What kind of church do you go to?

[Beloved Servant]

Exactly!
Steeples, stained glass, mosaics and flying buttresses.
Images used to replace faith in the Lord our God.

[Beloved Servant]

But, the graven images are the worst.
The ones that carve into our minds, exalting themselves before and over Christ.

[junkbunny]

I really feel I want to share this with anyone who might be reading:


You will probably never find a church that fits what you believe entirely.  Christian faith varies from one person to another, so it would be nearly impossible to find a group of believers who agree on everything about the faith. 

I spent many months last year being VERY anti-church.  What did this achieve in the end?  I began to resent people who didn't see my view.  I'm not saying all those who are not in church are like this, I'm just saying this is how it was for me.  In my struggle to find the truth, I began to emotionally reject people who didn't see things the same way I do.  I think it is important to recognise what is truth, but I do NOT think it is good to reject and resent others because their view is different.  This is not the way of the Jesus I know. 

You can go to a church and not agree with everything they preach, and you can discuss it with your friends.  I don't believe you should go to church solely to GET.  You should also go to church to GIVE, to be Jesus' hands and feet and give love to those in need.  When you remove yourself from a community, you take away everything you had to give to them.  You take away the potential for God to use you to help others.  Church isn't only about going and getting taught about Jesus from a preacher up on the altar.  It's about fellowship, about sharing life, about sharing love.  It's not all about getting... it is just as much about giving. 

I go to a Baptist church that has arminian views so it's not as tough as going to a calvanist church, but still.  All the people there believe in hell.  I don't.  I struggled with that for ages and wanted to reject all of them.  But that's not love.  Now, I'm okay with it.  I can love them, knowing that even if they don't know the full truth of God, they know some of it and I can help to show them.  And God will reconcile them, all of them.  Something that really helps me is asking myself "Lord, what can I give to my church today?" before I go to church, rather than saying "Lord, please give me a new church".

I realise there are churches out there that preach hellfire fervently, I guess I am blessed in that my church does not do that.  I think it's good to avoid the churches that are not loving.  Argh, I'm stuffing up the point I'm trying to make (I am never good at this sort of thing).  My point is, don't reject church entirely on the basis that people there believe in hell.  If your church community loves you and you love them, stay with them and share your life with them.  You don't have to agree with everything they say.  If hellfire is a frequent and important topic in your church, then go find one that has more of an emphasis on inclusive love. 

Hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes.  I'm not sure I made as much sense as I wanted to..

[Universalist Catholic]

You could always try out a Catholic Church, as long as you follow the creed of Early Christianity.  They are not so in your face, and most of them are pretty liberal about universalism.  Just stay away from the Hardcore Catholics.  They can be pretty nasty. 

[reFORMer]

http://theschoolofchrist.org/articles/no-fellowship-no-problem.html

[Johnny 27]

Yes - I have to agree with your comments about trying to fit in with those "churches" who do not accept UR. UR is a very important part of God's plan for mankind and those who do not concur with it - IMHO are missing the whole concept of God's nature and His capacity. This invariably puts you at odds with those that do not believe to such an extent that you will find very little that can be discussed in any serious way. I wonder if this loneness can be solved? We now have the technology to write, Skype, phone and even to travel short distances. Could we be closer than we think to finding fellowship? Just some thoughts.

Johnny