In my English class we had to read "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and he wrote this about the modern church: "There was a time when the church was very powerful... Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender (sic) of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent - and often even vocal - sanction of things as they are. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust."
This was written in the 60s and it is probably one of the best descriptions of the church as it currently is. Rather than being a driving force, the church has moved to something for young adults to be mad about and a place for adults to come for what I call fire insurance (I'm not really a Christian but I go to church... just in case). There are some good, spirit-filled churches but the most popular churches in America are seeker-friendly or even what is called emergent (lets rethink everything including heaven, hell and everything else). its interesting to think that 40 some odd years ago Dr. King said all that about the church and now its all falling into place. Dr. King is famous for a lot of things but unfortunately his thoughts on the church are not one of them.
God bless,
Anthony
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