A long time ago I read a book by Dr. M. Scott Peck called, “The Road Less Travelled.” In this book he spoke of the true meaning of community and our need to connect and be a part of true community. He went on to develop these thoughts further in subsequent writing. His work twigged something in me and I went on to read more of his books as I felt drawn to what he described. But where does one go to find such “true community”?
According to Peck, community is: "a group of individuals who have learned how to communicate honestly with each other, whose relationships go deeper than their masks of composure, and who have developed some significant commitment to "rejoice together, mourn together," and to "delight in each other, and make others' conditions our own."
He (Peck) compares community to a precious gem when he states "A group becomes a community in somewhat the same way that a stone becomes a gem - through a process of cutting and polishing. Once cut and polished, it is something beautiful. But to describe its beauty, the best we can do is to describe its facets. Community, like a gem, is multifaceted, each facet a mere aspect of a whole that defies description."
He lays out some basic ideas that are true in any real sense of community which include:
- Community must be inclusive
- Community must be realistic and have consensus
- Community must have contemplation and self-awareness
- Community must be a safe place
- Community must show vulnerability & peacemaking
- Community must be able to express differences gracefully
- Community must be a place where all are leaders
- Community must have an atmosphere of love
In my own experience, it was this very need for community that drew me back to church after having struck out on my own for a very long time. But why the desire to change what I had been doing and begin attending a church? It was not to hear sermons or study and pray. I found plenty to study on my own, there were many good talks and videos on the computer and I preferred praying by myself. I thought church might fill my emerging realization that I was missing the fellowship of like minded and supportive individuals who had formed some kind of community. The key here being “like-minded” and “supportive” coupled with a family like atmosphere.
Ever since we’ve found ourselves in a so called “pandemic,” one thing that has really disappointed me is the lacklustre response - to this violation of religious liberty - from the broader Christian community. For much of the past 14+ months many of us have not only felt physically isolated but (to some extent) emotionally and spiritually as well. I often have felt largely alone in my frustration and concerns about what was being done to our freedom to assemble and our religious freedom as well. There seemed to be very little support or like-minded care and concern from the church – particularly in Canada. I was left wondering, did they all care so little, and was it just me? Was I just being foolish? Could “church” be so easily replaced ... or is this simply a reflection of the Canadian psyche who like to see themselves as “peacekeepers” and will go along to get along?
To give some context to the discussion: Some months prior to Covid-19 being declared a pandemic, my wife and I had signed a lease to move into an apartment in town. With this plan in mind, we had just sold our country home – a house I’d had for the past thirty-two years. Now, anytime one faces a major move, the unyielding pressure of sorting, packing, downsizing, arranging and moving is recognized by experts as major stress. Now – suddenly – in the midst of our preparation to move, we found ourselves in the midst of a government declared emergency and lock-down. Oh, we could complete our move (and did) but without the help we’d been counting on. Needless to say, the stress burden was suddenly and significantly even higher. I just mention this for a couple reasons: to highlight the head/emotional space I was in and secondly to acknowledge the emotional support we did experience from many within the church community as they reached out to us through calls, texts and messages of support.
Early in this lock-down, I recall having a discussion with a Christian sister on this subject and I recall listening to her describe how she and her husband had just finished watching (from the comfort of their own living room) the service from her own church. She concluded they had “done church” and it was just fine…she concluded I was just over-blowing everything. She believed closing all the churches was necessary and my concern was for naught. Over time I came to realize many of my Christian brothers and sisters felt the same - and I could not believe it. Everyone seemed to grasp the stress generated by the move but, sadly, not the concern and frustration about the removal of my/our basic freedoms (including religious freedom and the freedom to assemble).
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not in any way knocking “over-the-air” church and religious services. I think there are many who can - and do - benefit from them (particularly those who cannot get out of their homes for one reason or another). My own mother was a grateful beneficiary of on-line church services and I myself was drawn into fellowship through a process that at one point included on-line and television services. However, these cannot be viewed as a replacement or satisfactory reason for no longer assembling ourselves together.
