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Posted: November 19th, 2007 at 12:35am By: Kevin Considine
Long before my time, comedian Lenny Bruce jibed that "Every day, people are staying away from the church and going back to God."
And in the more recent past, Garrison Keillor has quipped that "Going to church no more makes you a Christian than standing in a garage makes you a car."
To that I can only say one thing: touché. Because most Christians know that the church isn't perfect. And that goes doubly true for most Catholics. At least outside the Vatican. Because most of us realize that sometimes the internal messiness and politics of the church get in the way of what the church is supposed to be doing.
So how do we know that the church is doing its job? Or, to put it theologically, what are the marks of the church that define it as authentic witnesses to the Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth?
From a traditionally Roman Catholic perspective, that's easy. Because the Church has four enduring marks. It is to be: One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. That is, it is to be unified, set apart to bear a sign of similarity with God for humankind, extended throughout the world and in direct succession to the disciples of Jesus Christ.
And there's nothing wrong with these marks of the church. They're extremely helpful, especially from an academic or institutional point of view. Recently, though, I've been giving this a little more thought. And I'd like to refocus our attention on a more pastoral and practical image of what makes the church from a more ecumenical perspective. Especially on the local level, where real men and women worship the God of Jesus Christ and attempt to live in community as God's messy pilgrim people.
And I recently heard three questions that have shed a lot of light on this. These questions come from Dr. Ed Cook, the senior pastor at the Seattle Vineyard Christian Fellowship, a "neo-Pentecostal" church with which I was involved several years ago and a church for which I still carry a great deal of respect.
In a recent newsletter Pastor Ed pointed out three questions that are based in Scripture and that are used to measure whether or not their particular church is indeed functioning as the community that bears witness to the Risen Christ: Are the broken made whole? Are the captives set free? Are people at peace with God?
These questions are as powerful as they are simple. They cut to the bone of our understanding of church and what it is we're supposed to be living together. They call us to conversion and they call us to action.
And just imagine if more of our various Christian churches really functioned in this way. Not that they'd be perfect. But what they would be doing is imperfectly, messily clinging to the work of the Spirit among us. And they would be witnessing to a form of church that is powerful and infused with God's Spirit.
Indeed, the church should make whole those who are broken. It would welcome in the least and the lost, the poor and the marginalized, the victims and the perpetrators. Such a church would make manifest the healing power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and accompany those women and men who are in desperate need of hope and healing. To quote Pastor Ed's essay, "Like Jesus, we need to hang out with those who need hope and have hope for them until they can have hope for themselves." This means providing a strong and ongoing ministry of healing. Not just through the church but through assuring people to find medical, psychological, material, educational and other help that they need.
Second, the church should work to set the captives free. This means that our churches should be dedicated to liberation. This includes liberation of the oppressed and the poor from the social sins of racism, sexism and classism. But it doesn't stop there. It also includes working toward human liberation from mental illness, cycles of abuse, addictions to alcohol and pornography, consumerism and other false idols. This ministry would address the spiritual, psychological, material, social, political and other realms that dehumanize us into indentured servitude. This would be a ministry of radical liberation in which the bonds of oppression, evil and fate would be overcome in the midst of a loving community. This would mean getting involved in the social and the political and remaining holy by balancing these with the mystical. It would be setting the captives free and working for a reconciling shalom in the world around us.
Thirdly, the church should enable others to be at peace with God. This means that the purpose of our churches isn't just for ourselves but for those who are not yet in our midst. To do this, our churches should create an inviting space in which those who are not of the church can enter, feel at home and feel safe to start journeying with the Living God. This is a ministry of hospitality, compassion and merciful love. This is welcoming home those who have been hurt by the church, ignored by the church, burnt out by the church and oppressed by the church. This too is part of the reconciliation of human beings with each other and with our Creator.
As we are healed of our wounds, have our shackles broken and are welcomed home, we find a God who is Healer, Liberator and Redeemer. We encounter the Holy Mystery who indeed breathes life into humankind, who protests and resists evil and suffering and who intends to work for the full flourishing of our communities, our families and ourselves. As we meet this God of Dynamic Compassion, we find our loving Mother and Father who was revealed in Jesus Christ. We are called home to begin to image God and to work for the world's redemption and betterment.
This is God the Healer, God the Liberator and God the Compassionate Friend. These are the images of God that our churches and congregations need to foster. These are the images we find in Jesus of Nazareth. And these are the experiences of God that are truly powerful.
They remind us that God's power is in love, hope, justice and peace. And they might just give people a reason to come in and see what's happening.
— — —
Kevin Considine is a graduate student at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, the largest Roman Catholic school of theology and ministry in North America. He is married to a most wonderful woman who keeps him in line and makes sure his thoughts make sense. He and his wife live on the South Side of Chicago. He welcomes comments, feedback or fits of anger and can be reached at {email considkp@yahoo.com}considkp@yahoo.com{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Kevin Considine.
