Jesus Course

It seems to have become a theme of mine to tell people about those who love Jesus but reject the church. I just read another article about it titled “Why Young Adults Forget the Church to Follow Jesus”.

To me it seems quite simple. Those who learn about Jesus often see the church as being too distant from the message Jesus preached. In some ways this is true but in others it isn’t. The church in some places is doing quite a good job at being true to Jesus’ message but others have wandered far from the path.

I’ve struggled with finding a church that I felt I wanted to belong to in the past. In the end I decided it was better to belong and try to reform than try to live my Christian life on my own. This has meant many sacrifices for me but I’m trying hard to be a pebble in the shoe of every church I am involved with.

I think one of the biggest problems most established churches in Britain has is the building they worship in. The time taken for a small congregation to maintain something built for a much bigger congregation is overwhelming. I spent most of my church organisation meetings talking about money raising for the building or repairs that need to be made. I hate all this.

At College I once gained the nic-name of “Shut-em-down Brown” because whenever the subject of looking after old buildings came up I said “shut them down”. At the time it might have been youthful enthusiasm but now I wonder if I wasn’t on to something.

If I ask people to raise money for something in the church they know exactly what to do but if I ask them to evangelise they look at me with terror and confusion. We have spent our energy in the past in the wrong ways and we are now reaping the rewards.

“He who lives by the building, dies by the building.” To paraphrase an old friend.

Church politics and buildings are strangling the gospel and people have had enough of it. So they vote with their feet and stop going. Of course it might come as a revelation to many to discover that Jesus is alive and at work outside the church.

Note: Although it might not sound it I am in favour of the church – Jesus started it after all and was determined that his church would change the world. I’m committed to that vision of Jesus – will anyone join me?

Jesus church, Jesus, religion

I was at an event the other day where I met a man with an interesting story. He told me how Jesus had saved his life. I won’t mention any names here or even where I met the man because I wouldn’t want to embarrass him if he reads this.

But here was a young man who was living the kind of life that many young men live. However, things went wrong and he allowed alcohol to take over and run things. His life was a mess and getting worse.

It was then that he decided to go to church and there he encountered Jesus. He has now put his life on track. He has a part time job and has an active role in the church he goes to. He openly acknowledges that it has been Jesus working through the lives of Christians that has literally ‘saved his life’.

Jesus christians, church, Jesus, saved

There was yet another story in the UK press yesterday about a Christian bashing exercise that took place in a government department. There was a memo circulating with some comments (I guess they were put intended as a joke) where it was suggested the Pope on his visit to the UK should do various un-Catholic things. This didn’t come from the Government but from Civil Servants.

Now – I like a good joke as much as the next person and we all know how these things sometimes get out of hand at work but I think this does highlight a couple of problems.

1) Does this mean that the church is just seen as a bit of a joke by those who run the country?

2) Does this show that there is a general bias against the church among the UK’s civil servants?

I think the answer is probably yes to both, but that is just a feeling I get.

But then I wonder if the in fact the church has played it’s part in all this as much as anyone?

Christians haven’t always been good at practicing what they preach or at defending themselves when it was needed. The Catholic church has had a major issue with child abuse and it is hard to ask for moral respect in such circumstances. I’ve also recently heard of death threats made against a comedian who made jokes about Jesus Christ. I find such jokes very offensive but as far as I understand the teachings of Christ we should respond to this kind of thing by turning the other cheek.

Christians also are often very bad at explaining what they believe and end up resorting to churchy language that just sounds like Christians are creatures who have had their head in the sand for the last 200 years. There are very good defenses for the Christian faith that can be presented in a caring way and I am thankful for those who take the time to offer them. Sadly, when people are responded to with archaic Christian language they tend to see it as another reason for laughing at Christians rather than acknowledging a good response.

I also often hear Christians moaning about how people of other faiths get treated better – for instance if someone said the kinds of things about a Muslim leader that they did about the Pope there would be a public outcry – and I think that they are probably right in making this observation.

However, I wonder if Christians aren’t supposed to be treated differently. When we are insulted for what we believe we should be thankful for suffering like Jesus did, shouldn’t we? When we are struck on the cheek aren’t we supposed to offer the other one? When people make angry attacks at us aren’t we supposed to respond with love and forgiveness.

This isn’t the soft, easy option. This is the hard option. This doesn’t mean that we should just go around being happy that everyone is against us but that we don’t respond to things in the same way that everyone else does.

We are supposed to be different – aren’t we?

Thoughts christians, church, Jesus

Some people are not very impressed with the church. They look at the bad side of church history and conclude that the church has not followed Jesus Christ very well and so perhaps the church doesn’t have the moral authority to talk about Jesus. Of course they are right – in some ways.

The church has done many things in the name of Jesus Christ that are just plain wrong and can’t be excused or explained away. There can be no defense. But then Christians don’t claim to be perfect and every day seek God’s forgiveness.  The church is not immune from power struggles, pride and selfishness. Of course it also saddens Christians that the bad is remembered whilst the much greater good that the church has done is ignored.

Yet despite the churches failings it is clear from all the evidence we have (both from the New Testament and other historical sources) that Jesus founded the Christian church so that his message could be taken throughout the world. The message of Jesus and who Jesus is was entrusted into the hands of the Christian church – something which the Christian church has been very aware of and careful about since its earliest days.

I’m not suggesting that this makes the church perfect but I am suggesting that Jesus knew what he was getting himself into when he founded the church and yet he still did it.

This doesn’t mean that Jesus belongs to the church. The church doesn’t have any copyright of Jesus and people are free to look at the evidence for themselves and draw their own conclusions. It is sad that at times in it’s enthusiasm for preserving the message of Jesus it sometimes persecuted those who thought differently. However, the church does have a responsibility for saying what it believes is the message of Jesus and for speaking out against what it believes is not the message of Jesus.

So then you are welcome to ask anyone what they think about Jesus but if you want to know what Jesus thought about himself you have to go to those Jesus picked to pass that message on – the Christian church. Of course this is a complex issue but understanding the essence of who Jesus is, what he taught and what that means for the world is the very reason that Jesus created the church in the first place (as well as for worship, service, etc).

Thoughts christian, church