All that I’ve said thus far will, I hope, establish the foundation of some related (though difficult to connect in essay form) random thoughts I’ve been having on the subject over the past number of months:
- Look at the passage in Hebrews 10 verses 19-25 for an idea of why we are called to come together. Verse 25 seems very relevant to the topic at hand when it reads: “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
BibleRef.com has this to say about this passage and verse:
“Personal contact with other Christians is not merely suggested by the Bible: it is commanded. A practical reason for this was given in the prior verse. Relationships with other believers are one way to be encouraged to live out the faith we proclaim. We are called on to "hold fast," through our own spiritual maturity. Growth in faith, however, is greatly influenced by having Christian examples around us. This is why the Great Commission was for the church to "make disciples," not merely to talk about Jesus (Matthew 28:18–20). Verse 24 commanded Christians to look for opportunities to inspire others to love and to good works.
This verse specifically disapproves of failure, on the part of Christians, to meet with other Christians. The Greek term used here is enkataleipontes, referring to "an abandonment or forsaking." The ESV translates this term as "neglect," since it implies a failure to do something one ought to be doing. In clear terms, Christians have an obligation to fellowship with other Christians. This is not only necessary for discipleship, but so that we can meet each other's needs, and encourage and inspire other Christians in their faith (Hebrews 3:13; Colossians 3:16).”
- Within the tradition I was raised, great emphasis was placed on religious liberty – indeed, they even published a magazine “Religious Liberty” established in 1906 and continuing on to this very day. I was raised with the understanding that the day was coming when our religious freedom would be taken from us and we would be persecuted for our beliefs and practices. This tradition used to maintain a watchful eye on all legislation and proposals that might infringe on our religious freedoms and actively lobbied for the maintenance of our freedom and the complete separation of church and state. Yet, when several months ago churches were ordered closed, this same tradition very quickly rolled over without seeming to offer any resistance. When there was also very little initial resistance from other traditions, I was disappointed even further. Since then, we have begun to see some people and a few churches (more so in the USA) advocating for this fundamental right and challenging the government’s authoritarian actions.
- In the month of May, a morning devotional series I follow, dedicated the months readings to the subject of community (note: this series had been written and decided upon before any pandemic had been declared or lock-down ordered). Here is a link to the library of topics published – when you get there, look up May 2020: https://today.reframemedia.com/daily-devotional-library
On June 12, 2020, that same devotional, commenting on Hebrews 3:7-19 published the following commentary:
“In the book of Hebrews we have come to a passage that serves as a warning sign. And we do well to pay attention to what the author is saying here. The writer is pointing to the history of God’s people and showing how it did not play out so well. People were quick to harden their hearts and turn away from God.
So we need to learn from the mistakes of others. Don’t harden your hearts to the Lord. Keep focused on Jesus.
One important lesson we find here is that in living in community together, we need to encourage each other in our walk with God. We cannot keep free from sin and temptation on our own; we need the Lord, and we need each other. We need to encourage each other to keep on following the Lord.
When the people of God ignored warning signs in the past, they ran into real danger. Let’s not get so used to warning signs that we begin to ignore them. Let’s continue to encourage each other to “fix [our] thoughts on Jesus” (Hebrews 3:1).”
- As I looked back at the establishment of the early Christian church, particularly during this period of government ordered “social distancing,” I am compelled to wonder just what would have happened if Christ’s earliest followers had complied with such an order. The idea that the disciples or Jesus himself would practice social distancing belies the truth of the gospel itself. Sickness, highly contagious diseases and plagues were present during this time in history. Lepers were socially isolated and yet Jesus did not distance himself from any – but he went to them and ministered to them.
