Somewhere in the 1500's an astronomer by the name of Copernicus proposed a "scientifically based heliocentric cosmology that displaced the Earth from the center of the universe." This theory was regarded by The Church as "false and altogether opposed to Holy Scripture." (The Church would have been the Roman Catholic Church - but before the Protestants really got rolling so it would have been in essence "the church" of the day.)
I wonder what weight the debate or discussion regarding this issue would have carried with the average joe church person back then. Copernicus theory to most probably seemed absurd. But I wonder how many would have thought "what does it really matter anyway?" I mean after all, the sun rises every morning, sets every night, there are seasons, and we can go to beach and get good tan. Does it really matter if the sun revolves around the earth or the earth revolves around the sun?
It mattered more if you realized all that Copernicus was saying in his "heretical" theory: that the sun, not the earth is the center of our solar system; that "there is no one center of all the celestial circles or spheres"; that "what appear to us as motions of the sun arise not from its motion but from the motion of the earth and our sphere " and thus the earth has more than one motion.
And it matters today in so many discoveries that have been opened up through the acceptance of Copernicus's "theory".
I wonder how many "church" people have the same attitude toward the discussion of the emerging church. On the church needing to be "incarnational" rather than "attractional". On whether the Christendom model of church is broken, over, or irrelevant today.
Does it all really matter anyway? I mean, so long as people are being "reached", the gospel is being preached, and Jesus is coming back does it really matter anyway?
It might matter more if our goal is authentic disciples and not just getting people to attend a church or have a better life. It might matter more if Jesus wasn't returning to take His church out of the earth but to bring His kingdom to earth. It might matter more if "modern" culture is over (and that "modern" isn't good or bad - just a describer and the same with post-modern; but they are a way of thinking, seeing, understanding and the ramifications are far reaching just like Copernicus's were.)
Does it really matter how we do church anyway? When you consider all that we are really saying through the way we do what we do I believe it does.
(Did you get that last sentence? I'm not sure if I do - but I'll try it like that.)
3 comments:
What an interesting and effective example to use in illustrating your point. It shows how much we actually do need to care about how we view church while at the same time showing the bare truth that most people won't.
I have more thoughts but I'm working through what they are. I'll get back to you.
I think it is important that we stay true to our calling no matter what our church situation looks like. We know that God calls us to Live a life rooted in love, (the greatest commandment). After that, I ask the same question. Does the rest of the rest of the conversation matter? Does it matter How we love?
Perhaps it should be more a personal matter of the heart. you can live incarnationally and be a part of church that does not emphasize incarnational living.
However, it is unfortunate that so many give Christianity a bad name. It would be so much easier to live chirsto-centrically if the rest of church was as well. And it would be easier to help hurting people if the church weren't hurting them.
Unfortunately, evil exists in the world and it disguises itself as an angel of light and makes us think we're doing something right even when we are doing things very wrong.
My thoughts are very scattered. Sorry about that.
Kyle - good thoughts that encourage and challenge me. I agree that you can live incarnationally and not be a part of a church that is oriented us such. I'm really challenged with this.
Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost say in their book "The Shaping of Things to Come" something to the effect of: When properly understood - our Christology will determine our Missiology which will determine our Ecclesiology. (By interpolation – who, what, the how). This would be the Biblical expectation but often times we reverse the order – in doing so we end up making Jesus look like we want him too.
Like you said, our goal and greatest command is to love like we have been loved and are being loved. Living Christo-centically requires that we really know who Jesus is.
I am convinced that we aren't made or designed work this out on our own though.
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