Paul and Barnabas returned to Jerusalem with a message from the Gentile churches they had visited (Acts 15). The Gentiles (males, no doubt) were dedicated followers of Jesus, but they were not keen on the idea of circumcision. God had commanded the Jews to be circumcised; must the Gentiles do the same if they are to follow Jesus, who was a Jew? The big dogs in Jerusalem (James, Peter, etc.) gathered to consider the question. Had I been one of them (I am sooo far from that), I would have said, "Absolutely, it's required." Consider, for example, the story of Moses and his wife and son in Genesis 4:24-26. God was fixin' to kill Moses, but his wife circumcised their son and God was appeased. That makes circumcision seem pretty essential.
But the church fathers in Jerusalem said, "No, they don't have to be circumcised." What a shocking change! How did they have the insight and courage to step off a path that had been set for centuries? They had every reason to believe that the rite of circumcision was central to the faith. And they weren't throwing out all the traditions in the name of grace. They told the Gentiles they still couldn't eat meat sacrificed to idols, for example. But let's stick with what they threw out. Let's consider what it meant to not require circumcision. The question for us today, then, is whether there is anything that we consider central to the faith that isn't. Or, since this blog about Christian community, what is there about Christian gatherings that we consider to be essential but isn't? I'll list a few things to consider. But I'll start with a few assumptions. I'll assume that Christians gather regularly to encourage one another and to praise God together; they pray to God; and they share a meal together, called communion or the Eucharist. But now let's raise some questions. Don't be too quick to answer them. I encourage you to wrestle with whether the Bible *prescribes* these things or merely *describes* them.
* must meetings be weekly? Could they be monthly, for example? Or every other week?
* must they be led by people with 20+ years of education (college + 4 years of seminary)?
* must the leader be paid so he/she can lead full-time?
* must the gatherings include music and singing?
* must the teaching be a monologue? Could it be more conversational?
* must people sit passively through the gathering? Could they, for example, worship by eating and talking together? Or working and singing?
* could communion be a full meal, not just tiny samples?
* how few people can gather and still call it "church"?
I invite you to raise more questions. I say this not in disrespect of today's churches, but to explore whether we are maintaining unnecessary hurdles to some forms of gathering, and thus preventing some people from becoming part of Christian community.
But the church fathers in Jerusalem said, "No, they don't have to be circumcised." What a shocking change! How did they have the insight and courage to step off a path that had been set for centuries? They had every reason to believe that the rite of circumcision was central to the faith. And they weren't throwing out all the traditions in the name of grace. They told the Gentiles they still couldn't eat meat sacrificed to idols, for example. But let's stick with what they threw out. Let's consider what it meant to not require circumcision. The question for us today, then, is whether there is anything that we consider central to the faith that isn't. Or, since this blog about Christian community, what is there about Christian gatherings that we consider to be essential but isn't? I'll list a few things to consider. But I'll start with a few assumptions. I'll assume that Christians gather regularly to encourage one another and to praise God together; they pray to God; and they share a meal together, called communion or the Eucharist. But now let's raise some questions. Don't be too quick to answer them. I encourage you to wrestle with whether the Bible *prescribes* these things or merely *describes* them.
* must meetings be weekly? Could they be monthly, for example? Or every other week?
* must they be led by people with 20+ years of education (college + 4 years of seminary)?
* must the leader be paid so he/she can lead full-time?
* must the gatherings include music and singing?
* must the teaching be a monologue? Could it be more conversational?
* must people sit passively through the gathering? Could they, for example, worship by eating and talking together? Or working and singing?
* could communion be a full meal, not just tiny samples?
* how few people can gather and still call it "church"?
I invite you to raise more questions. I say this not in disrespect of today's churches, but to explore whether we are maintaining unnecessary hurdles to some forms of gathering, and thus preventing some people from becoming part of Christian community.
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