Broken

Today’s post marks a huge change in this blog that’s been brewing for some time. Since the beginning of my electronic journaling over 10 years ago, my posts have been fairly generic, “stuff of life” entries. I have endeavored to share the hope of my faith with my readers without sounding judgmental, condemning or otherwise narrow-minded when it comes to differing views. In fact, I have solicited those views in an effort to broaden my own thinking about this thing called life. I have intentionally side-stepped or soft-pedaled issues regarding how one’s faith is lived out when it comes to church related issues because I am employed by one (more than one over the years), and I wanted to avoid the appearance of stumping for or railing against my employer(s). Today that changes.

Let me say up front that I am not going to begin stumping for or railing against my employer (past, present or future), so those of you drooling can stop now. Rather, I am continuing to solicit your opinions, thoughts and experiences because I sincerely believe that as widely separated and different as they may be, reality and the truth live among them. And I am going to be posting about the church. More specifically, the evangelical, protestant (sadly) western church system.

I have come to the conclusion, that it is broken and in need of real change if it has any hope of being an entity of any relevance in this society. Otherwise, it will continue to see declines in membership and continued dismissal from a society that increasingly views it as unnecessary. Again, I’m talking about the structure or system of church as most of us know it, not faith or individual spirituality. This causes me great angst when I head to work each morning.

So with that – let’s get started. First, let me suggest some reading for you. I’m not the only one who feels this way and there are several authors you might want to get familiar with. Brian McLaren & Tony Jones are just two who have written volumes about it and have consequently been labeled heretics and worse for it, a good place to start. From there you will glean other names and organizations that can further inform you. You may agree or disagree with what you read, but they frame the picture clearly. I want to leave you with a couple questions in hopes of starting the conversation here.

What is the Church’s purpose?

If you attend one, is what happens in your church every week what Jesus told us to do?

Looking forward to journey. Peace……