THOUGHTS ON GENERIC CHRISTIANITY AND NEWGENESIS

Given the shifting sands of spirituality, or lack thereof, in recent decades, and the decline of the church as we have known it in modern life, and in all its variety of specific forms and manifestations, there is a desperate scramble among churches to find means of self-preservation. I suspect some might object to that last term (self-preservation). Yes, I have no doubts that some Christian leaders (myself included) are willing to concede that God can do what He wants, since He, after all, is in control, even in the demise of local bodies of believers. But the concern for self-preservation is a reality nevertheless, even if we have no idea what shape that may take, or what changes it might demand. To find new ways that are genuinely useful, and at the same time are faithful to the Word, the Will, and the Ways of God, is the only way to rebuild a crumbling edifice. As Paul said, “There is no other foundation than the one that is laid, which is the Lord Jesus Christ."

It seems to me that NEWGENESIS is one such instrument for rebuilding; it is a NEW BEGINNING/BIRTH, but the shaping of that rebuilding has to be God’s doing. “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it.” At the same time as Christians we understand that God does what he does, most of the time, only as we put ourselves in the place where He can do it (whatever it may be) through us.

The goal is definitely not to make a new church, or a new denomination, or even a new “movement.” Rather, it seems to me, the goal is to “present our bodies as living sacrifices,” and to “follow” Jesus, and to “know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.” God, after all, has an agenda for us, one which takes precedence over anything else we might do by way of works. It is to “be conformed (and therefore changed) to the image of His Son.” Have we understood that statement too superficially?

But HOW is NEWGENESIS to be an instrument for rebuilding? And let’s be careful with that word, rebuilding. What is it that we are to build upon the foundation which is laid? More of the same old, same old? What is the same old, same old? Is it a repeat of what we have been doing right up till now, only with fresh paint? Could Jesus work without pews, and stained glass, or “The Gloria Patri”? Is the new music any different than the old music, except with drums and guitars, and different words (and maybe less doctrinal hymns)? Could Jesus work without the buildings we’ve gotten used to? Could the Holy Spirit lead some one way, and others another way, and yet keep them in harmony and unity? That hasn’t exactly been the case all along. The part about different directions has been the case (thought it remains to be seen if it was the Holy Spirit’s doing or not). The part about harmony and unity is another story. Maybe we don’t have the faintest idea what Jesus will do. And we have all these stereotypes that we will no doubt find hard to let go. We find it particularly hard to not be in control – which may be why we aren’t coming up with the next “program.”

Right off the top of my head, It seems that NEWGENESIS is potentially, and perhaps temporarily, an online gathering place for discussing, discovering, and sharing the spiritual journey – not only for persons who don’t like church, but for whoever wants to enter the conversations. Of course it would not be much fun, if some theological know-it-alls barged in to make sure everybody “gets it right.” There are ways to deal with those who try to hijack things.

I recall some time ago my son and I had a conversation along the lines of how, during the middle ages, the church was, in essence, the equivalent of the welfare system of the day. It took needy people in, and in turn they contributed to the agricultural labor pool, or equivalent. My lament was that in our day we could hardly do that without OSHA and a billion other bureaucrats shutting it down. More later.