WHY BOTHER WITH CHURCH? (2 OF 7)
by Scott Maze
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:1-3
This content is part of a series.
Why Bother with Church? (2 of 7)
Series: Rethinking Your View of the Church
Scott Maze
1 Corinthians 1:1-3
The Barna Group reports that about 10 million self-proclaimed born-again Christians have not been in church the last six months. Nearly all of these 10 million people say their faith is important to them, but their spiritual life has nothing to do with church.
Bono, lead singer for the rock group U2, has campaigned for the church to become more involved in the fight against AIDS. Bono emerged as a star example of the unchurched Christian. Having once been involved in a loosely structured Irish fellowship, Bono now seldom goes to church. He does pray. He likes to say grace at meals. He has a favorite Bible translation. But he doesn't want to be pinned down about a commitment to church: ''I just go where the life is, you know? Where I feel the Holy Spirit. If it's in the back of a Roman Catholic cathedral, in the quietness and the incense, which suggest the mystery of God, of God's presence, or in the bright lights of the revival tent, I just go where I find life. I don't see denomination. I generally think religion gets in the way of God.''
Virginia Slims cigarette ads from the 1970's were famous for telling women, ''You've come a long way, baby.'' One 1978 ad in particular showed a woman hanging laundry out to dry and the text said: ''Back then, every man gave his wife at least one day a week out of the house. You've come a long way, baby.'' To the right of the haggard women and her laundry is a well-dressed and sexy women smoking his cigarette. It's more than thirty years since the ad displayed itself on billboards around our country. The church has come a long was as well. Yet, I'm not sure if all our changes have given us reason to celebrate.
''Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints togeth ...
Series: Rethinking Your View of the Church
Scott Maze
1 Corinthians 1:1-3
The Barna Group reports that about 10 million self-proclaimed born-again Christians have not been in church the last six months. Nearly all of these 10 million people say their faith is important to them, but their spiritual life has nothing to do with church.
Bono, lead singer for the rock group U2, has campaigned for the church to become more involved in the fight against AIDS. Bono emerged as a star example of the unchurched Christian. Having once been involved in a loosely structured Irish fellowship, Bono now seldom goes to church. He does pray. He likes to say grace at meals. He has a favorite Bible translation. But he doesn't want to be pinned down about a commitment to church: ''I just go where the life is, you know? Where I feel the Holy Spirit. If it's in the back of a Roman Catholic cathedral, in the quietness and the incense, which suggest the mystery of God, of God's presence, or in the bright lights of the revival tent, I just go where I find life. I don't see denomination. I generally think religion gets in the way of God.''
Virginia Slims cigarette ads from the 1970's were famous for telling women, ''You've come a long way, baby.'' One 1978 ad in particular showed a woman hanging laundry out to dry and the text said: ''Back then, every man gave his wife at least one day a week out of the house. You've come a long way, baby.'' To the right of the haggard women and her laundry is a well-dressed and sexy women smoking his cigarette. It's more than thirty years since the ad displayed itself on billboards around our country. The church has come a long was as well. Yet, I'm not sure if all our changes have given us reason to celebrate.
''Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints togeth ...
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