What the Church Is NOT, Part 4

In the first article of this series, I suggested that the local church is not merely a human organization, but a divinely-instituted body, called by the Father and incorporated into Christ by the Holy Spirit. In the second article, I asserted that the local church is not a supermarket of spiritual groceries, but members of a family that calls for commitment. In the third article I said the church is not just a gathering of a few believers, but an organized society with certain unique marks and works.

In this final article I want to conclude by making something very clear…

The Church is Not an Option

“He’s not going to church anymore.”

“She hasn’t been to church for a while.”

“It’s been months since I’ve been to church.”

Like me, you’ve probably heard these words said about (or by) a person who has confessed Christ but who has left the church scene. Their individual stories vary. Some were beat up by an abusive church. Others were “forced” into church by their parents and finally got out from under their thumb when they left home. Maybe some slid into a sinful lifestyle and church just got too convicting. I don’t know many people who would neglect local church involvement to such an extreme, but most people I know place a much lower value on the local church than the Bible does.

In the earliest church, believers met together at least every Sunday, the first day of the week (Acts 20:17; 1 Cor 16:2). Many met more often than that (Acts 2:46). For Christians pursuing spiritual health and growth, local church involvement was not an option. Hebrews 10:24–25 says, “Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.” No Scripture is more clear on the necessity of sticking close to the church.

Why do many Christians place their local church far down on their list of priorities? Part of the problem is our mystical, individualistic view of the spiritual life. So many of us have been misled into thinking that our spiritual health depends entirely on a direct personal relationship with God—that the key to spiritual growth is a private quiet time that somehow summons the Holy Spirit and flushes away our sins. While I don’t reject the importance of personal spiritual discipline, this is only a small part of God’s plan for spiritual health and growth. The truth is, God intended Christians to grow together as a community.

For Christians seeking spiritual growth, the church is not an option. The Holy Spirit baptized each of us into the Body of Christ so that all members could minister to each other, not so we could later amputate ourselves from the body and fight our spiritual battles on our own.

Grow Together . . . Wither Alone

The award-winning television series Lost chronicles the adventures of airplane survivors forced to live together on a bizarre island reminiscent of the Twilight Zone. In one episode a main character, Jack Sheppard, breaks up a brawl and iterates a truth that has become a major theme of the series: “If we can’t live together, we’re going to die alone.” The same theme is true of Christians today. If we can’t learn to grow together, we will wither alone.

The absolute necessity of the Christian community in spiritual growth becomes obvious in Ephesians 4:11–16.

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

To grow in Christ, believers need each other. In fact, when the apostles spoke of actually “growing” in Christ, they almost always referred to Christians growing together as a community (see 1 Cor 3:6–9; 2 Cor 10:15; Eph 2:19–22; 4:14–16; Col 1:3–12; 2:19; 1 Pet 2:1–5). Without denying a personal relationship with Christ, Scripture clearly emphasizes corporate spiritual growth. In fact, God gave our “individual” spiritual gifts for the growth of the community: “But to each one [individual] is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good [community]” (1 Cor 12:7). As radical as this may sound to those of us brainwashed by an individualistic, me-centered cultural Christianity, I reject the idea that balanced spiritual growth can occur outside a local church.

But growing in community means more than just showing up on Sunday morning. It means submitting to the teaching and shepherding of church leaders (Eph 4:11–16; Heb 13:17). It means actually going to church to minister to others, not simply to be ministered to (1 Cor 12:7; Phil 2:1–4). It means staying committed even when you feel put out or offended (Col 3:12–23). Local church involvement isn’t a game. It isn’t a convenience. It isn’t something you shoehorn into your schedule. God is serious about your involvement in the local church—dead serious (see 1 Cor 3:12–17).

In short, for Christians pursuing spiritual health and growth, the church is not an option.

Another (Rare) Film Review

On Tuesday, December 4, I watched (by invitation) the latest cut of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, scheduled for theatrical release in Spring, 2008. The movie is directed by Nathan Frankowski, produced by Logan Craft, Walt Ruloff, and John Sullivan, and written by Kevin Miller, Walt Ruloff, and Ben Stein (see trailer here). Ben Stein himself serves as the film's narrator and interviewer who embarks on a quest to get to the bottom of the neo-Darwinist conspiracy to suppress, discredit, or otherwise bully scientists, scholars, or journalists who dare oppose atheistic evolutionary dogma.

