Me Centered Church or Jesus Shaped Church?

Here’s the problem that I have with so many churches in the North Atlantic part of the world today: they are so individualistic and me centered I fear their existence as they become increasingly useless in the economic world we may soon find ourselves in the North — and that our brothers and sisters around the globe do find themselves in. Let me give a couple of quick examples.

Neo-Montanism. No matter how I read the biblical text there is one conclusion I can’t avoid when I consider the earliest church: after the upper room experience the disciples left the upper room! I could only imagine some “leaders” “preachers” and “theologians” of our generation if they had been part of that experience. They would have tried to stay at God’s “special portal” and “get more of the Spirit,” sending letters to Corinth, Ephesus, and Philippi to “Come Get Some.” I know you can imagine the Christianese right now, “Lord we just invite you into this place today, Lord God. And God, we just want more of your pillar of fire; release your pillar of fire in this place Lord. Fill us Father, we ask Lord God” (repeat ad nauseum no matter what God does). This sort of repeated focus on self experience is epitomized in the famous line “they are so focused on heaven they are of no earthly good.” Me, me me; more of you giving to me.

Mammonianity. You may have heard that the economy is not doing so grand. Oil is up, gas is up, food is up, and foreclosures are up 120 % over this same time last year. For some, and maybe very soon, for the majority, life is not one of economic surplus. Christians and Non-Christians are losing their homes and their jobs. Life is hard. Guess what the lovers of Mammon are selling? That’s right so much economic prosperity it can only be called gross opulence. Please god (Mammon gets a little “g” no matter what they say) and you will be rich. Give to god and you will be rich. Are you rich? Our god will make you richer. Me, me, me; more of you giving to me.

Julian the Apostate came to power in Rome in 360. Despite His predecessors Christinization of the Roman empire Julian hated Christianity, withdrew Christians religious freedom, and rigorously attempted to create a religious alternative. Julian attempted to persuade his followers to adopt a religious organization and practice of charity modeled on Christianity, and famously lamented about the successful spread of the Christian faith, “Why do we not observe that it is their benevolence to strangers, their care for the graves of the dead and the pretended holiness of their lives that have done the most to increase Christianity.” Let those that have ears hear. In 250 CE the church in Rome has records where they are feeding 1500 distressed persons a day. The worse thing that the church’s greatest enemy can basically say at this time is, “I hate Christians, all they do is help people! Let’s get rid of them by emulating them.”

We are entering a time where it is very probable that we will be asked to bring the Kingdom of God into North Atlantic areas in ways that will be challenging and unique. How do you minister to the “least of these” that are still among the world’s elite? If a family has lost the ownership of a house and their nest egg, but still has their health, food, and a roof over their heads (which makes them very rich by global standards) how do you minister to the broken heart of those experiencing relative poverty?

What then? Should we give everything and live a life of poverty to help them attain prosperity? I don’t think that, but I do think churches such as these are creating a model of how to use their resources to help others and not grossly indulge themselves over and over again that other churches will have to follow if they are to impact our world during economic crisis.

Greg Boyd has a wonderful quote that has become part of the manifesto at Jesus Shaped Spirituality

There is a beautiful and powerful grassroots Kingdom movement arising all over the globe …. Millions of people are abandoning the Christendom paradigm of the traditional Christian faith in order to become more authentic followers of Jesus. From the Emergent Church movement to the Urban Monastic Movement to a thousand other independent groups and movements, people are waking up to the truth that the Kingdom of God looks like Jesus and that the heart of Christianity is simply imitating him.

I’ve got my eye out for these people that simply imitate Jesus, and I’m keeping my ear to the ground as we enter uncertain and difficult times listening for the complaint “All those Christians do is help people.”

The kingdom of God is among you. Spread the word.