One cannot help but see the stark contrast between Jesus and present day Christianity. It is almost as if they are two different faiths… one separated, cloistered, its own subculture; the other, on the streets, in the slums, and bars. One, trying to be holy through self-improvement and dissociation, the other being holy through relationships and involvement with people wherever they are, but especially, if they are shut out by the rest of the culture. One goes to church. The other goes to parties.
What’s the Difference Between Jesus and Christianity?
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Check this out, Glen. A man on the same page but with different thoughts. His thoughts are worth spreading around, in my opinion! http://thoughwearemany.wordpress.com/category/the-holistic-church/
Jean – Sorry about the slow response. I have been traveling. I think the linked article brings up an interesting dilemma for someone who is weary of organized expressions of the church. The question is, how do I interact with others and represent Christ as a group to my community. I struggle with a response to that question, but feel that it needs to be as real and natural as possible.
…. though Jesus did attend synagogue regularly. as well as parties. He was a both/and kinda guy. ; )
Roger Wolsey, author, “Kissing Fish: christianity for people who don’t like christianity”
He got it right. We struggle. Of course he was teaching things that in the synagogue that confounded people or made them outright angry.
Am I missing something? There’s only a paragraph here. I was expecting an actual article, this seems like just the intro
Jenny – This is one of the shortest posts I have ever written, but there is much more along these lines in my book, “An Irreligious Faith,” especially in the section, “An Irreligious Jesus.”
I once heard a speaker say that when he was in college he went to a prayer meeting on Friday nights and when he came home to his dorm there was always a keg party going on. He told the students that they had to make a choice–prayer meeting or dorm kegger. As it though about it I thought of Jesus. My conclusion was, yes you do need to go to the prayer meeting SO YOU CAN THEN GO TO THE KEGGER and have an impact on your friends in the dorm!
Steve,
If that’s what works for you. I am glad that you want to represent Jesus at the kegger. But I am wondering why we have to be pumped up by a church meeting to represent Jesus in real life. We have an impact on our friends by loving them. Just a thought.