An Open Letter To The Church
The following is an open letter to the Church in general and those who call themselves Christians, not one specific body, congregation, person, or pastor. While the following statements and critiques may not be true for everyone, I’ve seen (or heard) them hold true for enough people that I feel it necessary to address. There are times I fall into some of these categories.
Dear Church,
Let me first say I love you; I really do. You have an incredible purpose here in Earth, but sometimes the way you and your folks do things can crowd out that message and, in fact, turn people away from hearing the valuable, life changing, transforming things you have to say.
You can be so religious sometimes. To be frank with you, you’re actually more religious than you are anything else. And the people who need you don’t want or need religion; they need you to direct them towards a relationship with Jesus Christ. It’s your traditions that keep people stuck in bondage. You’ve always done things one way, and you can’t seem to get out of that tradition. You think that your way is always best — if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Well, I’ve got news for you, Church — it’s broken. Badly.
The times are changing and the way you do things should as well. Notice that I didn’t say your message needs to change; your message of healing, hope, restoration and salvation in Jesus Christ is timeless, classic, and uncompromising. The delivery isn’t. It’s important that you stay ahead of, not behind (which is where you’ve always been) the curve. You should be the first one doing things and breaking new ground, not the ones playing catch-up after the rest of the world has moved onto to the next best thing. It’s as if you’re just now getting onto MySpace when everyone has moved on to Twitter.
Often times, you have no spine, no backbone, no gumption. You don’t address the serious issues that are putting people’s lives and eternal destinies at risk. Of course they’re hard to talk about, but there are current societal issues that you really could do a lot to change. For some reason, you’re scared to talk. You know the truth and the very ideas that could fix the situation, but the proverbial cat’s evidently got your tongue. What’s that about? You’re so scared that people won’t like you if you just tell it like it is. You want to tell them what their itching ears want to hear and as a result, you water down, dilute, or just plain ignore the truth, in order to be popular so they’ll come hang out with you and give you money. You fail to realize two things: true friends value the truth above all else and always deliver it with love and compassion. If you would just tell people the very things they need to hear, the truth would set them free and they would want to be a part of what you’re doing. Two, you should never care about what anyone thinks of you. As long as you do what you’re supposed to do, be true to your purpose and calling, the right people will come your way.
Speaking of love and compassion, it seems far too often that you don’t have any. At least not towards those who need it most — those who don’t know Jesus. When one of your friends, someone who hangs out with you every week, loses their job or struggles with an addiction or is dealing with another hardship, you’re all about loving them. But if it’s someone you don’t know, someone who needs your help more than even, you tend to ask 18 questions and give as many reason why they’re in the situation they’re in (and often say they deserve it), when all you should be doing is helping them see the light in the midst of their junk. Show them the way out, by doing what you do (or should be doing) and help them see the light and truth for themselves.
I know more than a few people who feel unwelcome when they come through your doors, desperately needing what you have to offer. You’re constantly judging, critiquing and criticizing the very people who you should be caring for and befriending before you’ve even heard their stories. And if they do come over and hang out with you, of course, you talk about them as soon as they leave as if you’ve never thought about, or struggled with anything remotely similar to their issues. How quickly you forget where you came from. How quickly you judge others by their external, maybe more obvious struggles, when you have your own private sins that you choose to gloss over and ignore as if they don’t exist.
Most of the time people have legitimate reasons why their lives are in need of your help, but you and your friends just turn them away as if they’re meaningless, worthless, and of no value. So what do they do? They curse your name, and the name of everything you stand for, giving even your well meaning friends a bad name. And then they go right back to the very situation they found themselves running from because they couldn’t find any help from you; they only found condemnation and contempt.
See Church, at the end of the day, I believe you do all these things for one simple reason — you’re having an identity crisis. You’ve forgotten who you are, what you stand for, and your true purpose. You’ve tried to become who you think others want you to be instead of being true to your original design.
And it hurts me to see this because I know who you really are; I’ve seen you in action, when you’re truly you. It’s a beautiful thing. I just wish that more people could see it. But they won’t see it until you change your ways and start acting the way you know how to act, talking the way you know how to talk, and caring and loving the way you know you ought to.
So I pray for you, Church. I pray that you would have a change of heart, a change of mind, and a change of anything else that is not in God’s original plans. And when you change, I can’t wait to see you really change the world around you.
Love Always, Stuart
[Written by Stuart McDonald for Elev8.com. For more from Stuart, check out his all NEW personal blog, follow him on Twitter, and connect with him on Facebook.]
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Comments
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Wow this is the truth in its finest form and i can relate this letter, it should be sent to the largest news papers and to all of the world to make not only the church look at its self but the many of us that walk in faith take a look at ourselves to see that there is work to be done.
We posted this letter on our website. http://www.crunkforchristradio .com. This letter is so real, I am a Pastor myself, and can identify with all that this letter has said. So many of our members have come from this type of experience. Whether we want to admit it, this letter does tell the truth. I am convinced two things. The Truth will either make you fighting mad or shouting glad. Some of the comments are fighting mad, because this letter tells the truth.
