Hmm...perhaps I should've replaced "church" with "Christian". I agree, the concept of "church" has definitely been through the mill over the centuries so that it is virtually unrecognizable from it's original incarnation.
I don't think replacing "church" with "Christian" would change the main point at all. Especially in America since the late 20th century, the term "Christian" has come to represent a variety of beliefs, many of them opposed to others claiming the same identity. It's become quite confusing!
I've been saying for years that the first sound that will be heard in Heaven when all of this is said and done will be billions of palms slapping against billions of foreheads once we are enlightened to God's way of viewing things.
Yes, I agree. I think "gnashing of teeth" might be more the reaction, which would indicate a lot of people who
thought they got it right will have gotten it terribly wrong.
I am curious as to what, specifically, is the area that gave you "food for thought". I ask because I am in the process of writing a book on fallen pastors and am interested to hear feedback (this subject is one of the foundational planks of the work).
I think this comment by Humbleman earlier on this thread says a lot about what is wrong with Christian ministries today:
Humbleman said:
Although my wife and I are nominally attending an SBC church (I say this because I find my gripe inherent in the SBC mindset), I have a problem with the idea of attending college/seminary for six to eight years, graduating with an MDiv or PhD, and then announcing to the world that you are "called" and then spend alot of your time trying to work up the corporate ladder to larger churches and six figure salaries.
Christians are defined, I believe, by two basic things: the message they preach, and the enemy they fight.
The best way to identify whether the message is false or not is to compare the message to worldly aspirations: do they focus on power, control over society, a sociopolitical ideal, or security here and now? If yes, then this is no different than the forces and desires that have informed sociopolitical systems since the dawn of civilization. Each one has their own "ideal" but the idea is to promote their own, to gain control of the masses with their own.
But, the focus is on this world now and how it operates, not on eternity and the Kingdom of God (which is comprised of those
only who desire to live by covenant with God.) They confuse the two by teaching that the Kingdom of God is the finished product here and now (as if it comes to be by forcing everyone to fit the mold in society.)
And the enemy too changes depending on the focus of the message. Again, if the enemy is characterized by what it threats, then the enemy of the false church will be anything (or anyone) that threatens the "ideal" constructed by the church group (or sociopolitical system.) Evil then becomes anything (or again anyone) that counters this. The way we fight this evil changes too. Instead of standing firm in ones covenant convictions to follow Christ (and all the weapons we would need to stand firm as defined by Ephesians 6:
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
The enemy defined by the false church becomes one we must use worldly weapons against: carefully constructed arguments, actual swords, actual shields, actual weapons that are aggressively used to kills human lives deemed expendable because they fit the definition of "enemy."
I do believe the references in the New Testament to "the world" refer more to Christians aligning to sociopolitical structures similar to the one Humbleman pointed out. Many churches become nothing more than corporate businesses where congregations are encouraged to feed the bottom line (profits.) What happens is that the product being sold (the message) must then tickle the ears and feed the basic appetites of the congregation if numbers and profits are to remain competitively strong.
Thankfully, the best way to measure whether we are following a church or Christianity of the world is to compare its teachings and enemies against the teachings of Christ, not just in what he taught, but by his actions as well, how he answered questions posed to him, by the people he chose to follow him, the people he chose to protect and why.
But even here, I wonder if one can only see this if the Lord has opened their eyes to it, so that they can see and hear the message Jesus meant for his followers to understand.