My Religion, Unplugged (Conclusion)
Readers of my notes may start to think I have nothing but criticism to share about Christians and churches, and my intent when I started to put this blog series together was to provide a voice of reason and speak of my faith. I wanted the last blog to focus on the real positives in Christian churches and the Christian Faith.
My past few blogs have dealt, hopefully in a constructive and light-hearted way (for the most part), with the not-so-positive issues I see the Christian faith facing. I wanted to illustrate to anyone reading them, there are MANY, MANY more sane, levelheaded people with a loving, caring heart and soul who follow the Christian faith. We do not want to see our beliefs and faith hijacked in the mainstream of society by the modern day Pharisees (the Holier Than Thou crowd), the Prosperity snake oil salesmen, or the casual country club Christian crowd.
There are millions upon millions of us who simply want to share our faith, make the world a better place, and love our world God has created. I often have said the Christian faith is a very big tent and there is plenty of room under it for us all. I think deep down, many Christians would agree, we need to change the public perception of our faith. This starts with frank, honest discussions of our faith, our beliefs, and our hearts.
I have enjoyed many discussions over the years with people of many different faiths, from many distant lands, and many different views. I will always thank Mel Gibson for making the Passion movie because it opened doors which might not have otherwise been available. When I have been asked to describe my faith to others, I always start with the foundation, love.
The best passage I have found to try and explain more of our faith to non-Christians is 1 Corinthians 13. While Jesus is the centerpiece of our faith, I think the Corinthian passages contain the one crucial component to our faith, that of Love.
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
How wonderful a chapter is that? The one verse nearly everyone can associate with the Christian faith is John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." It starts with LOVE, and goes through Jesus.
I will proudly say I know many Christians who truly love people and care deeply about their lives, their happiness and in helping to make the world a better place. I know there are many other religions, which also have caring qualities, I am not trying to discount them, but there is no doubt the Christian faith is the one truly trying to change the world. There are missions helping to bring food, medicine, homes and the Word to the truly desolate and poor parts of the world. It is not a religion of jealousy, of punishing the unbelievers, of rigid rules and elaborate ceremonies which must be done daily to keep God from smiting the followers.
But, as I conclude this series, I wanted to close with the highlights of the positive things I have seen in the church these past few years. They are not huge achievements, but as I would love the irony, lots of little things which add up to much more.
I think it is wonderful many churches are offering a more contemporary, upbeat service for one group on Sunday and another more traditional service for those who prefer it. There are Christians of all types, and trying to help reach out to both groups is a great example of outreach. I am sure it is not easy for pastors to preach to the contemporary crowd one lesson, and preach the same sermon to the traditional crowd next hour. The work will pay off, as I think it will help keep the younger crowd coming, but keeping the message on task.
Perhaps the greatest innovation to me personally, has been the way many churches are using technology to spread the Word. First and foremost to me, I do not live in Atlanta, but I consider myself a North Point Community Church virtual member thanks to the podcasts and even online broadcasts.
Even though I loathe the “fill-in the blank” sermon fad of the past 10 years, there is no doubt how wonderful a tool PowerPoint has been. Being able to show the words to the music, share pictures of recent events, show key points of scripture are great uses of the product. If nothing else, it helps keep the church “fresh”, by allowing for almost instant updates, displays and highlights. Ditto the church websites on the internet, since they also help members who might be distant to keep in touch.
And, I will say the way many churches have embraced the youth and child care arenas to make church more accessible and family oriented in the modern age is a great thing indeed. So, there are many positive changes and innovations as well.
As I conclude this series, I just want to thank anyone who spent a few minutes reading the random thoughts of an average Joe (or Grant in this case). I write these notes (or blogs) as an outlet for my inner voice, and a way of organizing my thoughts. I never set out to offend anyone, but to be as authentic, genuine and real as possible. Thanks for your time and attention, and letting me speak my mind.
My past few blogs have dealt, hopefully in a constructive and light-hearted way (for the most part), with the not-so-positive issues I see the Christian faith facing. I wanted to illustrate to anyone reading them, there are MANY, MANY more sane, levelheaded people with a loving, caring heart and soul who follow the Christian faith. We do not want to see our beliefs and faith hijacked in the mainstream of society by the modern day Pharisees (the Holier Than Thou crowd), the Prosperity snake oil salesmen, or the casual country club Christian crowd.
There are millions upon millions of us who simply want to share our faith, make the world a better place, and love our world God has created. I often have said the Christian faith is a very big tent and there is plenty of room under it for us all. I think deep down, many Christians would agree, we need to change the public perception of our faith. This starts with frank, honest discussions of our faith, our beliefs, and our hearts.
I have enjoyed many discussions over the years with people of many different faiths, from many distant lands, and many different views. I will always thank Mel Gibson for making the Passion movie because it opened doors which might not have otherwise been available. When I have been asked to describe my faith to others, I always start with the foundation, love.
The best passage I have found to try and explain more of our faith to non-Christians is 1 Corinthians 13. While Jesus is the centerpiece of our faith, I think the Corinthian passages contain the one crucial component to our faith, that of Love.
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
How wonderful a chapter is that? The one verse nearly everyone can associate with the Christian faith is John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." It starts with LOVE, and goes through Jesus.
I will proudly say I know many Christians who truly love people and care deeply about their lives, their happiness and in helping to make the world a better place. I know there are many other religions, which also have caring qualities, I am not trying to discount them, but there is no doubt the Christian faith is the one truly trying to change the world. There are missions helping to bring food, medicine, homes and the Word to the truly desolate and poor parts of the world. It is not a religion of jealousy, of punishing the unbelievers, of rigid rules and elaborate ceremonies which must be done daily to keep God from smiting the followers.
But, as I conclude this series, I wanted to close with the highlights of the positive things I have seen in the church these past few years. They are not huge achievements, but as I would love the irony, lots of little things which add up to much more.
I think it is wonderful many churches are offering a more contemporary, upbeat service for one group on Sunday and another more traditional service for those who prefer it. There are Christians of all types, and trying to help reach out to both groups is a great example of outreach. I am sure it is not easy for pastors to preach to the contemporary crowd one lesson, and preach the same sermon to the traditional crowd next hour. The work will pay off, as I think it will help keep the younger crowd coming, but keeping the message on task.
Perhaps the greatest innovation to me personally, has been the way many churches are using technology to spread the Word. First and foremost to me, I do not live in Atlanta, but I consider myself a North Point Community Church virtual member thanks to the podcasts and even online broadcasts.
Even though I loathe the “fill-in the blank” sermon fad of the past 10 years, there is no doubt how wonderful a tool PowerPoint has been. Being able to show the words to the music, share pictures of recent events, show key points of scripture are great uses of the product. If nothing else, it helps keep the church “fresh”, by allowing for almost instant updates, displays and highlights. Ditto the church websites on the internet, since they also help members who might be distant to keep in touch.
And, I will say the way many churches have embraced the youth and child care arenas to make church more accessible and family oriented in the modern age is a great thing indeed. So, there are many positive changes and innovations as well.
As I conclude this series, I just want to thank anyone who spent a few minutes reading the random thoughts of an average Joe (or Grant in this case). I write these notes (or blogs) as an outlet for my inner voice, and a way of organizing my thoughts. I never set out to offend anyone, but to be as authentic, genuine and real as possible. Thanks for your time and attention, and letting me speak my mind.
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