….So, “Why church?” That can be a scary question, because there’s a chance that we might find out that we’ve been running in the wrong direction.
Paul, was furiously persecuting Christians with conviction he was doing God’s work. In mid-stride of his furious determination, he gets knocked down by light and Jesus asks, “Why do you persecute me?” Paul is struck blind so he can see that he was always blind.
That “why” question made him question everything he did with his life, and that is scary! I mean, who wants to question his whole life? What organization wants to question its whole purpose?! We are afraid of “Why?”
Leslie Newbigin, a missionary and theologian who warned that the greatest missionary crisis is the Western civilization, was consulted by a church to aid in their revitalization. When he met the elders, the first question Newbigin asked: “Why does this church exist?” The leaders looked at each other the way people look at each other when they are asked, “Anyone like to close in prayer?” Then an elder uncomfortable with the silence answered, “to help its members.” Newbigin replied, “If this church exists for its members then it should close its doors.”
Why should PCUSA continue to exist? Protestant churches are….
(continue reading at Presbyterian Today blog)