When People Play God

Comment from a reader:

"Let me see if I can shed some light, or at least share my perspectives. (And this may cross-over into speaking to some of your previous posts.)

I agree that young people are not attracted to the organized church because they have questions and would like discussions that run counter to the rigid structure often in place. Many such churches have the answers, and that is that.

I'm reminded of a book that I read (and recommend) on Islam, "Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The author, a girl raised in a deeply religious Muslim family in Somalia, who now teaches at Harvard, Hirsi Ali contends that Islam's biggest problem is its resistance and seeming immunity to modernize its key teachings. She says that observant Muslims must be able to question their own religion without risking their lives as a start toward bringing their religion out of the seventh century and into the twenty-first.

Of course, over the years, Christianity has done a better job at allowing its believers to question, discuss, and sometimes argue its key teachings. As my Grandfather used to say, "There's more than one way to skin a cat." And, in fact, one of the main reasons that God sent His son into the world was to turn the tables on a religion that had become too rigid - filled with man-made rules, and heirarchy fashioned by power-hungry leaders who professed that there was 'only one way to skin a cat'.

Is this why the non-denominational structure (or lack thereof) is so appealing? Few rules, little structure, lack of heirarchy and power centers (or so it appears)?

Hirsi Ali says that there are many moderate Muslims who would welcome the opportunity to research, discuss and debate Islamic principles. However, this view is considered heresy and is punishable by death. By labeling this exchange of ideas heresy, some of the most antiquated and extreme views in Islam have survived to this day - such as making "jihad" (holy war) against non-Islams, treating women slavishly, and the meeting-out of harsh punishments for seemingly minor infractions of religious laws.

I submit that we are a better and more-attractive church when we engage in a constant search for God, when we see God in all things and all places, and when we allow Christianity to evolve - and not to be frozen in time." 

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 Thank you for entering the conversation!  

It is interesting how 'the powers that be' decide what God wants, what God thinks, and how God handles things.  And most of the time what 'the powers that be' say, and the rules they make, go against everything Jesus came to teach us about God and his ways. It makes me wonder where they get their point of reference.  

The Muslims use death as a treat!  Conservative Christians, in my understanding, in many ways use death as a treat as well.  One of their favorite question to ask people is: "If you were to die tonight would you go to heaven?"  And then they precede to tell you that if you don't believe in 'their God -- their way of believing in God' -- you will not be saved.  You will go to the fires of hell.  They put fear, or try to put fear, in their audience.  

And yet!  Jesus is clear!  "All who believed will be saved!"  

Has God Lost Importance in Today's World?

One of the things I have noticed, over the years, is that the importance of worship has dwindled a lot. In the 1040s and 50s to be a member of a church was ‘the thing’!  People even gave their church membership as a reference point on resumes. So what has changed?  Is it because people don’t believe in God anymore?  Or, is it because people have  experienced, in the institution church, something that has turned them off?  Or, is it the message that churches give?  Or is it the way they conduct worship?  Or is it just a “generational thing”?  Or, a little of all of the above?

In recent years I have tried to be very attentive to this trend.  I have tried to engage people in conversations about the ‘why’.  Some are reluctant to say!  Probably because I am a pastor and they don’t want to expose their true feelings.  I do not believe that God has become any less important.  I don’t think for a minute that the population’s faith has just ended.  All you have to do is go online to understand that God is one of the most popular points of interest for people today.  So why are church congregations becoming smaller and smaller and worship attendance numbers falling in small percentages each year?

I would really like some impute on this issue!  It is important to me!  As a matter of fact, this issue is why I wanted to start a blog — to get open honest conversation with others on their thoughts and questions.  Because, I am almost sure that this trend towards negative numbers in worship has everything to do with what the various denominations have done with the Word of God.  That is, “What it says in the Bible”!  I have  personal experience with what a negative effect some claims to theology have had on the young people, and others, I have been bless to serve.   One young man came home from college on Easter break and talked to me about how one of the "Christian" organization on campus made him feel.  He said to me: “Pastor Marcia, if that is what Christianity is really all about I don’t want anything to do with it.”  There is something very wrong with a Christian witness that turns people away.  That makes people feel that what they believe is not good enough — or “not right”.  And, I believe that this is the point of institutional religions decline.  It is most certainly not because of God!  It is because of what humans have done with the word of God!

DoesThe World Truly Want to Know WWJD?

For some years now a popular little question has been floating around.  The question is WWJD -- What Would Jesus Do? People wear it on T-shirts, pins, bracelets and any other thing that displays what they want to ask.

Well actually, the question was answered years ago by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians. I would like to share this part of his answer. 

1 If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care - 2 then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. 3 Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. 4 Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. 5 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. 6 He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. 7 Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! 8 Having become human, he stayed human. It was a incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death - and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.(Phil. 2:1-8 The Message)

Now, with the question before us again this morning: What would Jesus do?

And, with those words we Just read from Philippians fresh in our minds; do we really want to know what and how Jesus did it?  Honestly, do we really want to know? And, do we actually want to do life Jesus’ way?  Be honest! 

Because it is ‘an incredibly humbling process...’ living ‘a selfless, obedient life’.  That is what Jesus did!  And that is what he asks of us!

Any thoughts or comments about how we are doing with Jesus’ request?