Tag Archives: belief

All or nothing

04 Friday Aug 2017

Posted by in Humanity, Society, Theology

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It’s either all true or it’s a lie…

It’s either my way or the highway…

It’s either (my political party) or else it’s the spawn of Satan…

You either agree with me 100% (and therefore you are right) or any disagreement means you are wrong and heading to hell in a hand basket.  Did I mention that you are going to hell, you heretic!  (Doesn’t that make you want to give up your beliefs and adopt mine)

It’s either this or it’s that…(And that is presented as a terrible option, if you want to call it that)

This is the logic that many people operate with today.  Then again, it’s not new.  It’s the logic that argues that either the Bible is inerrant (meaning incapable of any errors) or it’s a book of lies.  There’s no middle ground.  There can’t be.  It’s all or nothing.  Remarkably, fundamentalists and atheists use the same argument here.  Go ahead and tell me God doesn’t have a sense of humor or irony now.

At any rate, all or nothing arguments are weak at best.  Yes, you heard me – weak.  If your faith in God can’t handle some questions, doubts, and some science that disproves some portions of the bible, then I have to wonder about your faith.

If you can’t accept that creation wasn’t made in 7 literal days, then I have to wonder if your faith is a house of cards – one card taken out and the whole things falls apart.  Are you convinced that you are going to become an atheist if you don’t buy something as it is literally stated.  What happened to faith being a gift from God?  Sounds like your faith is based on how right you are in your belief.  Which isn’t faith at all, by the way.

I also have to wonder why you pit science against religion and faith.  They don’t have to be in a mortal battle for Truth.  They could be seen different – like both helping to move us towards truth, but in different ways.  There isn’t anything wrong with that.  Accepting what science has found doesn’t diminish our faith.  At least it doesn’t have to anyway.

We can actually believe that evolution is pretty good science and still believe that God created human being in God’s own image.  (Gasp!)  We can believe that science has some pretty good ideas of how the universe was formed and still believe in the creation story (Oh the horror!).  We can believe that science compliments religion and faith.

Understanding evolutionary science has allowed doctors to better treat cancer.  That makes pastoral care much better.  Understanding the science also helps pastors deal with really bad theological statements like: “God doesn’t give us more than can handle.”  If we understand the science of cancer, we can understand that it’s not God doing this, and that cancer is random and sporadic and sometimes there really isn’t a reason for something to happen.  It’s not a test from God.  It’s not God’s fault. It’s not something designed to make you stronger.   It just is and it sucks.

But that means we have to broaden our horizons and see past the binary, A or B only, way of thinking.  We have to get out of our American, Republican or Democrat are the only options thank you very much, way of thinking the world works.

In most cases, there is a third option – and often a fourth, fifth, or sixth option.  And the amazing thing is that these options are not in opposition to one another – but they are other options.  The world isn’t about either/or only.  That would be really boring.  There would be no freedom.  Frankly, either/or sucks.  It doesn’t give us room for options.  It makes no room for freedom or love.  It kills peace and sets us on a path of division and war.  It squashes grace and forgiveness.  It ignores the reality that life is messy and rarely are the choices that clear anyway.  It isn’t based in reality.

It is great for an argument on the internet or if you are only concerned with being right though.  I’m having trouble thinking of another good use for this way of thinking though.

If you force me to pick in an all or nothing situation – I’m most likely going to poke holes in the assumption that there are only two options.  I don’t accept the premise.  I don’t think it’s based in reality, and I don’t think it’s being honest.  Which means the choices presented are themselves false.

Unfortunately, I see this way of thinking gaining a great deal of attention in recent years.  That’s unfortunate.  I hope we choose a different path in the future.  There are plenty of people who have been hurt by either/or ways of structuring society.  We owe them an alternative.  One that considers other options.  It’s time to leave either/or thinking to the dust bin of history, or else! (come on, you know you’re laughing at the ending here.  I just couldn’t help myself.)  Peace.

