Wow, this hits a nerve with me...

Article by Kevin Miller at CT titled:

"No Church? No Problem."
"George Barna wants commitment to the local congregation to sink lower than ever."

This is the last paragraph...I like it.
"Do you want to become a Revolutionary? First, trade your copy of "Revolution" for "Life Together", the manifesto written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer during the dark days of Nazi Germany. Then, if you want to do heroic and revolutionary exploits, go back to your local church. That's something so spiritually challenging that several million people no longer want to do it."

I guess that sums it up for me...I have never read "Life Together", but I think I am going to go looking for it. I guess I have been individualistic in this season. While a certain amount of it has been necessary for my own spiritual health...a certain amount has been my lack of desire to DEAL with the church anymore...it's just too dang hard.

But it's at least as hard (I think) to be disassociated from the church (little "c")...to be isolated, to be judged and criticized...and to have this horrible nagging doubt that maybe I AM wrong to be out...not because other people tell me it's wrong, not because the bible says "meet together" (which I do, just not in church)...

...but because Christ wants us all to be unified under the banner of His love and grace. Not because we HAVE to meet together in "church", but because choosing NOT to meet together in "church" leads to disunity.

Another case of having to look at Christianity backwards. Not WHY should we be in church, or WHY we should not be "going it alone", but WHAT happens to the Church (big "C") when we DO NOT meet?

Here's to thinking about it.

via Jason Clark