The Greatest Threat to Christianity - A Low View of Church

A low view of church – We need to save the lost by winning their favor is the “relevant” slogan. If they like us then they will like Jesus! This mindset turns our churches into avenues of entertainment, places for motivational seminars, or “a distribution pint for spiritual goods” as “Christianity Today” put it.

“In Reveal [a survey undertaken by Willow Creek Church], talk about the church is framed as if it were merely a distribution point for spiritual goods and services. For example, the study says that the dissatisfied, more than any other segment, have a much higher level of expectation “for what the church can and should deliver.” Furthermore, the dissatisfied say that when it comes to engendering personal spiritual growth, “the church is letting me down.”

The study’s answer suggests a disturbingly low view of the church: It concludes that the dissatisfied need to realize that “much of the responsibility for their spiritual growth belongs to them” (emphasis in the original). And “We [at Willow] have to let people know early on in their journey that they need to look beyond the church to grow.” (emphasis added).

But according to the apostle Paul, the church is where each one is given a gift “so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:12-13).

For Paul, solid spiritual growth cannot be found “beyond the church,” but only in its midst. The study rightly says, “Our people need to learn to feed themselves through personal spiritual practices.” Unfortunately, the study fails to hint that these spiritual disciplines are intrinsically grounded in the ongoing life of the church. This implicit dualism (between private and corporate spiritual growth) suggests something different from Paul’s view that it is in the body of Christ that we are joined together to “grow up into him who is the Head” (Eph. 4:15)”

This is evident in most churches in that the biblical requirement to practice church discipline (1 Corinthians 5:6-8) is non-existent. There is no church discipline at all. Confrontation over sin is seen as judgmental. This is a lack of awareness of the holiness of God. God’s desire for the church to be holy, set apart for Him is lost when the church looks and acts like the world.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9

Next week: What can we do?

You can find all the posts in this series here.