ChosenRebel's Blog

An open letter to all my Christian friends (independent of denomination)

It’s Empty Headed to Think that Criticism
Rather Living Like Jesus is Going to Change the World

There is a vicious new sport in our culture that is destroying spiritual passion among many of God’s people across denominational lines. It is currently running rampant in the Evangelical tribe of the church but seems to be growing in popularity across a wide spectrum of ecclesial bodies. Bloggers and podcasters are especially prone to the new blood sport.

Another alarming trend is that it is not confined to one age group but seems to be infiltrating the rank and file of every pop-named generation in the sociological landscape.

I should probably name the sport. It’s called “church slamming.” Don’t go looking for it on Wikipedia. I made the name up. But the sport exists. Trust me. And I am getting so tired of its refrain. “The church isn’t ______________” or “The church isn’t ___________ enough.”

I am so tired of Christians bashing the church for what it isn’t.

I’m not tired because I want to defend the church as it is, and not because many of our churches and structures aren’t painful to spiritual development or faithfulness to Christ. I’m not tired of it because I think the Church is above criticism (obviously). and I’m not tired of it because I am blind (somehow) to all of its foibles, stupidities, redundancies and corruptions. I know all those things too well. I grieve and have wept tears over the foibles, idiocies, sin and abuses of churches.

I’m tired of it because it is all so pointless and ineffective.

We need to live passionately for and like Jesus. Period.

Our Savior lived a sacrificial life and announced the coming of the Kingdom of God, calling all people, everywhere to repent and believe the gospel. He laid down His life an atoning sacrifice and told us to live like Him and tell the world of what He did.  Let’s stop criticizing one another and go out and live a cross-bought, cross-shaped life.

We were bought and purchased by the blood of Christ. A slave is not greater than his master. He is our master. Go out and live like the Master.

Go out and live a life that looks like a sacrifice of love to our neighbors.

That’s what proved His love for us, to us (cf. Rom. 5:8). When the cross begins to shape, truly shape every aspect of our lives, every decision of the moment, when we truly live as if this world is not our home, that we are but sojourners, spiritual companions of Christ, longing for His presence and called for His glory, when we are intoxicated with Jesus and live and breath to tell others of Him—then we will be effective.

But criticizing what is (or isn’t), isn’t getting us anywhere, except tired and cranky.

Your friend,

A formerly young and still reforming and happy Calvinist church planter who deeply appreciates some Ana-Baptist thinking and heritage and many others as well.

(This is a rewrite of an article from 2011.)