Thursday, March 17, 2005
Why Are They Leaving?
Just a Little Bit Odd posts on Out-of-Church Christians: Part 3 from this week's Christian Carnival. The author comments on an article from the United Kingdom
Here's what troubles me, should people who 'feel' the decline be leaving the church? If we do not stay involved and fight for the soul of the church, then what? The church has gone oh so wrong in oh so many ways. I think my wife encouraged me to start this blog specifically so she would not have to listen to me rant about it so much. All the specific problems cited are right on.
But if we leave, those problems will never get any better. The world will be left with a church that does not reflect God, and then what happens. In I Kings 19, when Elijah declares to God, "I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." He knows better, he is just feeling the pressure. God listens to him; God ministers to him, but God also sends him back to do the job to which he was anointed.
Much as I hate being there sometimes, leaving church is not the answer to the church's problems.
91% of responses followed a uniform theme that the decline in traditional Christian moral and doctrinal teaching has caused the outflux of congregationsI agree wholeheartedly that the decline cited exists. The author of the post goes on to cite some specific reasoning, they are all interesting.
Here's what troubles me, should people who 'feel' the decline be leaving the church? If we do not stay involved and fight for the soul of the church, then what? The church has gone oh so wrong in oh so many ways. I think my wife encouraged me to start this blog specifically so she would not have to listen to me rant about it so much. All the specific problems cited are right on.
But if we leave, those problems will never get any better. The world will be left with a church that does not reflect God, and then what happens. In I Kings 19, when Elijah declares to God, "I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." He knows better, he is just feeling the pressure. God listens to him; God ministers to him, but God also sends him back to do the job to which he was anointed.
Much as I hate being there sometimes, leaving church is not the answer to the church's problems.
