Ann had an interesting meme post which I noticed today, the “Ann Rice” meme. This meme asks us to:
- Name 3 things that really annoy you about church in general.
- Name 3 reasons why you stay.
So, without further ado: here’s my list.
Annoyances
- When Christians make references to “those sinners” with a tacit assumption that “they” are not us. That is having the hubris to make the claim that there are groups and categories more sinful in the sight of the Lord than any group that includes me.
- That the “the road is narrow and the path is steep” doesn’t mean that there isn’t more than one road. It just means that the path to trod is difficult.
- How often we fail to treat other Christians as our brother and to love those who hate us.
Things Keeping me there:
- The Creator created, the tomb was empty, and the Spirit descended.
- Those times in which we succeed to treat Christians as our brother and to love those who hate us.
- The stories and writings of those who it seems before us did manage well to trod that narrow path.
I might add that I’d encourage other contributors to continue this meme in their own posts, …. and those in the comments to link or add their own 3 by 3.
August 9th, 2010 | 9:34 pm | #1
Perhaps you could clarify what you mean by number 2.
Sounds like you’re saying there is more than one way to salvation…but I don’t think you are.
August 9th, 2010 | 11:07 pm | #2
Annoyances:
1 – Me
2 – That people confuse subjective opinion and the Scriptures.
3 – Expecting godly behavior from ungodly people.
Why I stay:
1 – They don’t leave because I stay. Why should I leave because they do?
2 – It’s one of the things that God uses to keep me from falling.
3 – I’m the pastor.
August 10th, 2010 | 3:31 am | #3
Annoyances:
1 – When Christians act like we’re saved by faith (and particularly, faith in a set of quasi-Biblical propositions and adherence to cultural norms) rather than by grace THROUGH faith.
2 – When those same Christians insist that anyone NOT adhering to the same cultural norms nor expressing their faith in the same propositions is NOT a Christian, despite historical and even scriptural evidence to the contrary.
3 – The theological mess attributable to the denial of tradition and even reason as valid keys to interpreting scripture, particularly in the area of ecclesiology.
Why I Stay:
1 – I’ve been around the block enough to experience the broad spectrum of Christian faith and practice, and thank God that there are churches out there that haven’t drunk the American evangelical kool-ade.
2 – I have the freedom to fellowship with like-minded believers, so I’m able to avoid the cognitive dissonance that arises from attempting to be a part of a group that defines itself in terms that exclude me.
3 – I refuse to let contemporary practices based on American consumerism and the discipline of marketing substitute for ancient practices based on the scriptures and the work of the Spirit within the Body of Christ over the centuries.
August 10th, 2010 | 6:50 am | #4
Annoyances:
1. THE Pastor
2. Building OUR church
3. Making cookie cutter Christians
Why I stay:
1. Jesus is the Head
2. Jesus will build His Church
3. Jesus is with us always …
August 10th, 2010 | 7:34 am | #5
Daryl,
By many paths, I mean a monk and a mom, a dishwasher and a Professor are all going to have different ways or modes of worship, prayer, and presenting their life in their service to the Lord.
August 10th, 2010 | 7:49 am | #6
As an evangelical, my annoyances are more with evangelicalism, and not Christianity in general.
Annoyances:
1. Prosperity teaching (Joel Osteen)
2. The Emergent church (Brian MacLaren)
3. My own impatience with my fellow churchgoers (as you can see from my first two points)
Why I stay:
1. I am deeply flawed.
2. Any list of annoyances doesn’t change the fact of the incarnation and resurrection.
3. We’re one universal (“catholic”) church, and I have a role to play in it (though I often don’t know what role).
Hmmmm…what does it say about me that I could make a very extensive list of annoyances?
August 10th, 2010 | 8:54 am | #7
Mark,
That’s what I’d hoped.
We’ve all seen the “many paths” line being used to justify all sorts of oddness, so I thought it was worth clarifying.
Thanks.
August 11th, 2010 | 2:09 pm | #8
Or, to put it concisely, why would I leave a group because it’s filled with stupid, selfish, faithless, arrogant people?
Isn’t that were I BELONG? The amazing thing is that there are so many of them who are not evidently those things, from whom I can learn.
August 11th, 2010 | 2:12 pm | #9
BTW, that’s in addition to the more obvious point that since the Church is Christ’s Bride, my leaving it would be tantamount to abandoning Him, and that’s not just a pious notion — the analogy is a divine one. So the idea of anyone entertaining leaving the church for ANY human-based reason seems foolish in the extreme, but also the sociological complaints seem done away with as reasons in themselves by the fact that I belong in a place that caters to foolish people. Where ELSE should I be?
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