The Super Bowl and the conventions

26 Tuesday Jul 2016

Posted by in Humor, Politics, Theology

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political football

Last week and this week are like the Super Bowl for politics and politicians – it’s the political party conventions here in the US.  There are like the Super Bowl in so many ways.  People watch the Super Bowl for the ads.  In the conventions, the speeches are the ads.  How else to explain all the wonderful words that will be spewed in favor of the nominee who the speaker hopes to get a job from in their administration.

The Super Bowl has a ton of analysis and speculation of what plays will be made and who will start and who will play the whole game and yada-yada-yada.  The conventions are filled with journalists and party hacks and spin doctors doing the same thing.  In politics the speculation is about what the speakers will say, who’s talked about for what position in the potential administration, yada-yada-yada.

The Super Bowl has a lot of glitz and glitter – There is plenty of trash to clean up from conventions too.  Sometimes the trash comes in the form of some of the speeches at conventions.  You know, clean up from a poor or dull speech, or when there are issues with a speech.  Oh, I don’t know, maybe something like plagiarism – but that’s just a crazy example.  Who would do such a thing?

The Super Bowl usually ends up being predictable.  You know who is going to be nominated at the conventions.

The Super Bowl features the two teams who were able to pull off wins during the playoffs – not necessarily the best or the strongest teams.  The convention features candidates who did the same thing during the primaries.

The Super Bowl is watched by a lot of people who don’t care about the teams playing, they do it because, well, because…everyone else is watching and I guess you are supposed to.  Oh yeah, it’s “fun” watching teams you don’t care about play in the year’s biggest game – wishing your team was there and saying to your friends: yeah, well, there’s always next year.  Lots of fun.  Or, maybe it’s the social aspect of getting together with people, some of them die hard fans who would support the team even if Satan were the quarterback.  It gives you an excuse to drink in public, pretend you care about the game, but in fact you’re really just there to eat all the food other people brought.

The conventions…oh hell, there’s the same thing.  Be honest.

I usually watch the Super Bowl – although not always.  Sometime I even have a team to cheer for.  I used to be a fan of NFL football.  I even had a team that I cheered for.  I was passionate about the team. I stuck with them through thick and thin.  But then I saw past all of that and saw the reality – the NFL is a money making machine that doesn’t have a lot of concern for the players and really only cares about them and the fans so far as they can make a buck (or millions) from them.  The NFL is a non-profit, yet is extremely profitable.

I used to watch the conventions.  I even had a party that I cheered for.  I was loyal to the party – worked my butt off for the party and the candidates.  I was passionate about the party.  I stuck with them through thick and thin.  But then I opened my eyes and acknowledged reality – the political parties are power grabbing and power maintenance machines that don’t have a lot of concern for the people of the country and really only care about them so far as they can get a vote or donation from them.

Yet, like the Super Bowl, you have die hards:  People who drink the cool-aid.  They will rationalize away all the negatives and insanity.  They do it in the name of being right.  Because being right is important for humans.  Being right means that someone else is wrong. And we all know that in the US, there are only these two options.  So we set up systems that allow us to think we are right and the other side is wrong.  And we sit by happily in our rightness.  We use language that softens what we really think or what we want to do, or what we do to our opponents and enemies.  We talk about defeating our opponents and/or enemies.  That’s so quaint isn’t it?  It’s like we’re playing a game.

The problem though is, this isn’t a game.  This is life and there are consequences.

Being right isn’t just about having the facts on your side.  It’s an attitude I’m talking about here.  It’s a you’d-better-get-on-board-or-else attitude.  An attitude of egotism.  And attitude of I’m-right-and-you’re-wrong-you-idiot.

Being right, being really committed to a specific set of beliefs, to the point of not questioning them and seeing anyone who does as the enemy, has some real consequences.  When being right aligns with political party or politician, that can start to be dangerous.  When being right takes priority over governing and leading all people – even those you disagree with – the results are devastating.

