How are parishioners, especially those who have had negative experiences with authority figures in their past, to trust church officers: pastors, elders, and deacons? This is a good question, and it is one that merits our careful and compassionate consideration.
First of all, it is good to note that the Fall has left ALL people skeptical (at best), and rebellious (at worst), when it comes to ANY authority.
But what is not often comprehended, is that refusal to trust authority is directly related to refusal to trust God. Now, no one denies that a saint's trust of God is to be implicit, comprehensive, and filial. The same cannot be said about one's trust of all human authority. The godly person trusts other fallen sinners, put in positions of authority over them, in an incomplete and yet still sincere way.
Ironically, failure to trust (in this way) legitimate authority, is failure to trust in God, who providentially and sovereignly put the people He has, over us.
The best way for parishioners to trust church leaders, is for those leaders to show themselves worthy of their trust. Do they (the leaders) defend the flock? Do they feed the flock? Are they willing to stay with the flock, through thick and thin? If the answer is, "Yes," then the people in the pew develop a bond of trust and love, that cannot be generated in any other way.
The fact that there ARE bad church authorities is not to be taken as reason to cast an aspersion on all such authorities. God is especially hard on false shepherds. (But He is not easy on rebellious sheep, either.)
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Who's to integrate whom?
One of the hot issues today, is: who is to integrate whom?, when it comes to the relationships between the church, the state, and the family.
One significant organization today promotes the idea of "family-integrated churches." My thesis on this web site is exactly reversed; and that is should read: church-integrated families.
In truth, wherever we can be influenced for good, let it happen. But let us keep in mind that God works from the top, down; and not the other way around. Jesus came from heaven to earth, in the incarnation. He is the Head of His church, which is His colony of heaven on the earth.
The church, then, is the principal agency of God on the earth--and it is her mission to bless the rest of the world.
One significant organization today promotes the idea of "family-integrated churches." My thesis on this web site is exactly reversed; and that is should read: church-integrated families.
In truth, wherever we can be influenced for good, let it happen. But let us keep in mind that God works from the top, down; and not the other way around. Jesus came from heaven to earth, in the incarnation. He is the Head of His church, which is His colony of heaven on the earth.
The church, then, is the principal agency of God on the earth--and it is her mission to bless the rest of the world.
How to help people struggling with where to go
Every human being resorts, inevitably, to one of the three main societal realms, given us by God. People either look to the state for the answer to their problems; the family for the same; or to the church. The goal of this blog site is to encourage folks to look to the church.
Let's explore this whole dynamic in a bit more detail. Traditionally, we have associated those who look to the government for their salvation as "liberals." This is probably too simplistic, but, for the sake of convenience, let us settle on it for a while.
In recent years, there has been a very substantial movement, among many on the "right," (if you will), to seek the primary solutions to the problems of life in the realm of the family. These folks we might call "conservatives," (or maybe, strong conservatives).
There has always been a perverted notion among some unfortunate Christians, that would tend to worship the church, per se--and these people are not the models we want to choose.
So, given that this is The "Forum for Ecclesiocentricity," where do we go from here; and how do we help people who are struggling with these issues?
First of all, I think we need to state that the problem, and the difficulty of it, is a real, and palpable one. Anyone who has sought to raise a child (or children) in a responsible way in the past few decades (especially), knows how hard it is, and how one's heart is moved toward one position, or another. Therefore, we need true compassion as we deal with these issues, in the lives and souls of real human beings.
I dare say, however, in this particular blog, and I suspect I will expand on this later, that anything BUT the resorting to the church first, is a recipe for disaster. The devil easily picks off those who do not find their shelter under the wing of the bride of Christ. No matter how well-intended, anywhere else is a very scary and dangerous place to be.
Let's explore this whole dynamic in a bit more detail. Traditionally, we have associated those who look to the government for their salvation as "liberals." This is probably too simplistic, but, for the sake of convenience, let us settle on it for a while.
