To Walk Away

Over the years, I’ve become very aware of a good many of my brothers and sisters in Christ who are leaving the faith - or who are seriously considering it.

This saddens me for many reasons, but most of all, it breaks my heart because I know the reason that they are falling away - and I think that it has less to do with God than it does with the people who claim to follow him.

Quite simply, the people who are falling away in droves are tired of the bullshit. They’ve grown weary of the lack of compassion that has taken over within the walls of the church. They have listened for years as the church has condemned minorities, made the “tithe” a priority, and considered those who are different to be “less than” God’s best. And Church, they are tired of the “drive-by guilting” (love that term) and the lack of grace in your sermons, the self-righteous attitudes of those in your congregations, and all of your sorry excuses that allow you to keep things as they are. The "churches are made up of imperfect people" argument can only get you so far, and by now, you've worn it out. It's not good enough, just like all of the other go-to excuses that you use to keep the pews packed every week. We're too smart for that, Church. Welcome to the 21st century. 

They’re flat-out sick of it all. And, because you foolishly do all of these things in God’s name every Sunday, they have begun to falsely associate your abhorrent behavior with a loving God. And now, they are walking away from Him. Walking away from their Creator, because they feel that He doesn’t want them. 

This burdens me because I know that they’ve got it all wrong. They need to direct that anger where it belongs - at the church, at the followers and leaders who have failed miserably, and who have done so willingly and without a care in the world.

My brothers and sisters, God does not want this for you. Do not let the false prophets and Pharisees color your perception of God, of Christ. Despite what they may think, they do not speak for Him. They are dead wrong. Please understand that I know how you feel. I’ve been there, but I also know that my relationship with Christ is one of beauty, love, and grace that never ceases. It looks nothing like what the “white washed tombs” that make up a good many of the churches in this nation have made it out to be.

For a time, it may even be necessary for you to walk away. You heard me correctly. Walk away from the church. Figure some things out, just you and Christ and nobody else. Sometimes, walking away from it all can be for the best. Walk away until you can find a group of people who can actually help you to grow, who will constantly remind you of the gift of grace, who refuse to condemn you. Believe it or not, there are congregations like this - groups of believers who make it a priority to include everyone, not just the spiritual elite. In the meantime, as church attendance continues to take a nosedive, those in the church who have driven others away will be forced to take a different approach. The resounding message will be "either change with the times or be forced into obscurity".

If the church is damaging you at this point, then I encourage you to leave. Stay away until you find a family that will help you to heal. To borrow a quote from the immortal Dolly Parton in Nine to Five, no one wants to be treated like a “bastard at a family reunion”! 

Walk away from the church before you walk away from God. Walk to Him. Most likely, it’s not Him you’re angry with anyway. Trust me. 

Conflicted, Angry, Confused...Hopeful.

"Who never doubted, never half-believed. Where doubt is, there truth is. It is her shadow." ~ Ambrose Bierce

With all of the unrest in the world, it's easy for the cynic in me to come crawling out.

When I hear of the senseless violence that is being carried out in other countries towards my brothers and sisters in Christ as well as others -- it only serves to bring feelings to the surface that go against my nature.

I mean, you hear that children are being murdered systematically by a rag-tag terrorist group, and you can't help but hope that God wipes out the guilty parties en masse. You can't help but hope for the death of the evil forces. And I don't like feeling that way. I don't like the fact that I long for the death of anyone, terrorist groups or anybody else for that matter. I'm a peace-loving hippie. I'm supposed to be the peacemaker. I always have been. These angry feelings go against the very essence of who I am.

Nevertheless, this is how I feel at the moment.

And then there's God. I believe that He is out there. I've placed my faith in Him. But I want Him to show up. When your children are being beheaded,  you're supposed to do something about that - and in a big way. It's the age old question: God, where are you? In times like these, I feel as though people are justified in asking that question. "God has a plan," they say. Okay. What plan is that? And why does it have to involve terrorism? God parted the Red Sea. He's performed all kinds of miracles. He can do anything he wants, really. I mean, this is God we are talking about. So, why can't he just snap his fingers and wipe these enemies out in an instant? "God has a plan". That's great, but that's an answer that's currently not good enough for me. I also do not believe that God is "allowing" these things to happen in order to "teach the world a lesson". I don't serve that kind of God. I wouldn't serve that kind of God. If you have to kill millions of your own children to teach the rest of us a lesson, well, that's horrifying in and of itself -- and that's simply not my God, the "for God so loved the world" God.

And yet...

I'm hopeful that He is going to work it all out, in His own way, in His own time. A peace came over me today. I don't know where it came from, so I can only assume that it came from God. I am hopeful that His grace is sufficient and that He takes care of His own.

I am hopeful, and because of this, I can move forward. There is a comfort in knowing that it is okay to ask God, "What in the hell is going on?" I know that he understands. He hears it from me quite often!

If you are out there and your faith has been shaken, know that you are not alone. Know that this is okay, and that He is okay with it. It is in these doubts and questions that we grow closer to God and to each other. It is in doubt that you find freedom. It is in doubt that truth is revealed.