Nahkoe – Love ya dear sister. You do ask the most provocative questions! Love it!
As everyone has posted, it is indeed the positive elements about a common experience that generally draws folks together, even among those who don’t agree about much of anything else.
Yet, in your original post you noted a key item that actually seems to have prominence, i.e., the expressions of divisions, disagreements, contentions, etc. It would seem that those things that divide us make for more popular discussions than those things that bind us together.
Discussions that center on, “The Lord is good”, “Yes, He is.”, “Amen” seem to die out quickly from boredom, while discussions such as, “Everyone has salvation all wrong”, “Half of our church is going to hell”, etc, creates a sense of adventure in us, where we can choose sides and express feelings, concerns, thoughts, or ideas that would get us severally judged if we spoke up in our local church.
What I have noticed is that there are two symptoms of a serious illness that infects the church at large and that are most often observed on forums such as this one.
The first symptom is that “the natives are restless”. That is, the individual saint of God is no longer satisfied to feed on spiritual milk. Many believers simply do not know where or how to actually get into the meat of the word – even while being apprehensive of what such a search might uncover (the dangers of exploring a harder path) – or might require of the seeker (necessary changes in views or positions). Therefore, we see heated discussions on “How does one really get saved?”, “Can you get the Holy Ghost without speaking in tongues?”, “How man gods are there, really?”, etc. [These are to illustrate the types and kinds of subjects being discussed, not a listing of actual thread titles.]
The result is that basic (fundamental) teachings are being challenged because of poorly constructed doctrines and faulty arguments. Scriptures are selected almost at random and used to support any kind of teaching on almost any subject, without regard to the intent and purpose of the original writer. Where hype, carefully constructed sound bites, and religious mantras are packaged and served up in a carnival atmosphere as a substitute for sound, life changing, body edifying and spiritually strengthen biblical teaching. Serving up ice cream, cake and cokes are an all too common, while setting aside a fare consisting of meat, potatoes, vegetables, bread and wine.
The second symptom is the expressed fear (sometimes acted out in a form of anger/rage, control and manipulation, issuing of harsh judgments, etc.) among the spiritual leadership. Many church leaders are not as spiritually (or as knowledgeable) mature as those they attempt to lead, and the leadership is in fear of spiritually mature saints. We can see this played out on many forums (especially on “preacher’s forums”), where the leadership can seen in a clear light (without their religious cloaks on) – confused, fearful, and self-seeking. They cannot agree among themselves what the actual church doctrines are or how they are to be taught! What is happing all too frequently is we see religious leaders making disciples unto themselves, rather that unto Christ! Then, we wonder why there is so much confusion, dissension and dissatisfaction among the saints. The flock reflects the insecurities of the shepherd.
A third symptom: As a result of all of the above, we have yet more churches going (or being started as) “independent”, along with new organizations, affiliations, and religious associations being formed every few months - with a growing list of organizational and church splits taking place almost as frequently. This does not seem to match God’s desire for the body of Christ growing into the unity of the faith – or I have surly missed something!
Bottom line:
Out of all of this confusion, backbiting, dissatisfaction, fear, jealousy, anger. etc., etc., there is a reason for great hope! First, my strong statements do not apply to the entire body of Christ! Forums, such as this one, are allowing men and women to share their ideas and concerns and even their spiritual struggles with other with the same or similar spiritual issues. Just because one visits a hospital and observes that the vast majority of the people there are sick, does not mean that the entire population of the city is sick. It just means that the really sick folks are at the hospital to get fixed up and to get well again.
Look around. On this forum we will find spiritual doctors of all kinds, surgeons, nurses, medical technicians, administrators, service volunteers, etc. These communities can become glue that binds us together even while working toward gaining some level of spiritual health. Part of our own healing process is helping others in their struggles.
Welcome to another Internet Spiritual Hospital.
A final note of caution: Even a hospital can become a death trap if the staff becomes careless in their personal hygiene, and/or is sloppy in the exercising of necessary medical procedures. Even so, remember that the final responsibility for one’s spiritual health and continued growth still rests on the shoulders of the individual concerned – and no one else! Choose your hospitals and medical providers carefully.
Thanks Nahkoe - excellent subject!
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