Church Continued

Your journey and your thoughts on this matter of church and faith and God all lead me to think that this could be a very interesting discussion! I empathize with your being in a place whereby people categorize you by what church you attend as opposed to who you are. Church attendence can be a very good thing and, in some times, can be very bad. But that's another story for another time. We're talking about two things really, the "perfect church", and to some degree, what that church holds to.

Let me comment first on your thoughts regarding the "perfect church". I totally resonate with you on the areas of not judging one another and of a holistic approach to spirituality and faith. Church, as I understand it, is to be a safe place that we can come, really be ourselves, worship, and heal. Far too often we go into a church setting with preconceived notions of how to act and of what people will say. Those preconceptions lead us to play our cards very close to our vest and we refuse to admit that we're the ones with a problem. If someone asks how we are doing, we will reply with our best Sunday smile, "Just fine, thanks!". Nevermind the fact that we just got done arguing and fighting with our significant other the whole way there and are wondering if the relationship even has a chance. And Lord, heaven forbid you struggle with something of the sexual nature! These things just aren't spoken of! Now, I will admit that there are exceptions to these rules. In some ways, this is a parody and an overstatement. But, the best of parodies ring of truth.

The holistic expression of faith is one that I'm coming more and more to embrace. Far too long Christianity in particular has focused solely on the mental aspects of the faith journey. It has taught that we are to cram more and more knowledge into our heads and that this will make us better people. In some respects, this is true as anyone who has seen one of those NBC "The More You Know" spots will tell you. But, there is more to a person than the mental state. We must focus on mind, body and spirit. The three, much as the biblical understanding of God is seen in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are unmistakably connected. I'm very encouraged by some movements within what is known in some circles as the "emerging church" toward this. The practitioners within this movement, sensing some of the same disconnect we have experienced, have sought to renew the move of faith and worship in that holistic sense, even within the gathering together. Many have mined the ancient practices of the early church in order to renew these things. Pulling together a number of elements that focus on multiple senses and experiences, worship and gathering together can become an interactive, integrated time instead of a lecture. (I could go on some more here but I'm not sure if I need to. If you're interested in hearing more, holler!)

Now we come to the second part of the discussion which involves some of your thoughts on the nature of God and what we believe which are intrinisically connected to your "perfect church". I totally understand your point regarding being a scientist. You are rational, logical, and have always been good at the math! :) That being said, I fully appreciate your rejection of blind faith. I also agree that science and religion are very like minded things. Both, at their very essence, are a pursuit of truth. They seek to answer the big questions of "How?" and "Why?" in order to provide us with knowledge and some sense of purpose.

I guess where I'm going with this is to ask the oh-so-profound question that Pilate asked of Christ, "What is truth?" This is a critical question in this discussion. If we are all right, then, in some ways, there is no truth. Truth has now become a relative commodity. We now become pragmatists living out our lives with simply the thought that whatever works for us is what we'll believe. Now, there is a lot more to this discussion for us to throw around. This is the time I wish this were a telephone conversation that folks could listen in on or a face to face because I think we'll be here a while.

I guess for now I'll leave you with that question: "What is truth?" What is true for you? Do you believe that there is a standard for truth? Let's build from there!

Enjoying the chats!

- andy