S
Steadfast
Guest
I was just reading one of the threads on getting along and the point was made that, eventually, any effort to unite without real concord would be doomed to splinter since this is the first option for many Christians.
Sadly, this is true.
This got me thinking about Churchmanship, a word which means many things but to me speaks of a commitment to an ecclesial reality.
Catholics have it, for the most part, they remain faithful to their church even in the face of problems. Anglicans were, until recently, the poster children for churchmanship, conservatives putting up with all kinds of nonsense from the left and still staying.
I have seen it with Methodists and Lutherans (for many of whom being Lutheran is as much a part of their identity as being American) and I have seen it with a number of Christian churches in varying degrees.
Sometimes it’s wrong-headed; the commitment is to the church rather than to the Lord of the Church. It was their father’s church so it’s their church and what is happening in it doesn’t really matter, what is important is that ones pew is kept warm.
Other times it’s because the Christian has come to a sure and certain belief that this particular form of Christianity is right; it’s objectively true and they love it and will not leave it because it is here that they encounter Christ. This may or may not be in combination with an inherited affiliation.
The Christians who “leave over carpet color” or when the pastor retires are not usually Churchmen. I won’t speak for them because I am not really familiar with their experience.
But it is probably worth reminding our Catholic brothers and sisters that for a great many of us, church membership is NOT a matter of fleeting association but, again, of our very identity as ones belonging to Jesus and as much a part of who we are and where we’ve been as our names.
Sadly, this is true.
This got me thinking about Churchmanship, a word which means many things but to me speaks of a commitment to an ecclesial reality.
Catholics have it, for the most part, they remain faithful to their church even in the face of problems. Anglicans were, until recently, the poster children for churchmanship, conservatives putting up with all kinds of nonsense from the left and still staying.
I have seen it with Methodists and Lutherans (for many of whom being Lutheran is as much a part of their identity as being American) and I have seen it with a number of Christian churches in varying degrees.
Sometimes it’s wrong-headed; the commitment is to the church rather than to the Lord of the Church. It was their father’s church so it’s their church and what is happening in it doesn’t really matter, what is important is that ones pew is kept warm.
Other times it’s because the Christian has come to a sure and certain belief that this particular form of Christianity is right; it’s objectively true and they love it and will not leave it because it is here that they encounter Christ. This may or may not be in combination with an inherited affiliation.
The Christians who “leave over carpet color” or when the pastor retires are not usually Churchmen. I won’t speak for them because I am not really familiar with their experience.
But it is probably worth reminding our Catholic brothers and sisters that for a great many of us, church membership is NOT a matter of fleeting association but, again, of our very identity as ones belonging to Jesus and as much a part of who we are and where we’ve been as our names.