finding Proportion…

Whenever something that has been overemphasized is being brought back to a healthy level of emphasis, it can be hard to take. Often people react as if I am saying it is not important. They fail to understand that the only reason it is seemingly being de-emphasized is because it was overly emphasized to begin with. This has happened often in my conversations about church and our attempts to organize God. Last week, after speaking on a college campus, I was told one student left agitated saying, “He wants us to replace our worship to God with service to humans.” This was in response to my opinion that they should forgo the normal flow of chapel of songs, prayer, scripture reading, speaker, and announcements from time to time and see how many sandwiches two hundred or so college students could pump out in a half hour for the local homeless shelter. Now, as ridiculous as that student’s statement may sound, he didn’t come up with that viewpoint on his own. He is a product of our churches.

So let me offer up a few ways I think we have “missed the point” by overemphasizing one area to the detriment of another. These could all become individual blog posts in the future, so please allow me to be very brief here.

We have overemphasized…
Worship service vs. Worshipful service - yes that is a fancy-schmancy play on words all to say we spend way more time in church than we do in the community and it is a shame. I ask us to consider how much time we personally spend sitting in pews singing songs to God versus “feeding Jesus.” The last time I checked, Jesus’ description of judgment in Matthew 25:31-46 didn’t include anything about worship “services.”

Structure vs. Community – in some places, instead of allowing structure to benefit the task of creating community among us, we have allowed structure to hold us back.

Promoting religion vs. Fruitful living – this is the difference between trying to get someone to come to church versus taking peace, love, joy, kindness…to them where they are at. This is the difference between church member and Christ follower.

Personal Piety vs. Producing Formation – “Personal piety” is a righteousness that benefits you. It is rooted in a “think right + do right = be right” mindset. This mindset allows you to sing the song “Jesus is coming soon, morning or night or noon, many will meet their doom,” to an upbeat melody. On the other hand “Producing formation” is about one being spiritually formed and engaging in activities that spiritually form them not only for their own life enhancement or hell avoidance, but instead to be a force of Christ-like goodness in the lives of others.

Shaking hands vs. Washing Feet – this is the difference between staying clean and getting dirty. This is the difference between chit-chat and engaging. This is the difference between convenient fellowship and hard work.

Morality vs. Spirituality – morality is a part of the bigger picture of spirituality. In some circles, we have watered down spirituality to a list of things we are not allowed to do. Many in these circles can become opinionated, judgmental and very stuffy puritans. Spirituality contains morality, but it focuses more on what we can become and what could be done instead of what cannot. Spirituality is more about engaging in life where as when it is watered down to morality alone, it becomes about isolation and separation.

Status vs. Journey – maybe we have worked harder at trying to get people saved and then keeping them saved through worship service attendance and bible classes, than we have at maturing them into deep wells of love, sacrifice and mercy. Maybe that is why someone with a deep soul stands out so much in our churches.

In order to restore more balance in these areas as individuals or congregations, it will take some theological shifts. Theological shifts are complicated and messy, but right now we need them badly. There are undoubtedly more areas of overemphasis that could be listed so feel free to add to the comments.