Being right has brought more death, destruction, and lives ruined than anything else. Being right in the name of God, country, party, demagogue, politician, ideology, patriotism, etc. ends up being wrong in history.  It doesn’t matter how right you were in terms of facts when your concern with being right leads to destruction and death.  If your ideas and beliefs about what is right can’t stand on their own, can’t handle questions and criticisms, but requires force and compliance – then they are weak and ultimately wrong.

 

Let’s be and live rightly instead.  Living rightly doesn’t force itself onto anyone.  Lives are changed when that happens – yours and those that you touch.  Living rightly doesn’t require force or compliance.  Living rightly leaves you open to others and their beliefs about the world.  Living rightly has it’s foundation in belief, but it’s a different belief.  It’s a belief that claims to know the truth – or at least a part of it, but is open to questioning and doubt and examination.  And leaves you open to the possibility that you are wrong.  Living rightly is based in humility and accepting the idea that we don’t know everything.  Living rightly is based on the idea that we are called to be Christ-like – not believe that we are all-knowing.

So, watch the Super Bowl and the conventions if you want to.  Just be careful of what you drink.  Don’t drink the cool-aid.  It’ll make you sick.

Nationality and Christianity

24 Friday Jun 2016

Posted by in Humanity, Politics, Society, Theology

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In Europe and America people are divided.  Very divided.  The vote last night for Britain to leave the EU is the latest in a series of elections where people in Europe are trending towards nationalism.  The New York Times ran a good summary piece on what they are calling “right-wing” political parties rising to power in Europe.  I don’t agree with the label.  I think a more appropriate label would be nationalist.  But that’s for another debate.

Regardless, we’re talking about multiple nations that are experiencing an upsurge in nationalist tendencies.  We’re talking Austria, Britain, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Poland, and others.  That’s not just a little blip on the screen.  That’s a continental trend.

The commonality among these parties are the slogans and the fears.  “_______ first!” Fill in the blank with your country’s name.  All of these parties are nationalist – putting one’s country ahead of any larger organization or people or other country for that matter.  One’s tribe or nation becomes most important, and don’t you dare mess with it.  We want to keep it pure don’t you know.  You who are different than us because of your skin color, language, physical features, or religion – you know who you are – go back to your home!  That’s the line of reasoning.

Along with nationalism comes anti-immigration – the fear of people not like yourself coming to your country.  They will change the country.  We’ll need to take it back.  As the Times points out, many of these anti-immigrant stands in the nationalist parties started from white supremacy groups or with former Nazis.  That’s not an exaggeration or hyperbole or heated rhetoric, that’s actual history.

Here in the US, we see a similar trend with the rise of Trump and his campaign to “Make America Great Again.” It is fair to say that a good portion of his campaign is based on a platform that is anti-immigrant.  He has openly talked about building a wall between the US and Mexico, kicking out Muslims, etc.  And of course he and his supporters have no problem chanting “America first!”

Nationalism.  Tribalism.  These are ideas that have been around for a good long time.  They often lead to violence and war too.  I read a paper from 2012 that discussed the link between nationalism and violence and war.  There are several factors that make the possibility of violence and war increase with nationalism.  They are:

The first is the group’s statehood status – has the nationalist group concerned achieved statehood?

The second is a nationalist group’s stance towards the legitimacy and sovereignty of other states, particularly those bordering such a group’s territory or state borders;

If a nationalist group is influenced by a diaspora (the dispersion of an ethnic or national group outside of a state or national border), the efforts to reincorporate those of the same nationality back into what is perceived as the ancestral territory may make a nationalist group more inclined to use force to achieve such an aim.

Finally, if a state suppresses an internal minority nationalist group (be it an ethnic or cultural national group), the likelihood of internal violence, such as civil war, is increased due to the increased friction between such suppressed groups and the central state

These might seem pretty cut and dry, but really when you think about them, there’s a great deal more to it than a simple answer to any of these criteria.

In addition to this, I have read responses from people who supported Britain staying in the EU.  Many were labeling and scapegoating supporters of Britain’s exit.  That isn’t helpful either.

