Out Our Way: The End of the Trail?

"(Jesus) appointed twelve - designating them apostles - that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and have authority to drive out demons." Mark 3:14

  Out our way, it's no secret that the church we knew in the past is fast fading away. This past week Glacier Presbytery - the Presbyterian churches of north-central and most of western Montana - hosted two professors from Princeton Theological Seminary who addressed the reality of what they called "the post-Christendom Church." Christianity is no longer a given in our culture and the signs of a post Christian world are everywhere.

There are tiny signs of a secularized culture in the simple fact that many modern calendars list Monday as the first day of the week instead of Sunday. Many people now find it offensive to date history as B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (anno Domini, Latin for "in the year of our Lord") ... and demand everyone now use the terms B.C.E. (before the common era) and C.E. (the common era). We still measure time before and after Christ's birth, we just are now politically correct by pretending He doesn't exist.

In some parts of the country it gets even worse - the professors noted a new textbook on Western Civilization has virtually censored all references to the church ad Christianity. They noted that while giving five pages on the history and teaching of Islam, there was virtually no mention of the role of the church in European history. Even the Reformation and Martin Luther were dismissed as a political movement in which independent German states began to challenge the dominance of Italy in their affairs.

Not surprisingly there are even greater signs of the loss of Christian values and the influence in our culture. Let us not forget that professor at Rutgers who is being applauded for her public condemnation of society's "discrimination" against pedophiles. Well, the number of examples of the decline of Christendom and the resulting vacuum of values is obvious to any one who is willing to open their eyes.

Yup, the old grey church just ain't what she used to be. But is that really bad? The church in the first century was as out of step with the dominant culture as most believers are today, but with the difference being they knew it and were glad of it! Indeed, up until the 4th century, the church flourished and grew precisely because it WAS different. Christians stood out from the crowd - and it was the fact that they followed a different Lord than the rest of humanity that made them so noticeable.

In the beginning, being a Christian was about your lifestyle and not about your church membership.  But over the centuries as being "Christian" began to be about being "in the club" rather than about transforming the world. Our focus turned to buildings, budgets and membership drives - just like any other "social club."

But notice Jesus didn't call the 12 to be "members" but to be "disciples," students who learned how to serve God and their neighbor, and in time become "apostles" - those who are sent out to do as their Master had done. It was ALWAYS about service, doing the work of God. EVERY Christian is a servant and in that service, a missionary.

We learned stories of a new way of doing church that is beginning to spread throughout Europe and now has begun in the United States. As most people know, the word " church" has nothing to do with buildings or denominations. The word "ecclesia" refers to a community of faith, the ones who have been "called out" and are therefore living for God rather than self.

Goliath reminded me that sometimes the trail ends in order to join the main road. Sometimes the trail becomes a highway. The end of the trail often marks the beginning of something greater. Maybe it's a good thing that the old way of church is coming to an end.

There sure seems to be some pretty hopeful signs that at the end of the old trail is a new Way that will lead us closer to Christ and the Kingdom of God. We ain't headed for the barn, but Goliath is getting snuffy about something exciting up ahead! Ole Doc and his horse sense theology may be onto to something!

  (John Bruington, Goliath and Scout can be reached at [email protected]. More of their observations as well as Bruin Town Tales for kids and sermons by Bruington are available at http://www.havrepres.org.)