Re: Down with Christianity. For Christ's Sake.
Don and Amy Woolley
suggesting a google group?
His, don
----- Original Message -----
From: "matt b" <mbren...@gmail.com>
To: "Jesus Tribe" <jesus...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2007 3:11 PM
Subject: Down with Christianity. For Christ's Sake.
>
> As a matter of full disclosure, I love Jesus. I'm a pastor. And
> despite our countless faults, I love the Church. But like others, I've
> become convinced that the greatest threat to the cause of Christ is
> the religion that bears his name - Christianity.
>
> Jesus offered hope and unconditional love. He offered a life of
> meaning, purpose and joy. He stood in opposition to the religious
> leaders of his day. They offered condemnation; Jesus offered
> forgiveness. They set themselves as lords over the people; Jesus came
> to serve. They demanded obedience to oppressive religious laws
> governing every aspect of life; Jesus offered freedom to live better
> than the law demanded through the power of the Holy Spirit. Religion
> was a taming and civilizing force. Jesus said, "Come, follow me,"
> offering an adventurous life lived by faith. The response to Jesus was
> strong - the "sinners" absolutely loved him and the religious folks
> killed him.
>
> In the beginning, Christians dramatically changed the world for the
> better. It was not an easy road, and to be a Christian was to put your
> life at risk. Many Christians were burned alive and fed to lions by
> the Romans, yet the lives they lived, the care they gave, and the love
> they shared drew increasing thousands to embrace Jesus as the forgiver
> of their sins and the leader of their lives. Eventually even the Roman
> emperor would publicly embrace Christ, and the Christian faith
> essentially became the state religion of the Empire. The Romans were a
> changed people; unfortunately, they returned the favor. The "barbarian
> faith" of the Christians was radically transformed by the Romans.
> Christian religious leaders began dressing as pompously as the pagan
> Roman priests had dressed. As Christians, we abandoned gathering in
> homes and public places, and used vast amounts of money (often from
> the poor) to build magnificent cathedrals. We acquired wealth and
> privilege. We began to use violence against others, just as it had
> been used against us. Increasingly, we ceased to be a movement of God
> for the good of the world and became an institutional religion focused
> on advancing ourselves.
>
> This was not what Jesus had in mind. Jesus did not come to establish a
> new religion. He came to release us from its constricting power and
> expose the emptiness of its promises. Jesus came to set us free. Not,
> of course, free to sin, but free to sacrificially serve one another in
> love, and free to live the lives we were created to live. Not once did
> Jesus ever say "Christianity is the way, the truth, and the life."
> Instead, Jesus tells us, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."
>
> Once, millions embraced Christ because of the faith, hope, and love
> that characterized the Christian community. Now millions flee from
> Christ because faith, hope, and love are so lacking in today's
> Christian communities. While we rail against the world, the greatest
> threat to God's mission is us. In my conversations with those who've
> rejected the church and the Christian faith, not once has the issue
> ever been Jesus. In every case, the issues are with those who claim to
> follow him.
>
> As churches, we have marketed and promoted ourselves and called it
> "offering Christ." We have spent our resources "for the glory of God"
> when it usually brings more glory to us. We say we follow Christ but
> avoid the places Jesus would be and the people he would be hanging out
> with. We've withdrawn into a Christian subculture with its own man-
> made rules, lingo, bookstores, radio stations, and coffee houses.
> Jesus said "Go" and we've walled ourselves off in fortresses we've
> built "for the community." We pay lip service to the needs of the
> world but spend most of our money on ourselves. We forever criticize
> the ways of a secular, materialistic, politically driven society but
> don't hesitate to use those very ways to advance our own goals. We are
> known for our endless condemning, though our most oft cited verse says
> God loved the world - so much that he gave his only Son to set it
> free.
>
> For Christ's sake, let's start over.
>
> We can do life with Jesus without being a follower of what is, perhaps
> wrongly, called Christianity. We can embrace Jesus without
> religiosity. We can bypass all the baggage and follow Jesus himself in
> a life lived by faith. Christian community can be simple gatherings of
> people who want to know Jesus more and become more like him, meeting
> (as in the New Testament) in homes and public places. Being a church
> doesn't have to be expensive. We can and should spend most of time and
> resources addressing the spiritual and practical needs of the world
> around us.
>
> Mobile is blessed to have many churches who honor Christ and serve the
> community in many ways. Additionally, some groups are following Jesus
> by doing what he said to do - going to the places he would go,
> respectfully sharing his love with all, inviting them to get to know
> Jesus, and offering themselves as part of that process. Their focus is
> not on indulging or glorifying themselves, but on serving. Their focus
> is not on a rule-filled religious life, but on the freedom that comes
> when we walk with Christ.
>
> If you've rejected the religion of Christianity and the Church, that's
> understandable. But don't reject Jesus because of our failures. Jesus
> made it clear that community is essential, so find an authentic body
> of believers that cares about the things he cares about and is doing
> their best to follow him. Then, join them. Be part of a movement that
> walks by faith, shares his love, and participates in God's reshaping
> of reality.
>
>
> >
>
Matt Brennan
good way to test the online community aspect of Jesus tribe. Phase 2
would be to commence wit building a full blown public site for outeach
and community building.
Matt