So, where does this leave us?  Good question.  I know this much.  We are in the midst of great change.  I don’t mean great as in good.  I mean great as in a whole crap load of change.  We are very divided.  We are scapegoating and labeling our opponents.  We use fear and are fearful.  There is anger.  These are not the signs of a healthy community or world.  These are symptoms of a disease eating away at the life of people.

I wonder if people turning away from established religion in Europe has had an impact.  People need to believe in something.  When they shift away from God, do they shift towards politics and national or tribal identity?  I have no idea.

Or is it something like here in the US where certain Christians of a particular bent so closely wrap their religious beliefs with the flag that the two are inseparable?  Again, I have no idea.

Or maybe it’s something else.  Or most likely, it’s a combination of things.

I know this much, if we continue on the path we are heading, there will be violence.  There’s a good chance there will be war.  The question will be who will fire the first shot or shoot the first missle.  Where will the war happen?  And how many countries will get involved?  And how many will die all for the sake of politics and tribal and national identities?  War is good for economies after all – you have to produce lots of stuff so you can kill your enemies and destroy their stuff.  To do that, you need lots of labor.  And as military people are killed, you need more people to go and fight.  Wars blind people.  Wars unite people in a constant struggle of us vs. them.  They are evil, that is why we can kill them.

Nationalism demands faith in a country and it’s nationalist leaders as the saviors of the nation. Only this salvation comes through military might and national purity and universal belief in the nation and the propaganda the leaders spout out – it’s religious doctrine at it’s worst.  It’s a deadly mix that saves no one in the end. Instead of making a nation great, it destroys the nation.  But the destruction doesn’t start with war.  It starts long before that.  It starts with the belief in supremacy.  It starts with the belief in exceptionalism.  It starts with the belief in us vs. them.  It starts with scapegoating.  It starts with the belief that a political leader is a savior.  It starts when the nation and its leaders are seen as a religion or god – and all those who won’t worship these things are considered heretics who have to be dealt with.

Here are some closing questions for those of you that are Christian and nationalist in belief – where do you place your faith primarily?  Is it in nation and party and a leader?  If you are Christian, how do you rationalize this belief with a faith in Christianity which says our loyalty is to Christ first?  How do you define greatness for a nation?  Does it include military greatness?  Is that the primary means to greatness?  How does that fit into a Christian belief system?  Should we believe that a political leader can save a nation?  Or does that conflict with Christ being the savior of the world?  How do you match nationalism with Galations 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Ultimately, where does your loyalty lie?

 

 

 

 

We’re still waving palms at the gate

09 Thursday Jun 2016

Posted by in Humanity, Politics, Society, Theology

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Can we stop putting our hope of salvation in a human politician, authoritarian figure or a general now?  I look through history and pretty much what I see is a record of near constant death, war, destruction and failure.  But hey, maybe we’ve just tried the wrong person, right?

Are we really any different than the people waving palms at Jesus at the gate of Jerusalem?  They wanted a savior on their terms.  And what were their terms?  A military hero who would ride in on a white horse to kill the occupiers and those who would rule them, those who were a threat to their way of living, those who believed differently.  All so that this type of savior could set up a kingdom that would enslave and kill the oppressors – ie become that which the people hated, only they’d be the one in power and in control.

We haven’t changed in 2000 years.  If we are honest with ourselves, we still want this.  We want out leader to be the strongest, the one who will make the military strong and make the nation great.  We want a leader who will put our enemies in their place or better yet, kill them, so that we can revel in the glory of battle – we want blood.  We want a leader who can evoke God’s name on behalf our nation, a self-proclaimed chosen people of God, where we can wrap God in the flag of patriotism and use God to smite our enemies.  Kind of like all the other great nations that have gone before us – Rome, Greece, Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, Britain, Russia, etc.

