Some of you reading this blog may find yourselves uncomfortable. After all, this seems to be a religious blog, and you may not necessarily be religious. You might even think that in some underhanded way I’m trying to push religion on you in the vain hope of converting you to my religion.
Well, let not your heart be troubled. For one thing, I hate the word “religion”, and frankly speaking, I never define myself as religious, or worse yet, a religious professional. The concept of religion gets easily tangled up with human institutions which by nature are just as incomplete and flawed as anything else human. While I operate in and out of a particular institution, the Church, I don’t define who I am or what I believe strictly within the parameters of that institution. (Besides, I strongly belief that the Church is a genuinely divine creation, appropriated by human beings, often far less than perfectly. There is always room to reform and challenge our human appropriation of Christ’s Church.)
So, this is a blog for everybody, no matter what you believe or disbelieve. I really look forward to reading your thoughts and learning from you, too!
Hi Chris,
Thanks for your thoughts re John 14:6. I find myself more and more realizing how much Jesus was about the heart. I appreciated that you believe others can find Jesus in different cultures, religions. How do you balance I Corin 12(the body) being devoted, and yet separate yourself from the church institution? Thanks!
Sandy
Hi Sandy! Thanks for leaving your thoughts and inviting some conversation. The Body of Christ is an organic connection of disciples who covenant together to value one another’s gifts and to collectively become the living presence of Jesus for the world. It’s not a religious institution, a building, or a denomination. Yes, being the Body often happens within the framework of an institution. For someone like me and the congregation I serve, that is the case. But, seeing ourselves as the Body of Christ distinct from any religious or institutional structure in which we find ourselves gives us the necessary freedom to self-differentiate and reform the religious institutions to be more faithful… or if absolutely necessary to abolish them altogether so that we can rebuild something more faithfully Christ-like.
Chris