Equally Shocked

It is quite amazing how we are selective about what portions of scripture we want to put a spotlight on, while appearing to reject its importance in whole. We have found selective passages, themes, and mission statements to emphasize to our congregations while failing to provide what Nancy Pearsy would call, "Total Truth".


Most pew sitters leave on Sunday's unprepared to face the realities of life, as we segmented life into the sacred and the secular, and while many are aware of the Great Commission in the book of Matthew, few are familiar with the Great Cultural Mandate in Genesis.

God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase; fill the earth and subdue it.

Many would limit this to procreation, but that would be an error. Few in our church buildings understand that, "Secular work is full time service"(Larry Peabody). Our vocations are our callings. Education is required to subdue and to be fruitful. Thought is required to subdue and be fruitful. Hard work is required to subdue and be fruitful. Cooperation is required to subdue and be fruitful. Risk is required to subdue and be fruitful. Each man and woman has an incredibly ordained responsibility to make "life" happen. The farmer, the scientist, the doctor, the lawyer, the bureaucrat, the garbage collector, the banker, the mom, and the dad.

Christendom has regulated these duties to the second class citizens of heaven while priests and pastors are "ordained". Their ordinations are institutional fan fare and separatist activity that have no place in Christian life. These are the very acts that keep followers of Jesus from considering their royal priesthood position and realizing the ordination they received at the implanting of the Holy Spirit.

I have a friend that went to Germany to develop relationships in Berlin and through these relationships share the knowledge of the creation, the fall, redemption and glorification. A pastor asked me, under what authority are they going and who ordained them? What a bothersome question.

The blog on "Terminate your clergy" brought many interesting responses. Some people even read "Pagan Christianity" and provided additional insight and questions. One response said, "Where do we go from here?" Great question. We must go somewhere.

I have used the phrase "Dilute the Denominations". The meaning is simple. God calls us to be 'one body. The Apostle's Creed states, "I believe in one holy church". Paul on occasions asks there not be division.

10I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. 1 Corinthians 1

We do little to try and reunite as a body, and consistently mark our divisions via our denominational boundaries. The world looks at us and says, "not appealing". Elton Trueblood wrote:

The world is equally shocked at hearing Christianity criticized and seeing it practiced.

Denominational structures place men and women as the authority over scriptural knowledge. And each denomination claims they are closests to the correct Biblical interpretation. All the while asking for the freedom to interpret scripture the way they wish, and not affording that freedom to anyone else.

If paid denominational clergy would step back into the real world they'd make way for the Royal Priesthood. Instead they blockade the way as the authority and are somehow convinced that 52 sermons and a microphone will challenge people to behave.

The first Pope according to some, Peter, advises us of our position:

9But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 1 Peter

And we forget who Christ tells us will be our great teacher John 14:26 :

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

As followers of Christ with access to revelation we fail to engage our minds, accept our priesthood, and step into Christ's great commands of loving God and others.

Others tell me that the divisions are too deep and matter to much. But instead of working them out in unity we divide and divide again. We divide within the denominations in our communities and people watch with warranted sceptisim about our love of God and others. We then turn the search for Truth in scriptures into the importance of rightness within our denominations. As Francis Schaeffer writes:

“Doctrinal rightness and rightness of ecclesiastical position are important, but only as a starting point to go on into a living relationship - and not as ends in themselves”

Within our institutions we refuse to be overly critical of ourselves. The committees on committees about things that don't matter is incredulous. The Southern Baptist Convention put together a committee to discuss how to get Southern Baptists focused on the Great Commission. The cost, time and expense of this is inexcusable. What an asinine item to create a committee over. If followers of Christ love God and others this happens. God is at work and his invitations for involvement are daily.

The death of denominations has already taken place. The great reformers that changed the face of Christendom in Europe are long forgotten there. The reformers teachings did not lay out just the basic philosophical outlines to keep people from forming more institutions. (Pearsy, Total Truth). We must rember that Luther was not wanting to leave the Catholic church, he wanted reform. I'd argue to create oness we should all return to our roots, The Catholic Church. They did assemble our Holy Scriptures. Thank God for the Catholic Church.

One trip to Europe will show you the fate of denominational Christianity in America. Our great God that gave us eyes to see and a mind to reason has shown us a change must take place. That we have missed the mark of unity, of love for Him first and love for our neighbor.

Getting someone to come to your building and listen to your pastor give a sunday speak and become a 'member' is not going to change the world and set about revival. It will take the world looking at our actions, and our unity and seeing that which Tetullian once saw and saying,

"See how they love one another...and how they are ready to die for one another."

Our American culture has changed under our nose and we seem unwilling to drop our brands and directions to deal with the change. As George Barna warns us:

“Anchoring a church’s ministry offerings to a physical ministry campus won’t work for increasing numbers of Americans,”

The delivery has been ineffective. Again Barna through his research warns us:

“These figures emphasize how soft people's commitment to God is. Americans are willing to expend some energy in religious activities such as attending church and reading the Bible, and they are willing to throw some money in the offering basket, but when it comes time to truly establishing their priorities and making a tangible commitment to knowing and loving God, most people stop short.”

Oswald Chambers challenges us to consider our approach and what we are really about within our denominations:

“If in preaching the gospel you substitute your knowledge of the way of salvation for confidence in the power of the gospel, you hinder people from getting to reality."

We are putting faith in our method, the rightness of our choice place of membership, and not thinking it through or trusting in the power of God to save men. The art of Discipleship is dead. The one leading the other is gone. The very way of Christ's passing of knowledge forsaken for sunday sermons and "moan" time about all our problems in Sunday School. Where there is now little schooling and much wining.

You are a royal priesthood. Take the rains from the clergy in your church. The ordination you received was the same as there. Sell. Create. Teach. Be the best employee. Work Hard. Educate yourself. Manage your home. Party. Celebrate. Plant. Clean. Administer. Love people. Pastor people. Forgive people. Teach people. Claim Christ, not your brand of Christianity, Christ. Baptize. Disciple.

Where do you start? Drop your brand. Pick up your cross. Accept your priestly duties and start with one.

Much more discussion to follow.

Don Owens

Test blog