We still want the military hero or a strong leader that the people at the gate of Jerusalem yearned for 2000 years ago.  And Jesus is still disappointing us by not being that type of leader.  Instead, he’s offering an alternative – not the alternative of trading places with Rome either.  No the alternative is a completely different kingdom, with a different set of rules about citizenship, peace, grace, love and forgiveness.  A kingdom that actually transforms the world and all the people.  A kingdom that heals and restores and rehabilitates.

Instead, we trade this in, not believing it really.  It sounds too good to be true, so it must be false.  We pay lip service to our beliefs about the Kingdom of God and trade in our beliefs so can follow what we really believe – faith in a flawed system because at least we know what we are getting.  We can have a sense of control.  We can control what we are angry and fearful about.  What a way to live!

Does this mean we should abandon government and politics?  By no means.  But these things should not take precedence in our lives and thoughts and hearts.  Those things belong to God.  Let me ask you a question – how much time do you spend concerned over what the President or your Senator or Representative or Governor said today?  How much time did you spend concerned about what God has to say?  Are you waiting with baited breath to hear the latest pronouncement out of Washington or some campaign every day, but kind of cranky when the pastor preaches past 12 minutes, once a week, if you show up that often?  How much of your week is inundated with the speeches, rhetoric, mantras and slogans of campaigns and political parties?  How much of you week do you willingly listen and talk with God?

What if we actually started living out what we say Christianity teaches?  What if we showed grace and respect to those we disagree with?  Yeah, you reading this, who just posted a meme on facebook bashing those supporting the opposing candidate.  Oh wait, you thought others were supposed to show grace and respect to you first.

What if we forgave our enemies?  Or did you think forgiveness started with someone else who was clearly wrong and wronged you?

What if we asked for forgiveness for ourselves from others?  What if we loved those who seem unlovable because they are so different from ourselves?  Or is everyone just supposed to change and be like us because we’re considered normal?

What if we actually let go of this human desire to control our surroundings and those around us?  What if?

What if we really followed Christ?  It would be scary.  It would feel like we were free falling without a parachute.  It would change our lives, and not in ways we might want.  It might even mean death.  Those are costly things.  You’re probably thinking – Way to sell it Matthew.

Yet, that’s what Christianity is really about.  I think that for too long we’ve pushed aside the radicalness and transformativeness of Jesus because it’s beyond uncomfortable – the message is one that we really can’t control.  But unleash it and get out the way and look out – things change, people change.  That might be too much for some.  Then again, it might just change lives for the better and change the world in ways we could only imagine and ways that we can’t control.  It might be described as the onset of the Kingdom of God.

Or we could just keep doing what we’ve been doing throughout human history.  It’s worked so well up to this point, hasn’t it?

 

You better get the Bible right or else…

06 Monday Jun 2016

Posted by in Humanity, Theology

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That seems like a statement someone who takes the Bible literally would say.  Such statements drive me crazy.  I’m very tired of the arguments concerning right thinking about the Bible and God.  I don’t even feel like arguing with these people for very long – what’s the point?  They aren’t open to actual discussion or seeing that good people can interpret the Bible in multiple ways.  It’s either their way or the highway.  For them, heaven is going to be a pretty lonely place because it seems like so few, if any, will be able to pass the theological test to get into heaven.

Except this way of looking at the Bible and God is total BS.  Yes, I’m naming it and calling it what it is.  God gave us reason to use.  God isn’t some kind of tyrant that demands blind faith and smites those who have questions or doubts.  That’s not the God I know anyway.

Biblical literalism is, first off, impossible to follow.  The context of the Bible is far different than 21st century America.  How are you supposed to follow literally the commands in the Old Testament about slaves and women who are raped being forced to marry the rapist?  Are we supposed to change our laws so that slavery and rape is permitted just so we can literally follow one section of the Bible?

We aren’t supposed to ignore the more unpleasant parts of Scripture or explain them away as if they are inconvenient.  We should explore them fully.  The beauty of the entire Bible is that there is more than just looking at one verse at a time, or one chapter at a time, or one book at a time.  There’s the whole book.

