What's Hot: 'Churchless Christianity'

QUOTE: "I see the church derided with mockery and scorn. I see critics exaggerating her weaknesses and incapable of affirming any of her strengths. I see many leaving the church instead of loving her for better or for worse. I see lots of my peers who have 20/20 vision for the church's failings, but are nearsighted to their own pride, self-importance and mutual self-congratulation. … Increasingly, we hear glowing talk of a churchless Christianity. ...These days, spirituality is hot; religion is not. Community is hip, but the church is lame. [But] we don't want Christians to give up on the church." —Kevin DeYoung, pastor of University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Mich., on why he and a member of his congregation decided to co-author the book Why We Love the Church: In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion [christianpost.com, 7/20/09]

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0 #14 Article Reader 2009-07-27 11:00 Quoting Shannon Bivens:

If the "Church" is the people, how can you leave it?

amen Shannon

understanding is shown by choice of words

church is not something we go to - it is what we are - the Body of Christ Quote

0 #13 Article Reader 2009-07-27 10:55 quote from article

"I see many leaving the church"

do you mean they are leaving Jesus Christ? [as that is the only way to leave the Church [as if we're In Him, we're in the Church and cannot leave it]

or do you mean they are leaving some 'local churches'

theological understanding is reflected in words

how do you know they they're not meeting with other Christians?
As where two or three are gatered in His Name… Quote

+1 #12 Kent C. Williamson 2009-07-25 17:02 Here's a link to an article on the Rebellion of Thought Blog called "My Next Church". It explores this issue as well.

http://www.paladinpictures.com/httpdocs/2005/02/my-next-church.html

It's about living our faith beyond the walls of the the traditional church structure.

I left the traditional church almost 5 years ago. I have partnered with traditional churches when opportunities arise, but I've become less dependent on paid pastors to spur my spiritual growth.

For years we had seen the failings of the educational system in America and so 10 years ago we decided to homeschool our kids. Meanwhile we were seeing (and promoting) the failings of the traditional church in America and so 5 years ago we again decided to do something about it. Not abandon our faith by any means, but instead take more responsibility for our own (and our kids) spiritual development.

May others be willing to do the same.

Kent Quote

0 #11 Bill 2009-07-22 10:10 Most people don't realize that Paul once (as a believer) persecuted his fellow "believers" (while the church in Jerusalem met in the Temple and before, immediately after also when Stephen was stoned to death for abandoning charismatic doctrine for pentecostal doctrine and abandoning the meeting with the charismatics in the Temple on the Temple Mount). Stephen was stoned for his abandonment of that sacred site and meeting place and for his resuming the message of Jesus that "not one stone would be left upon another". That is what God (still today) thinks of our beautiful buildings and edifices and all our fund raisings for all us 'beautiful people' within Babylon and it's continuing captivity of God's true people. The true Christian knows that the "temple" is now "we" and that our spiritual body is where the Spirit of God MUST DWELL while we sojourn on this tiny blue marble (soon to be only a carcass even as that Temple and Jerusalem became in 70 A.D.). Quote

+1 #10 Roy Blizzard 2009-07-22 08:50 I've been studying this problem for several years and it is a problem that has been simmering for decades. There are some real issues that the "church" has refused to deal with in an effective manner and it has led to the mass exodus of people from the "church" for many years. The 1st and most glaring problem faced within this "church" is the fact that the "church" is not set up to promulgate truth, but to keep people in fear in order to ensure the continuing success of the denomination and the flow of money upwards from the flock. Overall, the uneducated nature of the leadership leaves the flock helpless, frustrated, and fearful to leave because where will they go? and not educated enough to find out the truth for themselves. Too bad much of the love of the movement in the 60's and 70's was forced out of the church because of poor doctrine and control issues.Maybe one day the world really will know us by our testimonies not our wallets and planes etc. Roy Blizzard Quote

+4 #9 Phillip G 2009-07-22 04:22 First of all, the Church is not a denomination or a building. It is the body of Christ, the body of believers. The purpose of organized gatherings among believers is to glorify God, not mankind. We are to gather together to study God's Word, to encourage and disciple one another in our walk with Christ, to rebuke one another when we stray from God's Word, and to praise God for having favor with His people. We are encouraged in Acts 2 to meet as a body with other believers. The Holy Spirit purposes each of us to fulfill a role in the body, so without the other members of the body we cannot fully carry out God's complete purpose for the Church. Quote

+2 #8 Kevin C. Neece 2009-07-21 18:58 You know what the Church is? This. Right here. Christians coming together to work out their faith by sharing with one another. And we don't have to be First Church of the Comment Board. We can just be Christians helping one another along on the journey. How about that? Quote

+3 #7 Barbara Studer 2009-07-21 16:40 We belong to the "out of church" Christians. Not because we don't like church , but because we were members in 2 churches and abused in both of them. We were faithful givers, workers and so on. Our time and money went there and we were used and abused. So we left. One day the Lord told me, my biggest problem was , that I don't trust pastors anymore. And he is right off course. I refuse to subject myself to another pastor and be abused again. So we stay out of it. What we noticed and it hurt for a while, not anymore, is that when you leave a church, you loose all of your friends, one becomes an outcast. Even so that one worked right along them for years in the church. So, now we are happy just being saved and out of church Christians. Quote

+2 #6 Milton Brock 2009-07-21 15:47 " Well as it is WRITTEN so shall it be DONE " !!! LET BROTHERLY LOVE CONTINUE " !!! " IT ALL BEGINS WITH YOU and ME " !!! MB Quote

+4 #5 AL Silvestri 2009-07-21 15:45 When believers move beyond simple close physical proximity into active life together- joined and knit together by what every joint (unity in relationship-community) provides- is not giving up on church but becoming Church.
Pure and undefiled religion before God is caring for others, which goes far beyond passive listening. Without the common unity (did you hear community?) acting upon His Word, you only have an audience.
Koinonia means fellowship and also communion, from which comes community.
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.
Love moves beyond ideals or emotions into action, or it isn't real. Without community we aren't loving the Lord 1 John 4:20.The strength of love shared shows the depth of our own love for God. The depth of community is the clearest expression of this.
Jesus said that by our love for one another all will know we are His disciples. Quote

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