Random Musings about the Church of Christ
Long time, no post. I've been kicking around a lot of ideas for topics I could address but couldn't settle on any one in particular. So here, for your reading pleasure, are some things I've been pondering lately.
1. Why is the COC obsessed with the way things were in the 1950s? I can't tell you how many times I heard preachers reference the 50s as some sort of golden age to which society needs to return. The primary reason, of course, is that the era predated the feminist revolution. Most middle-class women didn't work back then. They stayed at home, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the kids. Men went out and earned the living, which gave them the right to be the boss at home. Gender roles were very strictly defined in society at large, so folks in the COC fit right in...which leads to my next point.
The 50s were a time of strict conformity with social norms, and the COC loves conformity. No one is allowed an independent thought or attitude. Those who don't fit in are quickly "marked" and eventually kicked out on some trumped up charge of sin, usually the sin of "sowing discord among brethren." That's just code for, "Refuses to drink the Kool-Ade." If only they could turn back time (or society) and go back to the 50s, the folks in the COC would be happy...or maybe less angry all the time.
2. Why is the COC so afraid to talk about and study the Holy Spirit and the concept of the "indwelling" of the Spirit? I think it's because of their rabid fear of emotionalism, which is tied to their hatred of the Pentecostal movement, which they consider heresy. But back to the emotionalism--the COC likes to believe that its doctrines are based solely on reason and that feelings and emotions are not to be trusted because they could be misleading.
Doesn't it occur to them that their reasoning could be misleading, as well? What if their reasoning is based on faulty premises or plauged with logical fallacies? What if, in some cases, you don't have any evidence to reason from but have to make a "gut" decision? Should you never trust your instincts or feelings at all? The result of this denial of emotion is a religion that is rigid and cold and that offers no joy or peace or comfort...and didn't Jesus say that he would send the Holy Spirit to comfort us? If we're not even allowed to take advantage of that comfort and enjoy our spirituality, then what's the point? We're spiritually dead.
3. Why does church attendance trump everything else? In the COC, it doesn't matter how good a person you are or how many wonderful things you do to help others: if you do not attend all the church services, you are an unfaithful Christian and are going to hell. Missed church to volunteer at a homeless shelter? Doesn't matter. You should have been at church uplifting the other saints with your presence. Are you struggling to make a living and occasionally have to work Sunday nights? They don't care; you just need to find a different job, even if it pays less, so that you can assemble with the saints.
Conversely, in the COC it doesn't matter if you're a rotten person, just as long as your butt is in the pew every time the door is open. I'm dead serious about this. I've known some awful people in that church--liars, gossips, abusive spouses/parents, backstabbers, and outright jerks--but if they showed up for every service, they were deemed "faithful Christians." I really don't get this obsession with attendance. Is it merely the social control aspect (i.e., if you're here at church, then we know where you are and can keep an eye on you) or is it because there are no other criteria by which to judge one's faithfulness (since the COC doesn't really believe in charity)? (Not that they should be judging each other's faithfulness, in the first place.) Whatever the reason, it's insane.
Of course I think it's a good thing to go to church, but no one should feel pressured or bullied into it. If your heart isn't in it, why bother? You probably won't get much out of it. And sometimes life just intervenes and church attendance simply isn't possible. But the COC refuses to acknowledge that life is messy and cut people any slack, which is probably one of the many reasons why their membership is literally dying out.
1. Why is the COC obsessed with the way things were in the 1950s? I can't tell you how many times I heard preachers reference the 50s as some sort of golden age to which society needs to return. The primary reason, of course, is that the era predated the feminist revolution. Most middle-class women didn't work back then. They stayed at home, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the kids. Men went out and earned the living, which gave them the right to be the boss at home. Gender roles were very strictly defined in society at large, so folks in the COC fit right in...which leads to my next point.
The 50s were a time of strict conformity with social norms, and the COC loves conformity. No one is allowed an independent thought or attitude. Those who don't fit in are quickly "marked" and eventually kicked out on some trumped up charge of sin, usually the sin of "sowing discord among brethren." That's just code for, "Refuses to drink the Kool-Ade." If only they could turn back time (or society) and go back to the 50s, the folks in the COC would be happy...or maybe less angry all the time.
2. Why is the COC so afraid to talk about and study the Holy Spirit and the concept of the "indwelling" of the Spirit? I think it's because of their rabid fear of emotionalism, which is tied to their hatred of the Pentecostal movement, which they consider heresy. But back to the emotionalism--the COC likes to believe that its doctrines are based solely on reason and that feelings and emotions are not to be trusted because they could be misleading.
Doesn't it occur to them that their reasoning could be misleading, as well? What if their reasoning is based on faulty premises or plauged with logical fallacies? What if, in some cases, you don't have any evidence to reason from but have to make a "gut" decision? Should you never trust your instincts or feelings at all? The result of this denial of emotion is a religion that is rigid and cold and that offers no joy or peace or comfort...and didn't Jesus say that he would send the Holy Spirit to comfort us? If we're not even allowed to take advantage of that comfort and enjoy our spirituality, then what's the point? We're spiritually dead.
3. Why does church attendance trump everything else? In the COC, it doesn't matter how good a person you are or how many wonderful things you do to help others: if you do not attend all the church services, you are an unfaithful Christian and are going to hell. Missed church to volunteer at a homeless shelter? Doesn't matter. You should have been at church uplifting the other saints with your presence. Are you struggling to make a living and occasionally have to work Sunday nights? They don't care; you just need to find a different job, even if it pays less, so that you can assemble with the saints.
Conversely, in the COC it doesn't matter if you're a rotten person, just as long as your butt is in the pew every time the door is open. I'm dead serious about this. I've known some awful people in that church--liars, gossips, abusive spouses/parents, backstabbers, and outright jerks--but if they showed up for every service, they were deemed "faithful Christians." I really don't get this obsession with attendance. Is it merely the social control aspect (i.e., if you're here at church, then we know where you are and can keep an eye on you) or is it because there are no other criteria by which to judge one's faithfulness (since the COC doesn't really believe in charity)? (Not that they should be judging each other's faithfulness, in the first place.) Whatever the reason, it's insane.
Of course I think it's a good thing to go to church, but no one should feel pressured or bullied into it. If your heart isn't in it, why bother? You probably won't get much out of it. And sometimes life just intervenes and church attendance simply isn't possible. But the COC refuses to acknowledge that life is messy and cut people any slack, which is probably one of the many reasons why their membership is literally dying out.
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