The film itself is both entertaining and informative. The cut I saw lacked the complete score, and with some of the normal refinements of sound and image quality the final cut seen in the theatres will be much improved. The tone of the film can only be described as an extension of Ben Stein’s own personality . . . and passion. At times I felt an uneasiness as a seemingly serious interview or narrative would be interspersed with vintage black-and-white footage (some shot to order?) that mocked the neo-Darwinist position or at least highlighted elements of inconsistency or intolerance of opposing views.

There were several humorous segments during which I laughed out loud (Ben Stein’s ultimate “confrontation” interview with Richard Dawkins was especially good), but overall the humor seems rather subdued. There are a lot of facts in this film, and my guess is the producers, writers, and director thought a little peppering of humor and satire would simply help make the whole thing more palatable. I think they were right. There are also fascinating moments in the film. One of the most profound was the virtual inside tour of the working components of a cell (in connection with the common Intelligent Design argument of irreducible complexity). The sequence was nothing short of astounding and has renewed my respect for Michael Behe’s argument in Darwin’s Black Box. This scene in Expelled alone was perhaps worth the entire film.

Throughout the film Ben travels the world interviewing neo-Darwinists, Intelligent Design scientists, theologians, philosophers, journalists, and even a token theistic evolutionist. Those who know the cast of characters, their backgrounds, positions, and pursuits, will know that this is not merely a Creationist propaganda film (thank God). For those who don’t know the difference, Creationism begins with a fundamentalist-literalist view of the Bible’s account of creation in six days less than ten thousand years ago, then interprets all scientific evidence in conformity with that view, usually over-appealing to a cataclysmic global flood to explain any evidence that might suggest evolution or an old earth. Intelligent Design, however, argues that the scientific evidence itself points to an intelligent designer apart from any particular “special” revelation about this designer. Thus, Intelligent Design supposedly begins with the facts and argues toward faith—though it is an undefined “faith” in the most general kind. Intelligent Design proponents could be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, polytheists, or, technically, believers in super aliens from another universe who created life on earth.

In general, I think the filmmakers of Expelled make a compelling (or at least commendable) case for the actual persecution, rejection, defamation, marginalization, and oppression of scientists and journalists who fail to tow the party line on atheistic evolution or neo-Darwinism. Yet the thinking viewer, especially those who know the ins and outs of the debate over the last several years, may feel that the presentation of the issues and persons involved is a little . . . how shall I put it? . . . over the top? The link of Darwinism and Hitler’s genocide—though historically real (yes, I’ve read Mein Kampf)—is pressed too hard; and though the film assures us that Darwinism is not a sufficient cause for the holocaust, it suggests that it was a necessary cause. Yes, this may be true for Hitler’s specific goal for a perfect Aryan race, but Darwinism is not a necessary cause in other historical genocides like, say, Rwanda. Practical atheism (forgetting about God) is usually sufficient in most cases of genocide. But I would have to agree with the filmmakers that without an appeal to Darwinian evolution, the Nazi worldview would not have been as coherent as it seemed to have been for the Nazis.

In the end, though I appreciated the film, I’m not sure Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed will make a whole lot of lasting difference in the public square. The tone ranges from technical to shrill; the mood stirs up memories of None Dare Call It Conspiracy; and the filmmaking may mash too many genres into one final product. There’s just too much here to attack and dismiss; too much for skeptics and critics to refuse to take seriously. At times I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to laugh at the atheists, cry with the theists, vote for a particular presidential candidate, or pick up my pitchfork and storm the Smithsonian. Chalk it up to my cynicism, but I just don’t think Ben Stein’s tennis-shoed trek around the world in search of beaten and bruised Intelligent Design proponents and sneering, snarling evolutionists will really take down the fortified establishment.

But I applaud Ben and the filmmakers for trying their darndest. I applaud the valiant effort. I cheer for their boldness, their creativity, and their attempt to do something that seems impossible. Therefore, I encourage you to see this film. Is it perfect? Not by a long shot. But in all honesty, in spite of my few criticisms, the unpredictable, educational, informative, shocking, aggravating, entertaining, disturbing, humorous, moving, and sometimes unbelievable pastiche that is Expelled may represent—at least regarding this issue in 2008—the cinematic equivalent of the best of all possible worlds.