Crunk For Christ Radio
I printed this “open letter” to read at home (the computer I’m commenting from belongs to the college I’m currently enrolled at). I read others simililar to this one (I scanned it quickly). The problem with this letter is is not the letter itself, but, that the people who need to take it to heart won’t. Sadly, they will be too busy imitating Marie Antionette “Let them eat cake” or Leona Helmsley “Only the little people pay taxes”. Many church leaders and their wives are too busy building ivory towers to distance themselves as far away from the people as they can possibly get. People talk about people not feeling church. Well, what about when church isn’t feeling you? What leaders who decide to disfellowship members without really disfellowshipping them? Or leader’s wives who “suffering silently” through their husband’s affairs so they can write a best seller and make a lot of money off of it. Or teachings that basically send the message to women that men’s sexaul needs take precedence over our souls. Or secret forced marriages (o yes here in the US). Or leaders who have women gang raped into ministry (yes, sexual harrasment hasn’t gone anywhere). Or leaders who try to black ball members? Hmmmmmm……
You need to check out this…IPG – Imani Power Generation Youth Church. On facebook and tweeter. and I didn’t mess that up.
I will not justify all your comments dude, but God uses people to speak to people, not because He has too, but because He wants too. So many theological principles there, but I am not sure you would comprehend any of them. So on that note do not put me on blast on BP. It is not becoming or adult like. I responded to the article not to you. This is the last time I will respond to you or anything else you have to say. Thanks for taking the time to read my post, and God bless you as well.
It amuses me to no end,when someone from the church accuse another of judging the church,when the sins of the church is introduced to the world.Now that same person,bluephi1993,made a self induced judgement,when he responded to that letter to the church.And in his response he made the claim that God spoke through him,what arrogance,which is the height of stupidity.Now what makes you think that God wasn’t talking through him,maybe because God wasn’t talking through you,or to you and time and circ**stances will determine which judgement is based upon facts enforced by the truth.But if Truth was in it’s right place in that building you call the church,the likes of you would have been whipped out of there a long time ago.But God want all of you to make yourselves as compatible to your surroundings as you possibly can. Then,when it is abundantly clear, that the intent is to usurp his name and destroy his character,then he will lay siege against you,tear down the fortifications of your deceptions and misrepresentations,and doing unto you what you have done unto him.P.S.God bless you all,and God bless america.
This is a funny and sad article blog foreal.”Stuart Mcdonald”.”Elev8”.
It sounds like the same person who is saying the church is judging is doing the same thing to the church.
I preached a sermon a few weeks ago titled “Making Eye Contact” from Acts 9: 1-9 adding 12:18,in the first person as the Apostle Paul. To this day we still persecute the church. I wish more people could have heard what the Lord said through me that day. We need to tighten up and stop being so critical of the church, and the followers of Christ.
AMEN & COSIGNED!!!
it is ABOUT TIME somebody FINALLY STOOD UP and called it like it is—most churches are MAJOR FRAUDS AND HYPOCRITES!!!
now you know whyy black men have been fleeing the church in droves- COMMON SENSE & SURVIVAL!
a PIMP sits back and enjoys the spoils of his stable of women- SO DOES THE AVERAGE DEACON WHEN IT COMES TO HIS CONGREGATION!
and becoming defensive only deepens the bull when you offer no LEGITIMATE ARGUMENTS, other than MEN OF THE CLOTH DESERVE ONLY THE BEST AND DONT HAVE TO EXPLAIN HIMSELF TO YOU HEATHENS!!!
CHRIST WOULDNT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THESE RICH PIMPS OTHER THEN TO SHOW THEM THE NEEDLE THEY NEGLECTED TO CRAWL THROUGH AS THEY FALSLY PRAISED HIS NAME WHILE COUNTING THEIR MONEY!
“look after the poor, for they shall always be with you!”
“am i my brothers keeper?”
give that which is Ceasars to him and that which is the Lords to Him!”
“what good is it to win and conquer the world while you lose your soul?”
AMEN!!!
TRUTH HURTS!!!
Too many generalities…I am not feeling you on this…maybe you need to send this to the specific churches you are referring to in this letter. Secondly, If you’re not feeling the church as a whole, then don’t go or have meetings with people who you feel share your beliefs or simply have private devotion at your house.
people have a hang up w/ the word of god and blame it on the church that preaches it.
and that part about the church not having any spine or gumption to address the serious issues is laughable. that’s all the church does and it makes people angry to hear of having to repent sin and sinful living, turn their trust and lives over to god, put him in the driver’s seat. nobody who rejects god appreciates that message
what i have to say to whomever the author of this garbage is is to direct all your grievances and complaints to the lord. the word is his word and it doesn’t matter who’s reading it, quoting it, preaching it, your upset w/ it all is your upset w/ god’s word. go talk to god about it.
christians owe you nothing. it’s out of the compassion of our changed hearts that we share the message of The Good News, the love and rewards that await any man that chooses to repent from sin and choose god. let god be your guide, your confidant, your healer, your motivator, your friend. if you really read your bible, you’d know no man is going to do that for you 100%. that’s the whole point of us all needing god the father
Well sturat, The “church” is the way it is because it is not created by the most high YAH. The “church” was founded by man to push his own hidden agenda upon man kind and the children of Isreael. The only thing you need to do is keep the commandments of the most high, and forget about the pegan traditions of man.