Over the past six months or so, I’ve really been struggling with Christianity. I was born and raised in an evangelical friends church, which to those who don’t know, is quite like Quakerism (leaving lots of room for the Holy Spirit, singing old hymns, conservative leanings, and rather old fashioned in doctrine). The Evangelical Friends denomination interested me in concept when I was younger, as this denomination feels called to reach out to the community and share the Good News. But if I’m being completely honest, I didn’t see that. Instead, I saw a church crumble and nearly cease to exist because it was far more focused on rules and religion than the community around them. Fast forward to the present, years after deciding I was nondenominational, and I’m still here, struggling with Christianity. American Christianity seems to be, by and large, focused on rules, pick-and-choose Christianity, prejudice, and exclusiveness. Additionally, I still fail to see the outreach, the unbiased love, the compassion, and that hurts. Where are the people who say they stand by the word of Christ? Why do I see God’s love more in the people you’ll never see in church than you do the ones who fill the halls every Sunday? This is only the tip of the iceberg of my issues with religion and Christianity, and I’ll talk more about the rest in subsequent messages. But I want to say, I’m finding clarity through prayer and meditation, nature, honest talks with close friends, and the wisdom of Richard Rohr. This quote is from his book, Everything Belongs. Just something to think about. // #reflection #richardrohr #christianity #americanchristianity #weareflawed #thegentlestrength #opinion #discussion #faith #jesus #god #evangelism #moretocome #letstalkaboutthis (at Erie Island Coffee Rocky River)
