Monday, September 9, 2013

Culture of Church and the Death of Church

Myiesha Cherry's "10 Thoughts on Tyler Perry and Bishop Jakes, Evangelicals, Money." discusses sensational response to the $1 million donation Tyler Perry publicly made to TD Jakes's ministry, his praying in the Spirit, and praying over TD Jakes who becomes slain in the Spirit.  This whole milieu is easily misunderstood and subsequently judged by people like me who are only tangentially familiar with the charismatic, evangelical and black church traditions represented here.   Consequently, I could only listen in on Dr. Cherry's thoughts as one eavesdropping on a conversation.  But her final comment caught my attention. She wrote:
I predict the "culture of church" will be the death of the church. Until the church gets more focused on the teachings of Jesus and less focused on a manipulative concept of success, emotionalism, and dogmatism; it will always look like foolishness to outsiders and feel "only" like church to insiders.
 How easily could this comment be lifted from its immediate context and be applied to a number of different situations?  Denominational structures are deteriorating but make the necessary changes seems mired in the "culture of church."  Congregations argue over worship style and loose sight of worship subject.  

  

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