Reason #2
“I don’t need to be a part of a church to be a Christian”
“I don’t need to be a part of a church to be a Christian.” This was my favorite reason for skipping church as a high school student. Thankfully, my parents never bought it. This remains a popular excuse today. This is the second most common reason I hear or, more often, observe, from young adults as to why they’re not involved in a local church. Some people articulate this excuse almost as a way to convince themselves they have a leg to stand on. They’re certainly not afraid to voice it to me. Others, though are shy about verbally stating their belief in church-less Christianity, are outgoing in hinting at and practicing their I-don’t-need-to-be-a-part-of-a-church-to-be-a-Christian-Christianity. What’s the assumption underneath this?
Beneath the surface of this excuse is the unstated assumption, “I’m resourceful enough, adequate enough, and strong enough to live the Christian life independently by myself.” some take it further, "I'm better than those I see in church and by not attending I'm convincing myself that God is proud of me for my willingness to take a stand against those Jesus died for." Where's the logic in that?
If you think you don’t have to be part of a local church to be a Christian I’d encourage you to read your Bible a bit more closely. Is the church perfect, absolutely not and alot of people get hurt in the name of God, but millions are dying without it. I have alwayed love the quote "I would rather light a candle than curse the darkness," and I have tried to live my life by this standard. I can complain that the world does not suit my particular style, but it is up to me to make my voice heard that things should and can be different. The alternative is lock myself away in a monestary and let the world go straight to ----. Somehow I don't see much grace in the approach, so I choose to engage, not escape.
Questions: If you had to narrow it down to 2-3 reasons, why exactly do you believe/ feel you don’t need to be a part of a church to be a Christian? If hundreds of thousands of others across the globe feel that they must be a part of a local church in order to live the Christian life… why are you different from them? How would you explain how your take on the church jives with what the New Testament (most of which is composed of letters written to local churches) says about the local church? Matthew 16 makes it plain that Jesus died for the church, could you share with me how you square such a passage with your belief that you don’t need to be a part of a church to be a Christian?
If you had to explain your reasons before God, would it sound something like this “those people are all hypocrites [not like me] and they are so unforgiving [not like me] and they hurt people [not like me] and they don’t they certainly don’t represent the Jesus Christ's attitude of serving others [like I do]. Besides I can’t experience the presence of the Holy unless I’m surrounded by people who are just like me, that’s why I stay away!”
What's your reason?
To read PART I click here:http://steve4040.wordpress.com/2007/12/19/i-dont-need-to-go-to-church/
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thanks steve, for a great entry. i am looking forward to part iii, if you find it most agreeable to write one.
God bless, and have a happy christmas.
For many years, my rationalization for this attitude was that I had faith without being in church, and somehow my faith was stronger than “church-goers” because I didn’t need to be in that building on Sunday morning to feed it. I argued that church was a lot like country music–great for people who liked it, but not for me.
At the time, I was perfectly content with a sort of individual spirituality, mostly experienced in solitude and nature and almost never in fellowship with others. The wildness of woods and mountains was cathedral enough for me, and I argued that man could never create a church that compared to what God had done with his own hands.
What I learned over time, though, was that those were just excuses that covered an underlying sense that I was not worthy of being part of God’s family…that things about my life would prevent me from being accepted in the church…and, yes, that I would have to give up some habits that I wasn’t sure I was willing to give up…one of which was certainly to do whatever the heck I wanted on Sunday mornings!
One of the biggest mistakes we often make in the church is to give “outsiders” the impression that they must do something (or, more often, STOP doing something), to “deserve” to be in the church. Certainly, there is an element of sacrifice and turning away from our sinful natures that comes with the Christian life, but in Jesus’ life, he always called people to repentance AFTER he healed and forgave them, not before. We talk on the one hand about unconditional love and grace, yet our actions often make those outside the church think we expect them to meet a list of demands before they can be accepted–or even admitted entry.
More often than not, I believe that is often at the root of why people who say they believe in Christ feel justified in calling themselves Christians without attending church. The excuses they may give are probably in truth a cover for a feeling of unworthiness. And sadly, we often do far too little to demonstrate otherwise.
One of the things that excites me the most about what God is doing with us at FUMC is the appearance of that attitude rapidly changing. We appear to be a truly accepting and forgiving church, open to people wherever they are in life, and not piling a litany of expectations on them the minute they walk through the door…or before they even get there. Certainly, we can do more. And as we do, hopefully the excuses and barriers will fall down and more believers in Christ will come to believe in the Church once again as well.
I think that most unchurched people feel uncomfortable with the unspoken rules of membership. This past Sunday there was a couple visiting from out of town who as in the very back pew. I welcomed them and learned about them but mentioned that they didn’t have to sit away from everyone else. They said they were new and didn’t know which pews had already been claimed by regular members.
How sad that the unspoken rules of church dictate who can and cannot sit in where they, pray, sing, and worship without feeling like they will offend the disciples of Jesus Christ.
I guess the first step to change is to recognize there is a problem.
Come Lord Jesus and Help open our eyes. Merry Christmas, steve
OK, here’s my two cents for all it’s worth….(nothing)!!
I believe you can “not” go to church and say you’re a Christian but you can’t BE a Christian and not go to Church.
The New Testamant is all about being in a group of believers and worshipping God. It’s all about encouraging eachother with your faith and learning what God has called us to hear. It’s about discernment and responsibility as a believer.
We are not called to be followers of Jesus alone.