What the Church Is NOT, Part 3

Over the years I’ve noticed that the attitudes and actions of many Christians regarding the local church conform more to the patterns of the world than to the pattern of God’s Word. To correct several faulty perspectives on the church (there are many!), I wanted to examine four things the church is not. In the first article of this series, I suggested that the local church is not merely a human organization, but a divine institution—called by the Father, constituted by the person and work of Christ, and united by the Holy Spirit. In the second article, I asserted that the local church is not a supermarket of spiritual groceries, but a covenant community; we’re members of a family that calls for commitment, not customers of a business that’s competing with other shops for our patronage.

In this third installment, I want to address a different kind of misconception about the local church . . .

The Church is Not Just a Gathering of a Few Believers

Several years ago when some of my friends and I prayed for our food at McDonalds two scraggly-looking men approached from across the restaurant and introduced themselves as a church. You see, after visiting all the churches in the area they decided that none of them were preaching the true gospel, so those two men got together and decided, “We’ll be our own church.” I’ll never forget that encounter. There they stood, like the Lone Ranger and Tonto, grinning triumphantly in the bright fluorescent light, obviously proud of their do-it-yourself “church.” Sadly, those men were to Christianity what witch-doctors are to medicine. Whatever they were, they were not a church.

Today some Christians have dropped out of established churches in favor of “home churches” or “family churches.” While the concept of a church meeting in a home has biblical and historical precedence (Rom 16:5; 1 Cor 16:19), many times the organization called a “home church” is not a church at all, but just a bunch of disgruntled believers who couldn’t (or wouldn’t) make it work in a real church. But groups of Christians must have certain biblical marks and works to be regarded as legitimate churches. The church is not just a gathering of a few believers.

Let me be clear. A Bible study is not a church. It’s a Bible study. Getting together in the home for prayer is not a church. It’s a prayer meeting. A herd of Christians, with a guitar and tambourine is not a church. It’s a sing-along. A man or woman opening the Bible and preaching at a willing crowd is not a church. It’s an exercise of free speech. A gathering of saints for eating and gossiping (also called “fellowship”) is not a church. It’s a party. The church is not just a gathering of a few believers.

Some Marks and Works of a True Church

People often invoke Matthew 18:20 to support the idea that informal gatherings of a few saintly lambs counts as a church—“Where two or three are gathered in My name, I am there in the midst of them” But Jesus did not say, “Where two or three have gathered, there is the church.” A true church must consist of certain marks and works. Though pastors and theologians have categorized and listed the marks and works of a church in a variety of ways throughout history, they have generally been in agreement on what the Bible says about what constitutes a true church.

The marks of a local church include 1) orthodoxy—the proclamation of the central truths of the Christian faith regarding God, the person and work of Christ, and salvation; 2) order—the positions of qualified and properly-appointed biblical leaders; and 3) ordinances—the practice of baptism and the Lord’s Supper as the rite of sustained fellowship. Besides these three marks, three essential works of a church include 1) evangelism—gathering others to God by the gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; 2) edification—growing believers toward maturity in Christ through teaching and discipline; and 3) exultation—glorifying God through adoration and service. Any gathering that claims to be a church must have marks and works like these. If any of these are intentionally missing for a prolonged period of time, that organization is not a legitimate local church in the biblical and historical sense.

These marks and works not only place a church firmly on the foundation of the New Testament, but they also connect every true local church historically to the first church of the apostles. True churches should be able to follow an unbroken chain of orthodoxy, ordination, and ordinances back to the first century church. And today, all true churches are united in glorifying God through building out and building up the body of Christ worldwide. True local churches know are they are part of something bigger than themselves.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Christians I met at McDonalds years ago were not a church. They had neither the marks nor the works of the church. They had neither the theological and historical depth nor the practical breadth of a true church. But sometimes we evangelicals can fall into the same kind of thinking. We can sometimes go to Sunday school class and think we did church. Or we can stay at home, do family devotions, pray, and sing songs and think we did church. Or we can just listen to a preacher on the radio and think we did church. Those may all be good things, contributing to our biblical knowledge and spiritual growth, but they are not church.

The church is not just a gathering of a few believers.