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Long before my time, comedian Lenny Bruce jibed that "Every day, people are staying away from the church and going back to God."
And in the more recent past, Garrison Keillor has quipped that "Going to church no more makes you a Christian than standing in a garage makes you a car."
To that I can only say one thing: touché. Because most Christians know that the church isn't perfect. And that goes doubly true for most Catholics. At least outside the Vatican. Because most of us realize that sometimes the internal messiness and politics of the church get in the way of what the church is supposed to be doing.
So how do we know that the church is doing its job? Or, to put it theologically, what are the marks of the church that define it as authentic witnesses to the Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth?
From a traditionally Roman Catholic perspective, that's easy. Because the Church has four enduring marks. It is to be: One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. That is, it is to be unified, set apart to bear a sign of similarity with God for humankind, extended throughout the world and in direct succession to the disciples of Jesus Christ.
And there's nothing wrong with these marks of the church. They're extremely helpful, especially from an academic or institutional point of view. Recently, though, I've been giving this a little more thought. And I'd like to refocus our attention on a more pastoral and practical image of what makes the church from a more ecumenical perspective. Especially on the local level, where real men and women worship the God of Jesus Christ and attempt to live in community as God's messy pilgrim people.
And I recently heard three questions that have shed a lot of light on this. These questions come from Dr. Ed Cook, the senior pastor at the Seattle Vineyard Christian Fellowship, a "neo-Pentecostal" church with which I was involved several years ago and a church for which I still carry a great deal of respect.
In a recent newsletter Pastor Ed pointed out three questions that are based in Scripture and that are used to measure whether or not their particular church is indeed functioning as the community that bears witness to the Risen Christ: Are the broken made whole? Are the captives set free? Are people at peace with God?
These questions are as powerful as they are simple. They cut to the bone of our understanding of church and what it is we're supposed to be living together. They call us to conversion and they call us to action.
And just imagine if more of our various Christian churches really functioned in this way. Not that they'd be perfect. But what they would be doing is imperfectly, messily clinging to the work of the Spirit among us. And they would be witnessing to a form of church that is powerful and infused with God's Spirit.
Indeed, the church should make whole those who are broken. It would welcome in the least and the lost, the poor and the marginalized, the victims and the perpetrators. Such a church would make manifest the healing power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and accompany those women and men who are in desperate need of hope and healing. To quote Pastor Ed's essay, "Like Jesus, we need to hang out with those who need hope and have hope for them until they can have hope for themselves." This means providing a strong and ongoing ministry of healing. Not just through the church but through assuring people to find medical, psychological, material, educational and other help that they need.
Second, the church should work to set the captives free. This means that our churches should be dedicated to liberation. This includes liberation of the oppressed and the poor from the social sins of racism, sexism and classism. But it doesn't stop there. It also includes working toward human liberation from mental illness, cycles of abuse, addictions to alcohol and pornography, consumerism and other false idols. This ministry would address the spiritual, psychological, material, social, political and other realms that dehumanize us into indentured servitude. This would be a ministry of radical liberation in which the bonds of oppression, evil and fate would be overcome in the midst of a loving community. This would mean getting involved in the social and the political and remaining holy by balancing these with the mystical. It would be setting the captives free and working for a reconciling shalom in the world around us.
Thirdly, the church should enable others to be at peace with God. This means that the purpose of our churches isn't just for ourselves but for those who are not yet in our midst. To do this, our churches should create an inviting space in which those who are not of the church can enter, feel at home and feel safe to start journeying with the Living God. This is a ministry of hospitality, compassion and merciful love. This is welcoming home those who have been hurt by the church, ignored by the church, burnt out by the church and oppressed by the church. This too is part of the reconciliation of human beings with each other and with our Creator.
As we are healed of our wounds, have our shackles broken and are welcomed home, we find a God who is Healer, Liberator and Redeemer. We encounter the Holy Mystery who indeed breathes life into humankind, who protests and resists evil and suffering and who intends to work for the full flourishing of our communities, our families and ourselves. As we meet this God of Dynamic Compassion, we find our loving Mother and Father who was revealed in Jesus Christ. We are called home to begin to image God and to work for the world's redemption and betterment.
This is God the Healer, God the Liberator and God the Compassionate Friend. These are the images of God that our churches and congregations need to foster. These are the images we find in Jesus of Nazareth. And these are the experiences of God that are truly powerful.
They remind us that God's power is in love, hope, justice and peace. And they might just give people a reason to come in and see what's happening.
— — —
Kevin Considine is a graduate student at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, the largest Roman Catholic school of theology and ministry in North America. He is married to a most wonderful woman who keeps him in line and makes sure his thoughts make sense. He and his wife live on the South Side of Chicago. He welcomes comments, feedback or fits of anger and can be reached at {email considkp@yahoo.com}considkp@yahoo.com{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Kevin Considine.
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