Too much doing, and not enough being
March 12th, 2008Is it possible that modern Christianity has become too much about pragmatics? That is - too much about how to live a successful life?
While biblical texts do give valuable insight into marriage, finance and sex, is it really meant to be as holistic as we’d like to think? Perhaps we do like to think of it this way because it allows us to claim to be experts in all areas of life and the world around us from science to running a business just by studying the ‘Word’. Perhaps in such matters we are, in reality, ignorant and dysfunctional.
Being experts means that we don’t need advisors. We don’t need financial advice from outside ‘the church’ (warning: they may suggest that we don’t tithe our way out of debt), we don’t need doctors, councillors or psychiatrists.. We don’t appreciate ’secular’ art, music or scientific discovery. And all the while we become more insular and disconnected from society.
Have we forgotten the simple aspects of our Faith, such as ‘trust and obey’, loving our neighbour, avoiding backbiting and gossip, and living in humility? Shouldn’t our focus in spiritual matters be primarily on reconciliation with God and others, prayer and worship, and growing in character and understanding of God?
Not that we neglect these other areas - we just leave them up to the experts.
March 16th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Right on, bro.
March 19th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
I agree. I had a conversation the other day with a director of nursing who has lost her faith beacuse she once was the DON for a facilty owned by that dinomination and she was sacked her because the facilty was not making enough money- where are the Mother Theresa like people caring for the old, sick and frail with love and self sacrifice without a care for profit margins?