The church was built on a strong social basis – the community. Not only this but that very community was instrumental in ministering to the sick – even to the point of taking on the risk of illness within it’s very ranks. Many efforts were made to break up these communities as the church was relentlessly attacked – and many died – but the church grew and flourished. I wonder what history will have to say about the church during our time.
- I recall hearing a story that illustrates the importance of assembling together – it goes something like this:
A certain man, having become disgruntled with something that had transpired in his church, decided he did not need the fellowship of that group. He decided he could worship, pray and study the scripture on his own. After several weeks of absence, the pastor became concerned and went to visit the man. The man proceeded to outline his grievance and concluded he saw no need to continue attending. The pastor quietly went over to the man’s fireplace, where a nice fire was burning brightly, and taking the poker, he separated a burning stick from the rest of the fire. Within a very short time the flame on the stick began to die down, smoulder and then go out. The point had been made. We are dependent on each other for many reasons and it helps keep the flame alive.
Will this lock-down end soon? I hope so. Perhaps it can be seen as a warning or a test – you decide. Me? I’m alarmed. I wonder, even if things ever go back to some kind of normal, how many flames might have gone out – how much damage might be done. Is community important…Is Christian fellowship important? You decide for yourself. If it is, then we must be prepared to stand for that in which we believe.
This being the spring of 2021, and having endured more than a year of lockdowns and restrictions on our freedom, I think most folks would agree with me when I say, “We live in frustrating times.” Many of us are not only feeling frustrated, but numerous other feelings as well; feelings which can get quite raw resulting in anger that boils quickly to the surface.
For nearly a year and a half we’ve been subjected to a daily stream of a media-generated, fear-inducing narrative that has been used to reinforce governmental declarations of emergency measures. Any counter narrative, any discussion that refutes the fear-driven agenda has been almost completely squashed and censored. This censorship has been applied across the board - from the citizen in the street to the top scientists and medical experts in the various fields – none have escaped political and social censure.
Of course, even though real science is not determined by public opinion or polling, nevertheless the ploy has been to tap into the, fear driven, “tyranny of the majority.” That is to say, manipulate public opinion until there are sufficient numbers in the mob to then declare, “this is what we are doing, this is what the majority demand.” The problem with this should be obvious...a manipulated, ill-informed majority is incapable of making well-informed decisions and has little regard for individual or personal rights and freedoms.
Everyone seems to have an opinion of what “they” should be doing – opinions all based on the information the folks have been feeding upon. The old computer adage was never more true, “garbage in, garbage out.” The battlefield truly is the mind. The result we are thus seeing is that we’ve become buried under the mountain of garbage that has been produced. However, making actual good reasonable, responsible and wise decisions requires a lot of work these days. For starters, the garbage must be filtered out before it is fed (as data or information) into the computer – so to speak. Research into all the known facts AND listening as well to all alternate but informed opinions and theories (from numerous highly accredited doctors, researchers and scientists – currently being ridiculed and/or ignored) must also be included in the debate. ALL consequences must be evaluated, as they become known, and with enough flexibility built in to adjust the plans as new information becomes available. Finally, both political and media driven agendas must not be allowed to sway the decision making whilst calling it “science.” In today's world it is not enough to simply rely on main-stream media reporting to consider oneself “informed” but personal research and effort is required – especially when one side of the debate is so often suppressed.
So...what does any of this have to do with Christianity and thus the title of this essay? For starters, the same forces at play in the culture around us today are also at play within the church. Members of the church are also citizens of the state and are effected by those same influences which effect everybody else in their day-to-day lives. And like everybody else, Christians are subject to the same agendas played out through whatever media they follow and pay attention to. Biased, incomplete, inaccurate and censored information effects everyone unwilling to question, dig deeper and think critically. The same “Garbage In Garbage Out” formula effects the minds and subsequent behaviour of Christians as well as everybody else that does not know how to filter what they are taking in.
