I actually read this comment yesterday, but didn't think that I would be able to answer it properly because I was on my phone. Now that I have a real keyboard, lets go!
I should probably start by saying that I am always hesitant to talk "church" online because I don't fit neatly into any category. I am a person of faith who believes in the Sacred and the Holy, but I don't believe in God as the media likes to portray them. There is no big man in the sky (or at least not in any way we can comprehend). I am also a strong believer in the Social Gospel, that we, as Christians, are called to be change in the world. There is no conduit through which the Holy can act except us as Holy and Sacred vessels who each contain a piece of the Holy.
That being said, I am frustrated with evangelicals who seem to think that piousness and righteousness have anything to do with the welcoming arms of Jesus Christ. I am frustrated with mainline protestants who can't seem to get beyond the current state of their buildings. I am frustrated with High Anglicans and Catholics who refuse to acknowledge the sacredness and call to ministry that resides within every person, no matter what is between their legs or who they go to bed with.
None of us are righteous and holy. None of us. Righteousness belongs only to God, and if we have received anything from God, it is a small piece of sacredness that resides deep within every person. When we cannot acknowledge that, then we begin to see people as "other" and we end up with division and quarrel.
As to the specifics of your question, I want you to consider the last faith community we were a part of. It was big enough to be varied, but small enough to be intimate. We ranged in age from newborns to very elderly. We met in a small room where we talked, shared our lives, broke bread together, and wrestled with the reality of the Gospel in the context of our daily lives. When I say that we "wrestled", that's exactly what I mean. We engaged with the texts, looked at it in its contextual and communal complexity, and we fought hard with what we were called to do with the Gospel we were given.
What does it mean for Christians today?
It means that we need to seek out and celebrate the sacredness within each other.
It means that we need to be the church in the world, instead of trying to bring the church to our door. Imagine what it would mean to a 10 year-old hockey/soccer/football player to have a hundred people show up at a Sunday morning game? Instead of saying "Why aren't you in church", we are then telling them that this moment where they are in community with their teammates and working towards a common goal is Sacred and Holy, and their church community celebrates it with them!
It means that the church recognizes that the experience of the Holy isn't limited to Sunday mornings, but that the Holy is ever-present and all that is needed is for us to open ourselves to it.
I don't know if this helps...and I think there's another post coming out of this response, but that's my answer for the moment...
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts! A lot of what you're saying resonates with me. And yes, I agree I think a post is merited sometime soon! Would be interested in a continuing dialogue on the topic bc I think it's a relevant one today in a lot of contexts.
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I just put a REALLLYYY long post up about this if you'd like to check it out!
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