The beauty of the Bible is that we see a progression of humanity’s relationship with God.  It changes over time.  It changes with understanding.  It changes with the incarnation.  It changes after Jesus leaves and the Holy Spirit comes.  The Bible is a book of constant change.  Yet, how many of our Bible literalists are stuck in time somewhere back in the time before Christ?

The Bible is a beautiful and ugly book at the same time.  There is murder, death, slaughter, cheating, brokenness, sex (lots of sex in various forms), slavery, war, anger, fear, etc.  People who say the Bible is boring have never read it.

The Bible is also a book of change, restoration, life, peace, calm, salvation, meeting God face-to-face.

Reading the Bible literally misses so much of what the Bible is about.  It misses the person of God.  It misses what, for Christians, Jesus calls us to do – to go and make disciples, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, to eat with the outcasts, etc.

Too many Christians get so caught up in making sure they have the right beliefs about the Bible, that we miss out on actually carrying out the beliefs as we are called to do.  These Christians get stuck in their heads, when we are called to open our hearts.  What good is a belief if is doesn’t lead to some kind of action to carry out the belief?  What good is orthodoxy of belief unless is leads to orthopraxy – living the belief?

Orthodoxy become more important than orthopraxy for Biblical literalists – living out what Jesus commands us to do, not what Jesus commands us to believe, because frankly, belief is nice, but it by itself is a luxury.  What we believe, what we truly believe, is what we carry out.  So yes, focus on what you believe because belief is important.  But that’s not where faith ends or stops.  If your belief causes you to damn another Christian or others, then that’s what you are going to live out.  And frankly, it’s a hard and negative life.  You’ll ignore the other things that Jesus tells us to do – feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, eat with the tax collectors, be with the outcasts, etc. because damning people doesn’t require any follow-up.  It doesn’t require you get to know the people around you.  It doesn’t require risk.  It doesn’t require getting messy with people who have messy lives.  It doesn’t require you do anything.  It only requires blinders on your eyes.  So damn if you must, but get out of the damn way – there’s a great deal of hurting people for us to reach out to and touch their lives with God’s grace and love.

Ideals and Reality

11 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by in Humanity, Society, Theology

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People ask how certain candidates for office can gain so much support.  People ask how followers of religions can resort to violence.  People ask how someone can pick up a gun and go on a shooting rampage.  People ask how wars can start and carry on for so long, inflicting so much death and destruction.  People ask how there can be a “good” God when there is evil in the world.

My answer to these questions is usually contradictory to the assumption that people start with.  I think people start with faulty assumptions about the world around them.

Often we look at the end result and are bewildered as to how we got there or as to the next step.  People want to have a simple, silver bullet explanation.  The fact is, there aren’t any.  Many variables came together to get us to where we are today.

Here’s a question that is a good example.  Why is humanity oriented towards violence?

Our entertainment is often about war, destruction, struggle, defeat, conquering and sex – base emotions that go back to our reptilian minds. Even though we mouth ideas that entertainment is meant to be relaxing and a release from the stresses of life.

Our politics is oriented towards conquering, control, police, order, compliance and authoritarianism.  Even though we mouth high ideals like equality, liberty and freedom.

S0 many in religions practice their faith based on the idea of karma, vengeance, law, justice, order and compliance.  Even though we mouth other high ideals like unconditional love and grace.

Our sports are not athleticism, but practice for war in order to defeat the enemy.  Even though we mouth the ideals of fitness and health.

Business is oriented towards defeat of competitors.  Even though we mouth the ideals of service.

Education is designed to teach people what to think and to create a worker who will follow orders.  Even though we mouth ideas such as the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, growth, and exploration.

Our health care is designed to focus on treating the sick and giving incentives to those who are sick.  Even though we mouth the ideas that prevention is less costly, healthier and ensures longer life.

We have ideals that are in conflict with what we actually do.  What we preach is countered by what we act out.  And our actions come from our beliefs about the world.  While we are busy saying the ideals, we act out what we actually believe about the world.

