Brant tells us why blogs set up to criticize individual churches are stupid and total failures
Brant writes here:
Anyway, my point is: We shouldn’t replicate the early church. What should we be doing, then? I submit, humbly: We love Jesus with everything we have, study him, and love our neighbors, and stay open to what that might look like in our neighborhoods, our workplaces, our cultures, our contexts.It may turn out that what the best way to be a Jesus movement in your context is by starting a fund drive for a big tract of land, building a multi-million-dollar edifice, and paying someone to talk at everybody, lecture style, in a big theater-type thing at 10 and 11:30 Sunday mornings. But maybe not. My guess? Probably not. But maybe.
…….
You can try to be the first century church, but you’ll fail, because you’re not in first century Corinth right now. (Or, if you are, tell that one guy to quit messing around with his stepmom, and take the “30 day singles challenge”.) Point is, my neighbors, co-workers, family, and friends don’t need me to be a first century anything. They need me to take Jesus seriously, and they want to see people take Jesus seriously, together.
February 25th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Tim, do you think Brant is right?
February 25th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
I do not strive to be a first century church, the eighth century will do just fine. 745 A.D. to be specific. That is real Christianity!
February 25th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
H(R)F,
You put the fun in fundamentalist.
February 25th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Let’s examine what it means to be a first century church. The accommodations are barbaric, walking to church is the norm, no Bibles, no instruments usually, no children’s church, no bathrooms, no deodorant, and the “services” lasted all day. No Westminster Confession, no Calvinism vs. Arminianism debate, probably more teaching than preaching, and no Christian books, lierature, CDs, blogs, or television. No verese delineated yet, no KJV, no building funds, and usually no salary for the pastor just food (sometimes). No seminars on finances, or sex, or success, and no fellowship halls, the homes were the fellowship halls.
I’m not sure anyone desires to go back.
And the overwhelming thrust of any doctrinal issue centered upon the fact that Jesus was the Messiah, Son of the living God and He had resurrected from the dead and everlasting life was found in Him alone. That is something that might be attractive.
February 25th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
HRF-
Also, no crappy systematic theology.
February 25th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
MattB - they were as yet buried underground in New England awaiting Joe Smith’s guided digging.
February 25th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
if Rick puts the “fun” in fundamentalist, who puts the “mental” in?
February 25th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Iggy.
February 25th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Burn!
February 25th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Burn?
February 25th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
i read it the way Kelso says it on “That 70’s Show.”
February 25th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
That assumes we’ve all seen it.
February 25th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
ahhhh, makes sense now
February 25th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Yes, kelso. I am glad some of you can appreciate high culture!
February 25th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
High culture ’tis.
pun intended.
February 25th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
i actually say “Mom burn!” to my mother when she, um, burns somebody.
February 25th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
I get it now, I “burned” Iggy with my joke. But “burning” Iggy is so easy, it doesn’t carry much weight!
February 25th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Rick,
I am the “discernmenalist” err at least my alter ego who has sat at the feet of Ken Silva who sat at the feet of Walter Martin… he has bought the same tapes, and was mentored by Ken as he also listened to Ken on the Mike Corely Show and realized how gifted he was…. to that, he has surpassed even Ken Silva in his discernmentalism…
iggy