This is part two of the blog I posted
last week talking about the church signs that I had seen.
My husband, as a musician, was so intrigued with the sign from last week
‘Christians are like pianos …’ that he changed it, just a bit, to say “Churches are like pianos. They …..” and
sent it out to some of his musical, church-going friends and asked them to come
up with the ending.
This is what one of them responded:
"Churches are like pianos. They look grand on the outside, but
their song is out of tune."
‘Very
clever”, was my first response. And then the more I thought about it, the more
I realized that what our friend was saying in the vernacular of today was
exactly what the writer of Matthew had put on the lips of Jesus 2000 years ago
as he spoke to the religious leaders of his day:
"Woe to you , scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth." Matthew 23:27 [NRSV]
Yes, our churches do look grand on the outside. The cathedrals of Europe with their outstanding architecture are the destination of hordes of tourists each summer. The white-frame or stone churches of the Canadian countryside are no doubt charming as they grace our Christmas cards and calendars. But the numbers of worshipers inside them on a Sunday morning is ever decreasing.
So how exactly is their song 'out of tune'? The physical environment is more suited to a 100+ years ago with the rows of wooden pews, the lack of air-conditioning, the leaded, stained glass windows, and the clerical robes and hangings from the 4th century. The worship itself uses language that is only heard within the walls of a church, hymn tunes that were popular bar songs back in the 1600's, and readings that are all 2000 plus years old. The people, who aren't dressed as if they were gong to the shopping mall or a hockey game, stand up, sit down, genuflect cross themselves, and do all manner of weird and unexplained things seemingly without reason. Add to this the lack: of coffee available during the service, of modern washrooms, of updated facilities for baby/child care, of ample parking, and of sound systems at least at the level available in most sports arenas, and is a wonder that anyone under the age of 70 comes in the doors and stays.
And I haven't even got to what the church is saying to these people..
There has been an explosion of knowledge within the last 50 years. Yet, in the church, for the most part , we are asked to recite creeds and accept doctrines which reflect the worldview of 400 CE. Modern biblical scholarship is conspicuous by its absence, as are any writings done since 367 CE when a list of books that we know as the New Testament was published by Athanasius. Where are the writings of Meister Ekhart [1260-1328], Julian of Norwich [1342-1416], Thomas a Kempis [1380-1471], John T Robinson [1919-1983], Walter Wink [1935-2012], Desmond Tutu[ 1931- ] or Matthew Fox [1940- ] to name just a very few?
Yes, the institutional church is badly out of tune with today's world and the people living in it - but the question I have to ask is "Does it even care?" and I suspect the answer to that question will determine the church's survival.
"Woe to you , scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth." Matthew 23:27 [NRSV]
Yes, our churches do look grand on the outside. The cathedrals of Europe with their outstanding architecture are the destination of hordes of tourists each summer. The white-frame or stone churches of the Canadian countryside are no doubt charming as they grace our Christmas cards and calendars. But the numbers of worshipers inside them on a Sunday morning is ever decreasing.
So how exactly is their song 'out of tune'? The physical environment is more suited to a 100+ years ago with the rows of wooden pews, the lack of air-conditioning, the leaded, stained glass windows, and the clerical robes and hangings from the 4th century. The worship itself uses language that is only heard within the walls of a church, hymn tunes that were popular bar songs back in the 1600's, and readings that are all 2000 plus years old. The people, who aren't dressed as if they were gong to the shopping mall or a hockey game, stand up, sit down, genuflect cross themselves, and do all manner of weird and unexplained things seemingly without reason. Add to this the lack: of coffee available during the service, of modern washrooms, of updated facilities for baby/child care, of ample parking, and of sound systems at least at the level available in most sports arenas, and is a wonder that anyone under the age of 70 comes in the doors and stays.
And I haven't even got to what the church is saying to these people..
There has been an explosion of knowledge within the last 50 years. Yet, in the church, for the most part , we are asked to recite creeds and accept doctrines which reflect the worldview of 400 CE. Modern biblical scholarship is conspicuous by its absence, as are any writings done since 367 CE when a list of books that we know as the New Testament was published by Athanasius. Where are the writings of Meister Ekhart [1260-1328], Julian of Norwich [1342-1416], Thomas a Kempis [1380-1471], John T Robinson [1919-1983], Walter Wink [1935-2012], Desmond Tutu[ 1931- ] or Matthew Fox [1940- ] to name just a very few?
Yes, the institutional church is badly out of tune with today's world and the people living in it - but the question I have to ask is "Does it even care?" and I suspect the answer to that question will determine the church's survival.
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