Page 2 - Summer 2016 Contact issue 38
P. 2
Norman’s Viewpoint
- Dangerous Days
We are living in dangerous days for the church. The book is longer on description than prescription,
Yes I know that we are in the grip of secularization as these books normally are, but at least it highlights
and the gender / homosexuality issue is certainly a pressing issue, the rampant consumerism and
testing the orthodox Christian understanding of individualism which is killing our churches from
marriage in our day but there is a more subtle within – it is the old heresy of Gnosticism – as people
undermining of faith going on under our noses think there is a higher and better spirituality than that
which we could miss very easily. described in the Bible. At heart it is just the worship
of self.
Recently in our evening series in the First letter of
John, I reminded the congregation that there are no We all need to recommit to the old ways, the old truths
new heresies – the old heresies just keep getting and the institution of the local church by which God
re-worked. In John’s day one of the heresies, called chooses to shape us into Christ-likeness rather than
Gnosticism, played down the role of the church and massaging our selfish desires. Sayers says;
tried to elevate individual opinion above truth, the “Our culture is depleted and burned out because
Spirit and the institution of the church. It offered a it rebels against the God-given limitations placed
more “exciting†and secret way to spirituality. But on it. Individuals are depleted because we
God has put in place authorities and institutions refuse to live within the fields that God has
which, while not perfect, act as good guides and given us (like a local church community).
boundary lines for sinful people who tend to wander Instead we burn ourselves out seeking greater
and stray - as Jesus reminded us - like sheep often do freedom and autonomy.â€
(Lk.15:1-7).
We need to re-commit to ordinary (mundane) church
While the worship of institutions is a bad thing, God and to the individuals and families that make up that
has actually given us institutions like governments church. That means being there for each other and
and family and church as helps and guides for wise partaking regularly of the corporate disciplines of
living. Our modern culture has an inherent suspicion worship, serving each other and submitting ourselves
of institutions and church is one of them. This is not voluntarily to the leadership of the elders. Sayers
so surprising in our modern world which propagates again says “Maybe the limitations of church, the
individualism – the more worrying trend is that discipline of regular attendance, the commitment
Christians are themselves following this anti-God it requires, also teach us to be Christ-like. Maybe
trend and exhibiting this prejudice when it comes we need to reimagine church in our minds as a
to their own local churches. spiritual discipline which teaches us the value of
delayed gratification, of personally investing in
In recent years, alert observers of our culture have change, of becoming more like Jesusâ€.
seen a slow but marked lack of commitment to the
ordinary means of grace like church attendance, May God help us to fight the old heresies which keep
Bible reading and simple service of others. Today coming around and which are alive and well in 2016 so
it is seen to be “cool†to be relaxed about church that our churches, and we ourselves, become happier,
membership, to avoid regular commitment and be healthier and holier.
happier to take rather than give. And this is not just
among some of the younger generation of Christians. In Him,
Yes it is there but the spirit of the age is impacting
people of all ages. Norman
Can I recommend you purchase for your Disappearing Church by Mark Sayers
summer reading a short book by Mark Sayers called Moody Publishers (Feb 2016)
Disappearing Church which describes better than ISBN: 9780802413352
I ever could the toxic thinking which is infiltrating our
churches and contributing to a slow death.