In recent years, there has been a very substantial movement, among many on the "right," (if you will), to seek the primary solutions to the problems of life in the realm of the family. These folks we might call "conservatives," (or maybe, strong conservatives).
There has always been a perverted notion among some unfortunate Christians, that would tend to worship the church, per se--and these people are not the models we want to choose.
So, given that this is The "Forum for Ecclesiocentricity," where do we go from here; and how do we help people who are struggling with these issues?
First of all, I think we need to state that the problem, and the difficulty of it, is a real, and palpable one. Anyone who has sought to raise a child (or children) in a responsible way in the past few decades (especially), knows how hard it is, and how one's heart is moved toward one position, or another. Therefore, we need true compassion as we deal with these issues, in the lives and souls of real human beings.
I dare say, however, in this particular blog, and I suspect I will expand on this later, that anything BUT the resorting to the church first, is a recipe for disaster. The devil easily picks off those who do not find their shelter under the wing of the bride of Christ. No matter how well-intended, anywhere else is a very scary and dangerous place to be.
The need for a strong clergy
At the risk of sounding self-serving--in that I am myself an ordained minister of the gospel--still some things need to be said, no matter from whom they arise.
The clergy is the heart and soul of any society. You can tell how potent or impotent any culture is, by observing the nature, mettle, and courage of the pastors of the churches.
So, it should not surprise anyone that a strong pastoral ministry is essential to the welfare of the church; and this blog, "The Forum for Ecclesiocentricy," is all about promoting that goal.
Pray that God raise up a crop of Puritan pastors, who will lead the church again into its rightful glorious place, as it proclaims the wonder and praise of Jesus.
The clergy is the heart and soul of any society. You can tell how potent or impotent any culture is, by observing the nature, mettle, and courage of the pastors of the churches.
So, it should not surprise anyone that a strong pastoral ministry is essential to the welfare of the church; and this blog, "The Forum for Ecclesiocentricy," is all about promoting that goal.
Pray that God raise up a crop of Puritan pastors, who will lead the church again into its rightful glorious place, as it proclaims the wonder and praise of Jesus.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Why is the church first?
When God first created anything, time began. On the sixth day of His creation, God created Adam. The moment Adam began to be, the Lord had His Church.
When God later created Eve, from Adam's side, the family was formed.
One might say that civil government was also formed, with the creation of the second human being, (although it might be more proper to say that the formation of multiple families constituted it).
All three of these institutions: the church, the family, and the state, are good; and they are ordained of God.
The family and the state are temporal institutions, in that they will cease to exist, at the end of conventional history, i.e. at the last coming of Christ, the resurrection of the body, the great judgment, and the eternal state.
The church, however, will always remain, throughout all of history, "temporal," and eternal.
When God later created Eve, from Adam's side, the family was formed.
One might say that civil government was also formed, with the creation of the second human being, (although it might be more proper to say that the formation of multiple families constituted it).
All three of these institutions: the church, the family, and the state, are good; and they are ordained of God.
The family and the state are temporal institutions, in that they will cease to exist, at the end of conventional history, i.e. at the last coming of Christ, the resurrection of the body, the great judgment, and the eternal state.
The church, however, will always remain, throughout all of history, "temporal," and eternal.
Welcome to the Forum for Ecclesiocentricity
It's good to have you viewing this material. I now know I did not invent the word, "Ecclesiocentricity," but I am confident that God instituted it, from the moment that He created Adam.
"Ecclesiocentricity" is a long word, but don't be intimidated by it. It comes from the collation of two words: "ecclesia," the Greek word for "church," (lit., the "called-out" ones); and "center," or being at the heart of things.
"Ecclesiocentricity" is a long word, but don't be intimidated by it. It comes from the collation of two words: "ecclesia," the Greek word for "church," (lit., the "called-out" ones); and "center," or being at the heart of things.
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