And at some point, the questions at the top of the page come out.  We wonder how these things can come about when we have such high ideals.  We question these things all while we continue to act out our beliefs about the world.

Why have these ideals if we aren’t willing to implement them?  Often we rationalize the ideals away by telling ourselves that the time isn’t right, the conditions aren’t right, the right people aren’t present, we don’t have the right amount of money or have the right job, etc.

Ideals don’t require perfection.  They require belief and action.  There will never be a time when the conditions are perfect, or even good enough.  That’s true for when it’s right to have a child just as much as it is for pursuing peace.  That’s because the ideals are not a destination, they are the process and the journey.  All it takes is a decision to actually value the ideals and put them ahead of other things, instead of just mouthing support for them.

How to Improve Your Church

15 Monday Jun 2015

Posted by in Church, Health

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I can’t tell you how many articles I’ve read lately with advice on how improve your church or make it “better.”  I find most of these articles are the author’s own preferences in worship style, building style, liturgical style, doctrine preferences, etc.  In other words – follow me because I think I’m right and have the one size fits all answer for every Christian church, regardless of denomination, context, history, culture, etc.  I guess part of this is because we in the west are obsessed with what the “experts” have to say, as if they are somehow enlightened with special knowledge about what is best for your church.  This happens in other areas too – ie government, careers, finances, etc.  Or it probably goes back further than that.  I’m not here to explore this subject today.

I’m guess that since there are so many articles on how to improve your church, there must be a lot of people seeking the answer.  So, in light of that, I’ll offer my own answer to the question

Be authentic.  That’s it.

This has nothing to do with all the do’s and don’ts that everyone else out there will tell you.  “Do this,” “Don’t do that,” and so many other rules and guidelines out there.  Stop listening to all of that.

If you want a list of things that you “have to” do, then I’m going to ask you why?  Why are you seeking the answers for your churches’ challenges somewhere out there from someone who doesn’t know your church?  Stop trying to be some other church.

A church is a community of believers in a certain geographical location.  It’s made of people and those people bring a unique set of experiences, beliefs (or rather, variations on common beliefs), culture, history, finances, desires, goals, etc.

That means your church is unique because of the people who are a part of the church and make up the church.

Yes, there are some great resources for churches that can be helpful when it comes to stimulating ideas and doing some things that have worked.  But be careful – they may not be the right answer for your context.  Generally, I have found that these things are great starting points.  You take them and adapt them to fit the context.

Be authentic.  It’s a good standard for your church, yourself, any other organization you are a part of.

What does it mean to be authentic?  My definition is that being authentic is about being honest about who you are, where you’ve been and where you are headed at the moment.  It’s about being honest with your failings and faults and deciding to live with them.  It’s about being honest about your beliefs and your uncertainties and acknowledging that you don’t have all the answers and that’s ok.  Being authentic is about living in integrity – doing what you say you’ll do and attempting to follow what you say believe and when you screw up, you try again and maybe you re-examine your beliefs as to why things aren’t working out.  Maybe it’s the belief, or maybe it’s the person/people, or maybe it’s a combination of both.

So here’s a few questions to get you started.  Why does your church exist at all?  I don’t mean the history of when it was started.  I mean right now.  Why does this church exist?

Another question – would anyone outside of the church know our values and what we stand for by our actions?  ie. if we claim to be a church that welcomes people, is that visible to an outsider?  How so?

The answers to these questions can’t come from out there somewhere, but internally – within the church.  That’s hard work and sometimes painful too.  Which is why it’s so much easier and less painful to seek an answer out there.  Yet, until we look internally – to within the church, to within Scripture, to within our life of prayer with God, to within ourselves – we won’t find the “answer.”  Then again, recognize that the “answer” many shift and change as time goes on. That’s because change is the only constant in life.  Change means life.  Only things that are alive change.  Things that are dead are static.

For those willing to take the challenge, I pray that you are very blessed with wisdom, patience, persistence, and love.