The Bible has a lot to say about what we put into our minds.... Here I’m thinking along such lines as, guarding one’s mind, admonitions and commands against fear, putting on the “Armour of God,” etc just to name a few. It should be quite obvious that what happens in the mind is extremely important and everything we believe and do flows from our mind. Actions – behaviour is initiated by our mind.
Proverbs 4:23 says “More than anything you guard, protect your mind, for life flows from it.” (CEB)
With respect to the “Armour of God,” the first piece of the armour mentioned is the belt of truth. Truth matters. Truth, by its very definition, is exclusive. It means something is true and other things are false and in some cases outright lies.
The beliefs you hold in your mind are based on what you believe to be true. The evil one – the devil - is the father of lies (John 8:44). Every lie finds its origin in him. Are your beliefs based on the truth? Every other piece of the full armour of God is dependent on the belt of truth. Without truth we are stuck – anything we might attempt is destined eventually to fail and any progress or accomplishment ultimately fails without truth. Truth makes for the most solid and best foundation on which to build. A castle built on a foundation of sand cannot stand for very long.
Fear is perhaps the most destructive state of mind we can have. In Psalm 46: 1-3, it says:
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”
As believers in Christ, we are commanded not to fear – and yet the past fourteen months have seen nothing but concerted efforts to promote fear throughout the population; those efforts have been highly successful with both unbelievers as well as believers. It might be useful therefore to ask oneself, “Who might be wanting me to be afraid at this time and what might they stand to gain if I give in to fear?”
When the “pandemic” was declared in March 2020, nobody knew exactly what to expect, but the modelling used by various health agencies made very dire predictions of massive death counts and hospital systems that would collapse and fail under the strain. Therefore it made some degree of sense to proceed with caution as various governments decided on a plan of “fourteen days to flatten the curve.” This, they claimed, was specifically to give the hospitals a chance to stay ahead of the expected influx of sick and dying people thus preventing their (the hospitals) ultimate failure. Even then however, many experts warned this would not eliminate the illness but simply lengthen the duration with approximately the same numbers of people catching the “virus.” In other words, in much the same way that the common cold is endemic to the population, this Corona virus would also become (and most likely already was) endemic. Nevertheless churches along with most businesses quickly complied and closed down. YouTube became the church pulpit and videos became the weekly message. Anything else the church might stand for and provide within the community was quenched.
Within a fairly short period of time data started becoming available that the virus was far less lethal than feared. It began to emerge that most of deaths attributed to Covid were, in fact, from other causes entirely unrelated to Covid and by the CDC’s own estimation, only about 6% of those reported deaths were caused by Covid alone. Of those who did die from Covid, approximately 80% were over 80 years of age, most were in nursing homes and many had two or more serious preexisting medical conditions already. When it was realized that the modelling on which early projections were based was very seriously flawed and that the PCR testing was highly unreliable, people began to demand the loosening of some of these restrictions on their liberty. As time has progressed, the damage done to lives, businesses, families and whole communities by these early decisions has become all the more evident and there is growing evidence to support the cessation of those early measures. In any event, people (citizens) began to become very alarmed with the tremendous over-reach of various levels of government coupled with other ‘darker’ agendas that appeared to be at work in this “declared emergency.”
Ever since the church ceded it’s constitutional and charter authority to the government’s order, it has remained unjustly and unnecessarily constrained and suppressed (and remember “we,” who meet together in the name of Christ, are the church – not some building or particular creed). At first religious gatherings were deemed “unessential” and then later churches were stifled under ridiculously unreasonable numbers who might assemble. Cannabis stores and liquor stores were deemed “essential” and permitted to operate all the while churches were closed. When church gatherings were again permitted, it was very restricted, it was far below the allowed access to Costco, Walmart and many other very large-chain stores. The “10-15 only” allowed in to church would get lost among the crowd of hundreds in the department store just across the street. It’s almost as if church attendees are viewed as far less intelligent and capable of exercising sound judgment and therefore require far greater supervision and restriction. Such government action also fails to recognize the authority to assemble and worship is a freedom bestowed by God and not by some government decree.
