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THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH - THE BODY OF CHRIST
"FOR YOU HAVE BEEN GRANTED THE PRIVILEGE, NOT ONLY OF BELIEVING IN CHRIST, BUT ALSO OF SHARING IN HIS SUFFERINGS"
Hi! Please let us introduce ourselves as members in fellowship with Modbury (a suburb of Adelaide, Australia) Churches of Christ. Now we hope that does not "put you off"! We are not those whom you might call "religious". Mere "religion", particularly of the fundamentalist types of all religions, has caused more tension and even wars, than any other single factor in the history of the human race. Our God does not live in "outer space", as some sort of etherial deity, far removed from the human scene with all its heartache, pain and suffering. Our Faith is based on Jesus Christ who was very much in empathy with the human scene of his day and, through his followers down through the centuries, is still concerned for the "under-dog" and those less fortunate than ourselves. We gain tremendous joy and satisfaction in our association with men and women who choose to follow him and His Way, which is the way of the Cross. It does mean that we are Christians because we are of Anglo-Saxon stock. If we could find another, of any race, who would qualify to be our Mentor, we would go for him or her. It just so happens that, apart from Jesus, we cannot find a person, in all history, with the moral fortitude and integrity so necessary to direct us along the path which leads to the most viable and satisfying qualify of life. Incidently, if anything of which we write troubles you, or is difficult to understand, please do not hesitate to email us for clarification at our email address below.
These issues are of vital concern in relation to the Church and its future role in "Missions", particularly in these days of international tensions involving "Missionaries and the Missionary Movement" - ( here's just a sample ).. Following the tragic burning to death of missionary Graham Staines and his two small sons, in Orissa, considerable discussion has arisen in relation to the activity of missionaries in India. You may like to contribute, through discussion, to "The Present Role of Missionaries in Indian Society"
WHAT IS THE CHURCH? DOES IT HAVE ANY RELEVANCE IN MODERN SOCIETY?
Our Faith (in) is not male-dominated as is much of religion in general. If we see people through the eyes of Jesus, we do not see male and female; nor do we see ethnic and cultural difference of colour, creed, customs, traditions etc.. When we allow the Spirit of Jesus to take control of our lives, which is what Faith is all about, we tend to see the similarities rather than the differences that determine, race, culture ethnicity and nationhood. Also, through Faith, there evolves a moral component in our relationship with others - all types of people - which makes us totally non-judgemental because Jesus, our Mentor, was totally non-judgemental. And it is Jesus who determines our concepts of the one we call "God". That may seem contradictory to the general concept we gain of God from the Old Testament. Strict discipline, however "justly" it may have been administered at the time and in that particular situation, was exercised by Yahweh (the name the Jews gave to God) who may even have been thought to be a Warrior God.
It was not until Jesus came that we gained a proper insight as to the real nature of God. And, of course, God was always considered to be a male when, in fact He/She is neither male nor female. Scripture informs us that in heaven there is neither male nor female, neither marriage nor giving in marriage. That raises another question - where/what is "heaven" ? Considerable misunderstanding has arisen because, in Jewish society, there was no other way of referring to God, other than as "Father". In the Hebrew language of the Jews, activity implies maleness while passivity implies femaleness. Jewish linguists and grammarians all were males! Their God, "Yahweh" was considered to be Actively Righteous / Just, Loving and Supportive and, as such, "He" had to be a male! However, in God the "Father" we also see many "Motherly" attributes. Unfortunately, male chauvinist theologians and clerics within many sections of the Christian Church, have taken advantage of this to prevent women reaching their full potential in Ministry. Happily, for many of us, our Faith has grown beyond those immature practices, such as forced marriages, slavery, corporal punishments and execution which were accepted as the norm, even in early Christian society. Sadly, in many areas within the Church today, women still are treated as inferior and subordinate to males, being deprived of their call to Christian "Ministry" in every aspect of that word. The Church, if it is to Grow spiritually, must learn to respect women just as Jesus did. The Christian Church still has a long way to go to come to fruition.
Perhaps, because the Way of Jesus is a difficult and painful path to take - the Way of the Cross - we take the easy way out and tend to etherialise, religionise, sacramentalise and symbolise those aspects of Faith which are central to our Christian worship and celebration. Take "worship" for example; generally, when we think of that word, we call to mind a religious observance which takes place, at a specific time - generally once a week - in a chapel, church building or sanctuary when, in fact, true worship is a continuous, positive activity of adoration - of mind and will , directed towards God and humankind. It is the same with "Prayer"; we are exhorted to "pray without ceasing". We have tried to express these concepts in our book on the Internet -
"AN IMPOSSIBLE DREAM"
Another illustration can be seen in "baptism" which, invariably, reminds us of the watery experience by which we were initiated into the Church, when, in fact, true Baptism has nothing to do with water in which the Reality of Baptism is expressed. What we traditionally call "Baptism" is but the symbo
ONE OF THE CHURCH'S GREAT RESPONSIBILITIES
CARING FOR LEPROSY SUFFERERS, WIDOWS AND ORPHANS IN INDIA
INDIA - THE LAND OF OUR ADOPTION
RUTH'S DRUG AWARENESS SITE
INDEX OF ALL OUR PERSONAL WEB-SITES
Send E-Mail to: keithskilli@ozemail.com.au
Copyright © 2008 Keith Skillicorn. All Rights Reserved