Now, five decades later, I am hopelessly committed to the church because I see it as the household of God, as the family of Jesus Christ, and not as a temple to tradition.

Jesus was patient most of the time and compassionate all of the time, but one group of people really angered him – the religious people. He told them that they were hypocrites, white-washed tombs, and that there traditions nullified the word of God.  He saw the Pharisees as standing between the people and God, as offering not life but religion. Would he say the same to the religious people of our day? I believe he would.

I have no criticism of the church. The church, the Body of Christ, in all its local expressions is a wonderful and precious thing. I just can’t stand the religiosity that creeps into her thinking and practices. Things like the special classes of ‘priests’ who wear archaic costumes and sit on special chairs in a church service. Muttered formula prayers in Elizabethan English, or Latin seem so unreal and religious. Sometimes, even the Lords Table becomes an altar of sacrifice rather than the place of communion.

Hair-coverings for women; three ‘praise’ songs followed by three ‘worship’ songs; “give the Lord and applause offering” as the preacher bounds onto the stage. These too are religious traditions.

If you are a church leader then you can influence these things. If you are not you can still abstain, pray, and speak when the time is right. Anything that seeks to express the truth that Jesus embodied brings life. All that expresses religious tradition might bring nostalgia but will not impart life-changing truth.

How much of your church practice is religious? In the next post, I want to ask about your personal spiritual practices.