New Kind Of Church?

Sometimes, I think that the church that we call the body of Christ today wears a large mask. We wear individual masks that hide was is truly going on in our lives and therefore we become a fake, non responsive entity in the body of Christ. I have been asking the question, "Why is it like this?" I believe there are two reasons.

1. Our American culture perpetuates that this is the way that we should behave everywhere. We need to be strong. We need to have our act together. We need to make sure that other people know those things about us. If they don't know those things about us we are viewed as weak, annoying, irritating, a nuisance, a menace to society. This view that is perpetuated makes for an interesting view in the church where Jesus calls for authenticity and openness. When Paul asks believers to share with each other the sins of the family, he isn't asking for masks. He is asking for an honest reflection of the choices that were made. When we share with each other we help each other understand what it means to come back into relationship with God. If we are all wearing masks, it is impossible to come back into relationship with anyone. In Genesis 1, we find that God created us in his image and part of that image is a relational image. God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit were all present at creation and so we find a relational God creating relational people. Wow. How I have distorted the image of God by becoming a separate entity because it is comfortable...

2. The second reason that we are not open is because it isn't safe to be open. In our churches today, we will always SAY that it is safe to be open but as soon as someone opens their mouth, we find that it is not safe. Backstabbing, gossip, and hurting others takes place when someone talks about a problem that they are encountering or facing. People see that this happens and are reluctant to open their mouths because they have seen the consequences. We breed a sense of distrust and apathy towards the real issues that people face. Can the church today recover from this mutilation of the body of Christ? I believe that it will be a long and slow process towards authenticity and honesty but if we truly say that we are the body of Christ, we must take steps in that direction. We cannot be hesitant.


The church today is at a crossroads. Are we a church that wants to continue to build Christ followers that are mechanized or do we want to dive deep into the pain, ugliness, messiness of relationships so that we can truly disciple? Are we willing to evaluate the programs that we hold so dear to say that they are not working so that we can truly be the body of Christ?

Most of this indicts the church today. But really, most of it indicts me. I am part of the body of Christ and I must take responsibility for some of those actions.

God grant me wisdom. Help us learn authenticity in the presence of your body. Let us show our ugliness so that we can move more towards looking like your bride.