Last week I was in Buxtehude, visiting some long lost relatives (our common ancestor lived in the 1770's). They were very nice people, and allowed me to stay with them. They took me around to many different sites in Hamburg, and around Hamburg.
Neither one of these people are regular church going people. The Husband is not baptized and is not a member of the state church. The wife is a member of the state church, and goes on Christmas and confirmation. The reason that the wife is a member is interesting: "It is part of our heritage and our history."
This is what Christendom (as opposed to Christianity) is devolving into. There is no real faith or conviction. It is the mentality, "We do it because our parents do it and we are expected to do it." This same mentality is creeping up on the American churches. This "cultural" Christianity chokes out faith, suppresses the pure proclamation of the Word, and turns the rites of the Church into a "religious" baby shower (Baptism), or into a coming of age milestone (confirmation).
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True. Western Christianity has become a culture of convenience. Often we find people part of a religion for social reasons and these people then to have beliefs which lack substance. Not surprisingly, those lacking a faithful backbone also tend to be highly relative. Morality is subjective and issues like Design or Abortion are matters of preference rather than having a reasonable explanation or rational that is objectively based.
ReplyDeleteHey Berg, the above comments are mine. I'm having some problems with duel identities. That's why I'm following you under two names (plus the title lutheranfaith), I can't figure it out.
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