Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Business As Usual
I was reading another blog today and as I read the author's most recent entry it struck me how much this Christian leader harped on success, business principles, over-coming personal hurdles, and the power of positive thinking.
When, do you suppose, that the church became a business? That we measured our success and effectiveness in by buildings, dollars, and personal achievements? Paul writes in his letters that all his "achievements" he considered "scoobalah" (the translation of which would offend my most sensitive readers)... so why are we running systems that propagate and celebrate this type of thing?
Jesus says that he had no place to lay his head, he was not welcome in his own hometown or even among his family for awhile, he gets thrown out of temple, and drives people away when he preaches... so, if we are supposed to be little Jesus' as "Christians" why does our brand look so different?
Now I have no problem with business and, am in fact, a Libertarian but business should be conducted in a wildly different way than being a messenger of God.
Religion and business have little to do with knowing Jesus.
One would wonder that if so many "Christian" and "church" leaders are spending so much time talking about their structures and ways of finding success it may because they have so little to say about a Man they do not know...
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2 comments:
YOU... When, do you suppose, that the church became a business?
ME.... about 1985, in my denomination.
Wow Coach,
Tough question... I could only answer for the Wesleyans since I think history would show almost every movement and/or denomination turn this way.
I would answer about the time the "seeker" movement boomed. Nothing wrong with the thing in and of itself- it just seems like we all got caught up in big buildings, programs, the next book, and business models and Jesus seemed to stand by and watch.
For me, I would say probably around the mid-1980s... however, I had not noticed its prevalence until the last couple of years.
It was a really saddening/disappointing conclusion to come to.
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