As I mentioned a few posts ago, Matt Chandler gave a talk recently at the Desiring God conference that was really good. I know a lot of you seldom have the time to watch an entire message on the computer, so I thought I would throw up this shorter sound bite from the message he gave. This clip cuts totally to the heart of an issue that I am so very, very, very passionate about.
I am so concerned that a lot of evangelical teaching, books, methods, etc.... try to fix people's problems by only addressing surface issues. A lot of churches fall into this trap when they have "practical" teaching series that only zero in on "practical" topics and "practical" solutions. This can, at times, be like putting a band-aid on cancer. It may make the person look and feel better at the time, but it doesn't really address the problem at its root. In varying degrees the "7 steps to success" mentality can be found in churches of every denomination, from fundamentalist to charismatic so this really isn't a problem limited to one brand of church. Christless Christianity is something we must all be concerned about. To see an example of how Paul addressed the issue of people being set-free from sin and healed in Christ, read Ephesians 2. It is that example that Chandler is calling us to uphold as we try and proclaim the grace of God to our congregation and world in need.
1 comment:
And people are looking for those band-aids; they associate finding answers within the church, and the church becomes a hospital. I agree...the Gospel needs to be fluent with every sermon and in every service and in every series...or the church will cease to be.
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