One of the primary theses of this blog site: that the church needs to re-assert itself as the principal agency on the earth, is very scary to many people--in particular, Protestant Christians. And one can easily understand why. They shake in their boots, to consider what church-centeredness might mean. They look at church history in general, and they think, "Oh no, not another Spanish Inquisition!" There is, in many Protestants, especially in America, an abject fear of the abuse of authority. Though authority may be, and often is put to vicious uses, the devil has employed this over-hesitancy to rob Protestants of one their greatest potential assets: the profound benefits of a serious allegiance to the church of Christ.
Roman Catholics are much more amenable to ecclesiocentricity. They have been always taught the primacy of their church. Though their understanding is misguided in some ways, viz. in the exaltation of a pope, etc., they are much more on the right track, than on the wrong one, when it comes to their overall professed belief in the importance of the church.
The truth be told, it has ONLY been when Protestants *did* have a high and biblical view of the church, that they were ever effective in the world. Certainly, the Reformers, Luther and Calvin in particular, understood and believed in ecclesiocentricity. The same could be said for the Puritans, and for all the glory of genuine revivals, that came in their powerful wake.
American evangelicals have largely turned a jaundiced eye to the church. They would rather have their Bibles, their private religion, and their hopes for a swift end of all things, to comfort them. But, if the truth be told, they can never be either satisfied, or happy without a strong view of the church.
Hey, we're all in process. Let us learn from our Roman Catholic brethren, and bless God that He built the church on such a fallible man as Peter. As we do this, let us thank God that Jesus, the perfect One, is the church's cornerstone.
The Forum for Ecclesiocentricity is designed to educate Christians and non-Christians alike to understand the Biblical teaching concerning the Church (the "Puritan" church in particular), with regard to its principal role on the earth. When this is achieved, it is hoped that the Church would then be in a better position to convey Christ's redemptive virtues to the civil government (state), and the family. (You may email me at: markjhenninger@gmail.com)
