Letter to a (“Retried”) Church Goer 2
Happy Sunday. I hope my letter last week inspired you to find a church and attend last Sunday and/or this morning? If so Glory to God and I pray you a wonderful journey of fellowship. But if not, then I hope you soon take the bold step.
Last week I promised to comment on our older churches and their doctrines and their ruggedness which I suspect was what sparked your disenchantment with church. The insistence of the church on making us wear "church clothes" and holy filters like Instagram life people isn't good.
Well. I want you to know first of all that there's a reasons church have doctrines and rules. And I assure you that even the new less stringent churches do have theirs too - not just enforced by policing like the older churches but present all the same and it is for one reason. No organization thrives without rules. If you observe many of these same rules apply in our traditional and cultural institutions. Why? Because they like doctrines were passed down and created to maintain law and order in our traditional societies.
Allow me to drift a little bit and consider one of the greatest assaults on Christianity in recent times and that is that Christianity is patriarchal in nature. This is certainly wrong. Let me help you see why. See dear friend the bible and the some of the doctrines we dislike were written in specific historical eras to a set of people. What I mean is they were written within a socio cultural context and they had to - to an extent - fit that context. Take for example Paul's commands that women not teach or talk in the assembly. Today even the strict orthodox churches who appear to follow the Bible hook and line allow and permit women to take leadership positions and preach. This is because those laws were not set in stone. In fact for the Era in which Paul wrote his commands and provisions and praise for women were revolutionary and against culture. Also consider Jesus. In the Jewish law women were disregarded so much the Pharisees dragged a woman caught with a man (who should have been dragged too) and dragged to Jesus stating the law of stoning for people caught in adultery Jesus set her free with one phrase. The same Jesus made a Samaritan woman (the Israelites and Samaritans already has a Nazi - Jew relationship and then a woman again in a totally patriarchal society) - and not just any woman - a professional wife and kwana gida minister - one of his first converts.
Let's return to what is under circumspection today - the old orthodox doctrines. Women shouldn't wear trousers. Men shouldn't wear rings anywhere but the marriage finger. Are these condemnations certainly not. In fact I'm sure if you think of a Cocin or Ecwa minister or two you'd realise their children and perhaps wives do indeed wear trousers on every other day but a church day. So why not to church? Because the church is guided by a doctrine. Doctrines as old as the late 1800s and early 1900s when these churches were founded. Some doctrines were inherited from the blessed evangelist who brought the gospel and tied to their understanding of the gospel at that time. Some were even created to fit the socio cultural context and profile of our great grand parents who were the first members of the church. Whatever this doctrines were created for reasons.
Now am I exonorating the churches and their leaderships? Certainly not. The church indeed have to change and adapt either by the Holy Spirits leading or a smaller revolution similar to the one Martin Luther Staged but this can't happen in a day and many barriers - including generational and cultural gaps.
Finally let me point to Romans 15 - one of the most authoritative scriptures on tolerance and inclusiveness. In Romans 15 Paul advises that we abstain from things in the interest of the church "If they will make someone else sin". If you encounter most people in our churches age 60 and above who grew in core villages and don't have much exposure - seeing a woman with trousers or a man with earrings or Dada is like seeing the devil for them. Why? Their cultural setting and the teachings they received from young age. Applying Paul's theory, abstaining from wearing trousers or rings will be an act of love to them and the church. Your walking into their gathering that way might make them comit the sin of anger and its honestly not their fault. They grew up that way. So we have to accommodate. Da'T.R.U.T.H said it best, "Jesus of for everybody" - even the over stringent judgemental old folk.
Like I advised last week if you cannot tolerate the old churches then find a new less stringent, “more accepting” but bible believing and preaching one and attend. But don’t stop church altogether. Don’t go to motivational speaker churches — Find a church determined to the scriptures. Don’t fight the fellowship of the old churches. I know our orthodox Christian Parents can be stubborn and interprete any act of switching church as falling from grace but this is for you and your souls progress. They will certainly learn to accept it.
In conclusion if you read this and want the church to suddenly change then perhaps attack your traditional institution first. Let your chiefs and traditional leaders permit all these things and be deliberate about endorsing tolerance and normalisation. Perhaps the church will change completely then - as the church is made up of people.
