I once lived and worked in a community where most professionals were expatriates. The community was relatively small, and we were in the middle of a desert, so there was not much to do when not at work.
Among the clubs and societies, the primary activities were
centered at the bar, the golf club, and the church. In some ways, all three were very similar – a
place to hang out with people with similar interests. In the bar, you played pool or darts, and
drank while socializing. At the golf
club, you drank and socialized after the round (although a number of people
skipped the game and went straight to the drinking part). At church there was no alcohol but lots of
food, and instead of a game there was a service.
Some differences were the entrance requirements. The bar was wide open, and anyone was welcome. The church welcomed anyone initially, but to
get involved you had to sign onto a statement of faith. The golf club was the most exclusive. You didn’t get onto the property without
being a member, or in the company of a member.
Riffraff were excluded because membership was only offered to those who
could find the support of existing members.
Then there was the money part.
There were no membership fees at the bar, the expectation to tithe at
the church, and hefty joining and annual fees at the golf club.
All three of these institutions met a fundamental need - for
people to find community and support when in need. However, only one explicitly offered an
answer to the other fundamental need – to worship. The church was a place where people could be
unified under their worship of Christ, regardless of their nationality,
political opinion, or sporting prowess. The
focus on God generally transcended personal differences.
Flip forward 40 years to Midwest USA and I am thinking about
the churches I have been involved in here.
They also meet the need for fellowship and community among like-minded
people. But I do wonder whether they are
so wrapped in enforcing social norms to protect a certain way of life, that
they have forgotten to worship, and in essence are not very different from the
golf club where the riffraff are excluded.
Expressing a political or social (or even scientific) opinion (even if
it is based on scripture) different from the local norm (often dictated by a
politician) leads to being shunned.
I understand that monumental changes are swirling around us,
and that is terrifying. I would argue,
though, that the appropriate response is to obey the commands to love people,
and trust the almighty God, rather than to circle the wagons and shoot at everyone
who is different. The other fundamental
need is to worship, and we can’t do that well without loving. Indeed, telling God how to keep the world in
order is the opposite of worship.
So the challenge I would beg you to address honestly: is the
place you go on Sundays a place of worship, or a club?
