Words from Another Century

Watching the continual breaking apart of the church which ordained me has not been made any less troubling by the passage of time.  Perhaps, time does heal all wounds, but it is so often a slow and painful process.  An Oswald Chamber's find at a used bookstore brought what seems to be just below the surface of consciousness back out into the light of day to see once again.  In this writing over a hundred years old ("Not Knowing Where"), the author wrote, "Whenever a religious community or movement begins to organize,it seems to lose its life.  Those who were once keen on proclaiming the Gospel are now bent only on the success of the organization."    

This malady which has infected the church so deeply has given birth to a church that has lost its first love.  The love for Christ has been exchanged for love for institutional or organizational success.  And, one of the frightening prospects is that those bent on reform and change seem bent on the same organizational success.  What is troubling is not just about the division and chaos which exists in the church, but how it can go forward without carrying the seeds of confusion with it.   

Of course, chaos and confusion speaks of the influence of Satan.  Some might like to attribute it to the winnowing fork of the Holy Spirit, but there is also an argument to made that a church living under the influence of the Spirit would have found a different way.  The spiritual giant of a hundred years ago points the way forward as he wrote, "The Holy Spirit delivers us from independent individuality and builds us into the mystical body of Christ."  The only hope for the church is going to be in its desire and ability to get out of the way and let the Spirit do what He wants to do.