In a recent discussion among friends, we were discussing the plight of those few churches (and their pastors) who did not comply with public-health orders by daring to remain open and operational. Based on absolutely no sound evidence, no demonstrated threat to the community and no spread of disease, the health authorities nevertheless pressured government and law authorities into issuing millions of dollars in fines. These churches were subjected to police harassment and bullying tactics with some such tactics actually violating the Criminal Code of Canada [Section 176 (2)] . When all this did not succeed in forcing these churches closed, the government resorted to seizing properties, fencing and locking churches and arresting pastors. If anything, these measures have not only failed to stop the church from meeting, those churches actually seem to be flourishing.
The discussion of this topic, on a broader scale, reveals a split within the church itself. Many church leaders and many self-declared Christians are among those very critical of these churches who have remained open and active – and this I find very troubling. I am not surprised by mostly secular, largely atheistic governments adopting such a view but saddened and surprised to see it reflected in some of the church congregations as well. Some have said things like, “Serves them right!” or “Why don’t they just follow the law...they had it coming” and various expressions amounting to, “They’re giving Christianity a bad name.”
So how has the church responded to this current crisis? Here it really pains and saddens me to have to say that in my opinion I’d have to say that on the whole we have responded poorly. From discussions such as those just mentioned, I was led to conclude that in my opinion the church (Canadian Christian church in general) has a huge problem with being too timid and conceding ground to forces of darkness far too easily. This is an internal problem. This assessment is an opinion I’ve expressed to those Christian friends who are more than happy to condemn the actions of pastors who dare stand up to tyranny while continuing to minister to their communities and spread the gospel message. I think they (the critics) might be more than a little uncomfortable that someone is showing them up as being far too comfortable and unwilling to stand up when it is called for. It has become far too easy to sit on a comfy chair in one’s pyjamas, sipping their morning coffee while watching a religious service on YouTube and call that, “doing church.”
So, now that my assessment has possibly caused some offence, let’s take a closer look at it. Perhaps I am being far too harsh in my opinions? Under the current circumstances, is the YouTube pulpit indeed the responsible and reasonable way for us “doing church?” Does the YouTube pulpit meet the criteria for which the church was established? Well, to answer these questions there are a number of things that we need to consider. The following is taken from https://www.compellingtruth.org/purpose-church.html:
“The purpose of the church is to be the believer's spiritual family. It is through the church that God takes people with different personalities and gifts, unifies them as a single body, and equips them to care for each other and reach the world. We were not meant to live the Christian life alone; surrounded by the biblical teaching and loving community of the church, together we find our own purpose in life.”
Among the statements in the referenced article, the church was created with both internal and external functions in mind. - Fulfill the “Great Commission.” There is no more noble purpose than to introduce others to Christ.
- Teach sound doctrine, prayer, the “breaking of bread” and for fellowship (Acts 2:42)
- Provides an opportunity to reconcile differences and right wrongs as we examine our interactions with fellow believers. (1 Corinthians 11:27-28)
- The natural result of sound teaching and a unified body is members of the church will help provide for and take care of each other. The church is called to pray for each other as part of that taking care and includes bringing each others needs before God. (Acts 12:5; Philippians 1:3-4)
- The church is called to help meet each others practical needs. (James 1:27). In fact one of the primary purposes of the church is to provide for the needs of its members. (Acts 20:34-35; Romans 15:26)
In short – and to my way of thinking, the church is to function as a community in a world that is hostile to God and His word. (See John 15:18-25). This community is absolutely vital for us all and especially for those of us who might be struggling and need the fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ. We were never intended to stand alone against the insidious, deceptive and hostile teachings and pressures of the world but we are called to stand together to help and support each other.
Continued: Random Thoughts: Fast Food Christianity - Part 2
