“We Need to Kill the Church”
“We need to kill
the Church.” As a lingering skeleton of
good intentions, the Church has become ineffective at relaying the only
knowledge that truly matters in this world—telling all who Jesus truly is. When I say, “We need to kill the church,” I
am speaking about the institutionalized Church of our current day which caters
to societal trends, fashions, and the myriad of other “things” that draw people
in to church each week. However,
something is lost when we glitz and glam up our churches to fit the marketplace. That same “something” is also lost when we stand,
stiffly and uncomfortably, waiting for praise and worship to end, so we can
finally sit down and mindlessly listen (or daydream) while the pastor, priest,
or whoever stands on stage for forty minutes talking about how Jesus died for
our sins. The same “something” is even
lost in services where enthusiastic worshippers get that “tingly feeling”
during a “really good song” or those chills when the pastor brings a sermon
home. These “somethings” are
self-edifying, but sadly, they stay within the walls of the church building
never to see the light of day. What is
lost? Jesus. This man who was born as the lowest of low,
who knew ultimate joy, and suffered an unimaginably brutal death is lost. There is no raw, real Jesus in our
institutionalized church today; we have fashioned Him to be either a condoning
sweetheart (so we can feel good about ourselves and our actions) or a
hardnosed, fire and brimstone bringer of wrath and judgment (so we can look
down our noses at homosexuals, druggies, and all the “true” sinners of the
world). So, let us, as the Body and
Bride of Christ, choose to shut this “Church” down. This “Church” that is more a business seeking
consumers than a delightful extension of our missional God.
Joyfully Removed
The Western
church is no longer center stage in modern culture, and as we are shunted aside
it seems reasonable to think that becoming more like the world will entice more
people into our buildings. Then I come upon Jesus’ words, “Blessed are those
who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Hold up, what?! Blessed are who? It might be a small stretch to equate
marginalization and persecution, but I am beginning to think that being pushed
out of mainstream culture could be the best thing that has happened to the body
of Christ today.
Discipleship as Discernment – Part 2
I have been fiddling around with the premise that
life transformation requires a genuine encounter with Christ.
I know, you’re
thinking, “duh!” Everyone knows that. The reality, however, is much of what the
church proffers as the best of discipleship practices are built around the
concept that if we educate people enough, they will experience
transformation. It is the “educate people unto obedience” maxim. It
was the mantra of the movement that I came out of. I can hear in the back
of my head right now the founder’s foundational cliché, “Just teach the Word.”
The upshot of that was, the community of faith essentially became a teaching
center. Of course, in these communities, many other things took place –
mission, small groups, and member care – but, the main show was the Pastor
giving a sermon. It is like that cog of an entire week was built around a 30-45
min dispensement of God stuff from the professional. Sorry, I am letting
my cynicism loose a bit, but this approach almost enshrined the local pastor as
a localized protestant pope. The mentality entrusted almost an “ex
cathedra” type authority because “he” was the purveyor of truth from God’s
Word. He had special status.
A Poem from a Friend
Here is a poem that was just published from my friend, Shann Ferch. His words are deeply reflective and redemptive. I love him and his art.
Frederick Buechner on Advent
My friend Nick Webb from Manchester sent me an email yesterday with this Buechner excerpt attached. Buechner is an extraordinary artist…each sentence he writes sings. I can almost taste what he is saying about Advent. Enjoy!
Big Changes for Me
The following is a letter I drafted to the crew who pray for us and help support us financially. It is related to a huge change that is happening in the Fairbanks’ lives. I thought it might be a good note to drop in here as well to keep the readers of this blog in the loop, just in case your not on my email mailer. I will be filling out more what we are doing as things get clearer. Pray for us, will you? Peace.
The Challenge of MIssion in the West – An Interview
Here is an interview I did for an organization called, The Aqueduct Project. I am answering questions about the challenges of mission work in western culture. There is a part 2 coming, but thought this first installment might prove helpful for many of you.
Discipleship as Discernment – Part 1
What is discipleship? What are the foundational ideas you hold concerning discipleship? How do people become more like Jesus in real time.
Email Subscription
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