How Can We Tell the Difference?

There are many things related to our faith and practice which are a challenge to fully grasp (reductionists and simpletons may disagree).  It is my personal belief that pondering such things is always beneficial.  Here are some of the questions I have recently been thinking about.

How can we tell the difference:

• Between the consumerization of our faith and it being expressed missionally?

• Between deadness in the liturgy and deadness in the worshiper?

• Between our liberty in Christ and our abuse of the same?

• Between performance oriented worship and art-as-worship?

• Between religious legalism and personal accountability?

• Between social holiness and humanitarianism?

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Of course, I would love hearing your thoughts on any of these.

Photo credit: © Stanislav Pobytof, iStockphoto.com

Comments

[Carl Holmes]

Without sounding to terribly trite or reductionist I think it has to do with the heart motivation.

1) When a person goes into the Christian Book Store and buys a cross and wears it around there neck are they buying it to remind themselves of the cross, or are they buying it to look cool?

2) When a person recites the liturgy or partakes of the elements are they there for the experience, or to draw closer to the God? Is the liturgy drawn of its power because the pastor has given into the pressure to give a good show, or to truly draw the people nearer to God?

I could go on and on, but we must be on the guard for what is motivating us. If it is anything less then to lead people into a relationship with Christ or to deepen our own faith then we have a problem.

[DesertPastor]

Indeed. Heart motivation is critically important. But I'm not convinced that one's heart-motive is the only thing involved. Might that not lead us to wrongly justify our abuses and mess-ups a bit too easily? Even though one's heart is in the "right place", that doesn't prevent us from sometimes making grave errors, does it?

Just thinking out loud with you, Carl.

Blessings,

Chris