Monday, April 02, 2012
Yes, They Do
Ed Stetzer wrote about denominations:
There is so much that could be said about this. I find in my old age that I am moving in my views of the what the church should be more towards centralization - but I don't want to get int o that right now.
Two points I do want to make. One, we cannot look at this as individuals. Christ did not come to save ME. He came to save the world - I'm just part of that. As we splinter and splinter and splinter again, the focus is more and more and more on ME. There is something inherently wrong with that.
Secondly, and this is almost cliche at this point, relationship is a reflection of Trinity. We cannot work out our salvation or any other aspect of our faith alone.
The idea of "going it alone" is embedded in the American consciousness. The cowboy/ frontier/entrepreneur spirit is-- for better of for worse-- in our DNA. But history demonstrates (especially my denomination, which has roots in the issue of cooperating for missions) that we can make a bigger impact together than we can apart. If for no other reason, pretty much all churches will eventually "associate" with other churches for the purpose of pooling resources to reach the nations. Eventually their vision will outgrow their resources. That's why God gave us the Church.That's a fascinating perspective as I watch my denomination devolve from a actual denomination to a group that cannot even agree on how to pool resources.
There is so much that could be said about this. I find in my old age that I am moving in my views of the what the church should be more towards centralization - but I don't want to get int o that right now.
Two points I do want to make. One, we cannot look at this as individuals. Christ did not come to save ME. He came to save the world - I'm just part of that. As we splinter and splinter and splinter again, the focus is more and more and more on ME. There is something inherently wrong with that.
Secondly, and this is almost cliche at this point, relationship is a reflection of Trinity. We cannot work out our salvation or any other aspect of our faith alone.
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