Comments on: Has Jesus Just Left the Building?

By: Laurie

Laurie — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 03:24:47 +0000

I like what you said about starting your own church and leaving out all the stuff that irritates, what a concept!

Most people who have left “traditional church” don’t seem to have a better suggestion and are doing….what? Sounds like just sitting around criticizing – well gee, anyone can do that, how about trying to do something about it?

My husband and I travel so we get to visit different churches, some are great, some are so-so, and some, well, need alot of help – much like most Christians I know!

I think it’s a bad idea not only to “chuck church”, but to badmouth it – the enemy doesn’t need any help keeping people out!

I think God can use people individually or as a group, but I don’t believe He’s pleased by a bad attitude toward the church.

By: Don

Don — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:46:01 +0000

Chucking church is certainly NOT the right thing to do. I understand some people’s disillusionment with so called “organized” religion. Yes, there are plenty of cold dead churches where nothing significant has happened in years. By the same token there are plenty of hip and trendy churches that may attract the masses but offer nothing of eternal value either. We should be careful not to place too much emphasis on nonconventionalism as the measure of our spiritual unction. Authentic Christianity is not the product of our programing, but the evidence of what’s in our hearts.

By: Kenneth

Kenneth — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:05:00 +0000

Occasionally

By: Byron

Byron — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:47:30 +0000

Hey, you posted! You DO read my blog! 🙂

Yeah, like I said, I haven’t read it, and was just going by what the website, at a cursory reading, seemed to suggest. I sure hope you’re right, and as I say, I can identify with a lot of the frustrations that even these folks that have dropped out altogether are expressing. It’s just a question of how to deal with those frustrations. Now you’ve got me curious enough to read it myself–after I finish the 50 other books I need to read… 🙁

By: Kenneth Chaney

Kenneth Chaney — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 05:03:36 +0000

Excellent response, but in reading the book I am not sure the author was at all dissatisfied with Church in the sense that you cited in your post. He had been involved in successful ministries and had started one of his own. Its religion that he is against “the church machine” which consists of man made ideals, ceremonies and doctrines that are taught as the commands of God and anyone who disagree with these man made trappings must find another place to worship. You know church would be great place if we could purge it of religion. Red Oak is a great example of a church stripped of the traditional trappings of the traditional church and I don’t think the author is speaking against a church like Red Oak. Red Oak is a non-traditional church. Are we what future churches will look like as more and more people become disenchanted with traditional denominations? I think so! We are on the cutting edge. Is Red Oak perfect? Not by a long shot, but I do think it is a glimpse of what God would have the Church to be. Jesus Has Left the Building is a good read and I am enjoying reading it. The ideal is that people are tried of religion and want a relationship with God not the Church. I understand that some closed narrowed minded holy than thou Christians could be offend by the book. I think it should be read with an open mind and don’t toss out the baby with the bathwater it’s not as ugly as you think.