Church business or business of the church

 “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone."

- Jesus

 

I will say a few things in case anyone doesn't want to read further after what I’ve said. Of course, something we don't read could be an idea which never crossed our minds, previously. This may almost be a brief rant, but it’s not intended as a diatribe. Yes, the introductory quote will be relevant. That quote is relevant in Christianity because if Jesus didn’t want to be called good, it’s probably a beneficial concept to pursue ourselves. “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone." I know many who consider themselves progressive Christians. There is nothing wrong with being a Christian wanting a better Christianity. Certainly, some portions of Christian history aren’t all that admirable; however, some were indeed. For example, Mother Teresa and many others were exemplary in their faith. We can’t change history. We must take the good with the bad, and then again often this is true for all aspects of life. My concern in this post is that if we really shouldn’t call ourselves good, we should be careful in judging others. Well, that is my introduction, here we go.

First and foremost, if we judge, we are not progressives. We are simply someone being critical of someone who has a slightly different worldview. We may as well accept we are also fundamentalists with a different worldview than the one we believe is wrong. A good question I like to ask is can I prove the other person is wrong in their view? Furthermore, if we answer yes because it's how we interpret Scriptures, I rest my case. We are then obviously fundamentalists like any other, but with a different view (or a different type). Based on my experience, if one is really searching, our worldview might change more than once throughout our life, depending on many factors. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t question or challenge what doesn’t seem right.

We constantly must evaluate right and wrong as we grow in our spiritual lives. I personally question many things. A good example for me is should the Lord's message be given freely? I have always thought, yes. Did Jesus say in The Great Commission go into all the world and charge a hefty fee for the good news? Some aspects of church have become a business. Yes, there are some who have private jets, and all sorts of things to aid in spreading their message. A lot of that message is interpretation of Scripture by them. Sadly, Scriptures are often interpreted for someone's own personal benefit. If we look at church history, not just using a Sola-Scriptura worldview, we might learn that some of the customs of the early fathers were not the way we've interpreted them to be today. This is probably why many prefer not to study history that much. There’s much in Scriptures that can enlighten us about making a living from the Good News. For instance, from Scriptures alone we know that Saint Paul was a tent maker. He worked secularly. Don't get me wrong, everyone knows if one is fair and honest in what they do. Do your own self-analysis. It is always good to check where we are at a certain moment in time like the present. I will stop here. Blessings!