The Church

In my previous post I noted that Timothy Keller draws attention to the individual and community aspects of the Christian life. And I left it hanging with a "more on this later" bailout. Much of the struggle of the church in America relates to the combination of these two aspects. Can they work together? In his book "Building the bridge as you walk on it", Robert Quinn describes what he calls "Detached Interdependence". I love his description. Quinn writes, "This person combines Independence and strength with humility and openness". While not all of Quinn's comments are directly applicable to the Christian life, he raises a good point about the combination of the individual and the corporate life of the church. We struggle to combine strength of character with the warmth of a humble spirit. We also find it difficult to mix personal accountability with the connectivity of authentic relationships. Yet, the church is a living body defined by relationships and personal integrity. It's not meant to be easy. It reminds us of our need for God's help. That seems to me to be the rub in the church today. We try to "do" church without acknowledging the defining and enabling power of God.