makeover for the Body ..

i recently read a book review online
about a book that speaks to rebuilding the church from the bottom up
   whatever that means

i respect the thinking
   after all, read the description of my blog ..

and there were a couple naysayers
they were upset the authors were speaking in 'general terms'
labeling the church as this and that
while there are ' good ' churches out there ..

i get that ..
there are ..

but it's worth saying anyway ..
the church as a whole is sick ..

sure there are examples of good
but that's not the point
when you're describing a cat you don't mention the furless ones
   they exist
   but they're few and don't represent the group as a whole
and when you describe a cat rubbing the fur is intrinsic
.. . . .   .

Jesus spoke of building his church
a movement of people
called-out to change the world ..
he spoke in worldwide terms ..

and that church is sick
sadly
sick
as in needs an invasive op real bad
or it's going to suffer irreparable injury
end up in a wheelchair with tubes running in and out ..
... . . ..     .

2 issues come out of that for me
1. leadership
2. format
... .    .

notable in that sickness is the leadership
and the role of the USA in the world wide church that Jesus built ..
as the USA goes generally speaking
so goes much of the world ..
that's simply the way it is ..

in church issues therefore
it has a weighty responsibility
the added burden of being an example of the church Jesus intended ..

that's a tall order
as in redwood-tall
....

recently someone was praying
   for the Church in this country
and mentioned 'pastors' ..
they guide the church
the church relies on them
they define christianity for the church
the people follow them
   after all they are the undershepherds
   ( 'pastor ' = ' shepherd ' ) ..
and they need prayer
..
the reason it's significant is that
they determine the faithview Godview worldview of the people ..

the way it works is
the theologians and seminary profs (think learned )
produce much of the doctrinal output
followed by seminary-trained preachers and writers ..
they define the church from an academic/intellectual perch ..

the pastors are the ones that take those definitions
   and doctrines and positions and 'commentaries'
and feed the people

.. generally speaking
..  .  .

pause there a minute
think on that ..

selah ..~
... .     .

the definition of christianity in the 'west'
is determined in the halls of academia
taught to the pastors in seminaries and christian universities
passed on to the people on sundays and on ' christian ' tv
and from there it traverses the planet
over radio and satellite
to the nether regions
of the world at large

the world's conception of christianity is thus
   in no small way
modeled by the church in the USA

James the biblical author writes
 Not many should become teachers, my brothers, 
knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment ..

stricter judgement
for those in positions of authority
in the church Messiah Jesus built ...

seems to me that puts theologians and professors
and pastors and teachers
in the USA
at the top of the judgment totem pole
as in they will be judged stricter than anyone ..

that'll rock your boat right there
that makes you sit up very straight ..
... .      .

you better be sure you know what you're talking about
you better pray over it
and you better start like now
cause you are 1st in line at whatever judgement there is ..

and Jesus laid the precedent when he was here ..
he took the religious leadership to task
bigtime

so then ..
while we want to defend against the ones calling for change
we really need to be in the frontline with them
balancing-out that call
but helping to push it onward
'fore we all end up in that wheelchair
with tubes ..

           next part in next post = ' how  ?  '


shalom