Thursday, November 12, 2009

How will reformation come to the church?

This is a question I wrestle with a lot. There are days, especially recently, where I don’t blog because I don’t think anyone is listening. Between general apathy, stubborn clinging to tradition befitting the most staunch Roman Catholic, institutional inertia, overweening pride and worst of all my own failure to live up to the standards I call for, it can feel hopeless. I can write with all seriousness that the church has lost her way for hundreds of years. Denominational splintering, theological wandering, neglect of the Word, refusal to fellowship, on and on it goes. The problems can seem so enormous, the gulf between the Word and our practice (personal and corporate) so great, that true reformation of the church seems impossible.

Having said that, I do know this for certain. Reformation will not come to the church by devoting ourselves to 16th and 17th century confessions nor by seeking to exclude from meaningful (i.e. more than a begrudging acknowledgement) fellowship Christians with whom we disagree on secondary issues. Confessions are wonderful and I refer to them all the time but when used as a litmus test for who can or cannot fellowship with us, their purpose has been perverted and their usefulness evaporates. Reformation in the church is something that must reform “The Church” and not be an attempt to create doctrinally pure enclaves. You can endlessly carve out others from the body of Christ until only you remain. That is not reformation, that is the precise opposite. That is telling Christ that what His Word declares important is less important than our own prideful pet peeves and doctrinal preferences. One of the faults of fundamentalism is a radical separation from the world around it, the very world that we are called to go forth and call to repent and belief in Christ. Instead of “in the world but not of the world” , you get just "out of the world". One of the faults of some corners of the reformation movement is a radical separation from the rest of the church that rivals that error. Saying I desire reformation but only on my terms and only by conforming yourself to my distinctives is a false and damaging misguided notion that has done nothing to unite and reform the church.

If we cry “Semper Reformanda” but only reformation on our own terms, we grossly misunderstand the nature and purpose of the church in the first place. The church gathered is not a place for theological triumphalism but of worship, fellowship and edification in the unity of our common confession and our common salvation. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that raising the banner of your doctrinal distinctive and centuries old traditions equates to reform. Nor should we strive to conform ourselves to the form of the 16th century church. Reforming the church will come only as a work of the Holy Spirit, calling God's people back to the faithful, simple expression of the gathering of the church under the power of the Spirit and the authority of the Word of God. We must spend far less time poring over tomes of theology and far more time in prayer. Less time worrying about the order of worship and more about the object of worship. Less time devising ways to keep others out and more time spent praying for genuine unity.

Let us strive in prayer and humility for reformation in the church, reformation in His way and not ours, reformation that brings people into conformity with Christ and not conformity with ourselves. Reformation is a desperate need in the church but only when done with the right motives and the right heart.



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7 comments:

Becky said...

Well said.

Steve Martin said...

The confessions of the church are biblical and Christ centered.

Much of what passes today for Christian worship is man-centerd and reflects a sinful desire to be the focus of everything.

I'll take the confessions and creeds over the pietistic baloney and self-righteousness found in so many, so-called non-denominational churches.

Those churches are dishonest from the git-go because they claim to NOT have a particular point of view.

That's bunk.

Seth said...

Hi Arther,
Please don't quit blogging. I read your blog frequently since I linked to you through Steve's blog "From the Pew." I really appreciate your perspectives on church, especially coming from an ex-mormon. We do need reform, and it does seem hopeless. But I think Jesus is the author of hope. Funny thing about blogs, you may get no comments, but that doesn't mean people aren't reading... Hang in there. I've appreciated you.

A. Amos Love said...

Arthur

Lot's of folks listening and getting it.
Finding them all over the place.
They are leaving the main line denominations,
Penta-it's going to "cost" you a lot - isim
and the rest, to find Jesus, to find the truth.

Rejoice, this is the day the Lord has made.

He is coming back for "His Church" not mans ideas.

Reformation.
Good, or, er,
just another religious alternative “form?”
Solved some problems
but created a whole bunch more.
Most still look and act like Rome.

Why was there a reformation?
Rome was/is corrupt according to scripture. Yes?
People wanted to serve and worship Jesus in truth. Yes?
Any Popes as the head of “The Church of God” in the Bible?

Why were there Pilgrims and the Puritans coming to the USA?
Church of England was/is corrupt according to scripture. Yes?
People wanted to serve and worship Jesus in truth. Yes?
Any Monarchs as the head of “The Church of God” in the Bible?

And every denomination since, tries to tweek Romes version of doing religion.

wikipedia says there are now 38,000 denominations.
Doesn’t that sound like a “tradition of men” to you?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_denominations

Oh, you can change a few “titles,” pastors intead of priests,
suits and ties instead of collars and robes,
Presidents instead of Popes,
but basically it’s still Rome
still, “Tradition of men.”

Was “the Reformation” a dangerous detour, leading people away from;
“Jesus being the “head” of the body, the Church,”
and “those led by the Spirit, those are the sons of God?”
Is Religion the system, and NOT the relationship?

Did Jesus reform “the Jewish Religious Sytem” He etablished?
Or did He leave it?

When Jesus left “The Religious System,”
He called others out of ”The System” with Him. Didn’t He?

Jesus is the head of the body (the ekklesia, the called out), the church.

“Disciples of Christ” were “called out” of the religious system,
into a relationship with Jesus.

They are “called out” of the worlds system,
into the Kingdom of God.

They are "called out” of self,
into the body of Christ.

They are “called out” of sin,
into righteousness.

They are “called out” of bondage,
into liberty.

They are “called out” of darkness,
into light.

They are “called out” of death
into life.

Doesn’t “Religious” reform mean to take one “religious” form
and change it, make it different?

Isn’t it still a form, still religion, NOT a relationship?

2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness...

Peace...

Arthur Sido said...

Steve,

Please reread what I wrote. I think confessions are valuable and are profitable to aid our study. They are NOT our rule of faith, that is what we have the Scriptures for. We cannot reform the church simply by use of the confessions. That has been proven again and again.

Steve Martin said...

Agreed.

The confessions are NOT Holy Scripture.

But they are derived from Holy Scripture (as are the Creeds).

Churches seem to have an awful time deciding what the Scriptures say. Every church uses the Bible, and disagree greatly upon it's meaning.

Our Lutheran Confessions do have a definite viewpoint, that in my opinion, is the most Christ centered of any confession or statement of faith I have seen or heard.

Since the churches are full of sinners who would like nothing more to put themselves at the center (instead of Christ), the need to reform is constant.

Thanks, Arthur.

Debbie said...

"Reforming the church will come only as a work of the Holy Spirit.... We must spend far less time poring over tomes of theology and far more time in prayer. Less time worrying about the order of worship and more about the object of worship. Less time devising ways to keep others out and more time spent praying for genuine unity."

Bingo. I'd go even farther, though. We need to spend less time worrying about reforming "the church" and more time conforming to Christ.