Accountability

I received an email this morning from someone who wanted to challenge me about today's post, "Marching Orders." In many ways, I agreed with his assessment, and so I wanted to be perfectly clear.

My angst is not with a single mother who may have donated her time to ride a float. My angst is with a church who has forgotten to love single mothers. My reply to his email is below:

In some ways, you do understand me. The single mom who volunteered for the float is not the target of my ire - but most churches are not caring for single moms.

You're right to assume that I would do anything to help anyone - the perpetrator and the victim. I am, however, outright angry with the church and its preoccupations. I hope that my anger is a righteous one - the kind that cleanses and burns clean - not the kind that smokes and pollutes the air. My blog is my little corner of the cyber world (thus my sometimes pointed responses - sorry!) to express my angst for the institution that I love so much, but is driving me crazy every time I read the gospels.

Here's a challenge. Soren Kierkegaard once wrote, "Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly." I have tried to make it through just the GOSPELS with that perspective - without rationalizing things like changed culture and societal limitations. It is a haunting exercise, one that I suspect if you tried (there is a group called RED LETTER Christians who read and reread the words of Christ) you, too, would see the church, and your church, quite differently.

Our churches are so Americanized, so enculturated, that I think they view congregants like consumers - what will "attract" or "satisfy" them. There's a reason that Jesus declared His way was the narrow way - it is not an easy way - but far more liberating than sin nonetheless. We still want, and unfortunately preach, easy.

Your point is well taken, though. I need to be careful expressing my opinion to the point where I may be misunderstood to be criticizing the wrong people. Thanks for the accountability, brother.