bride of Christ right? It’s is supposed to walk hand in hand with Jesus. Not to be a place, but a moveable, changable force. Something that grows up and matures. Not to just sit and listen. The Church must be alive in the community in which it is placed. The communtiy shouldn’t look at it as a landmark, or just be aware of it. The community should be affected by it. What I mean is, the Church should not have to knock door to door, or send out massive mailers letting people know where it is located. The church should impact the community in such a postive way that people are showing up curious just to see what is going on. They should be walking in the door asking quesitons and commenting on how they were affected by a place they have never even been. There needs to be life in what we do as a Church.

This is my study and my thoughts on the American Church and the Christians that are involved. I am doing this knowing that I am not going to be 100% on everything and my opinion my change on some things. I just hope to raise questions and spark involvment in what we do everyday.

-Ryan