Energy Spent In Church
The church has gone through many transitions throughout history. Some of the changes have been a positive difference for Christianity while other changes have lead the church away from the intentions of Jesus Christ for His people. One of the major changes in the church has been the shift from a theocentric focus for the church to a anthropocentric focus in the church. This shift was a movement away from the church working to serve the Lord to working to serve Christians. As individualism entered into the culture of America, the church moved to meet this increasingly selfish agenda of society. The church compromised on the mission of God to provide programing and services for the members. Often though, the most faithful are the ones serving the crowd in church. The congregation is busy serving the spiritually selfish instead of the spiritually sick. There is nothing wrong in providing opportunities and programming that will increase spirituality in the members, but if this is the sole purpose of the church, to provide goods and services to Christians we have taken our eyes off of God’s agenda and exalted man to an idol. When Christians begin to cry for more services instead of more service opportunities, we have fallen into a anthropocentric focus.
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Preach it brother!
One of the other results of switching from theocentric to anthropocentric was the sense of power. One of the dangers of modernism was an unhealthy high-view of humanity…with the right education, science, and initiative, there was nothing humanity could not solve. And this mentality has been pervaisive in the church since the genesis of the Protestant Reformation (i.e., we can reform/restore the church; we can grow the church; etc…). This was in direct contrast to the scriptures where restoration/redemption and mission has always been God working through his people with his people (Israel/Church) relying on the power of God to work. One of the great things about postmodernism is a renewed recognition of the limitations that humanity has and this, I hope, will bring a renewal of seeking God’s power rather than our own for the purposes of his church.
Grace and peace,
Rex