The Biggest Problem with the Churches Today

      The biggest problem with the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches isn't their theology. The biggest problem with them is that they behave as if they are in denial that the empires which created them and which they largely dominated no longer exist. The message which they give is, frequently, "We're right because these empires which existed fifteen hundred years ago told us we were right, and even though they no longer exist, we're going to continue operating as though nothing has changed in the world."
     The biggest problem with the Protestant churches and their various offshoots, again, isn't their theology. The biggest problem with them is that they were born as a protest against the Roman Catholic Church of the sixteenth century, and they have never moved on from protesting the Roman Catholic Church of the sixteenth century. Their message is, frequently, "Rome is bad, because they did all these terrible things five hundred years ago."
     With either group, their core theology isn't the problem, but all of their interpretations are centered around either defending or attacking positions, situations, and societies that no longer exist. And the bulk of their teaching effort now is dedicated to defending their existence as separate factions when in fact, the systems and societies which gave them meaning are long gone.
     This, more than anything else, is why the denominational systems must end. The things which are dividing Christians have nothing to do with Jesus Christ, and everything to do with things that just don't matter anymore. I have seen and known genuine disciples of Jesus Christ in virtually every denomination and church I have visited or been a part of, even those that are militantly opposed to one another. St. Francis of Assisi, St. Patrick of Ireland, Hudson Taylor, Brother Lawrence, Brother Andrew, Vanya (Ivan Moiseyev), the authors of the Philokalia, Jim Elliot and his wife, Watchman Nee, and a host of others too numerous to name from nearly every possible side of this multifaceted aisle are all names which come to mind. Their denominational theology had nothing to do with this, but their commitment to Jesus Christ and His Way did.
     It is my belief that it is time for a hard reset for the visible Church, and a letting go of its obsession with theological orthodoxy and maintaining the "true" one, holy, universal, and apostolic church. Prior to the ecumenical councils summoned by the Emperor Constantine, there was really only the Way. There was a lot of debate and speculation about theology and what the writings accepted as Scripture might mean about things no one could see or understand, but a person proved their discipleship by how they lived, and, in many cases, died as Jesus Christ taught, not by what theology they professed.
     The ecumenical councils changed that and put the emphasis on correct theology instead of correct practice in order to bring unity and not the divisions Constantine was afraid of. As a result, when Christianity became an imperial religion, the Way became lost, buried over time, and so did the charismata, relegated to the very few who stumbled into it through prayer and deep reflection. The Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and all of the Protestant Churches continued this religious, myopic devotion to orthodoxy instead of living as Jesus Christ taught, or actual discipleship. When the Way was lost, we were left with religion and ritual.
     It is long past time to break from this mistake, put to rest the idea of the One, Holy, Universal, and Apostolic Church and let it die with Rome and Constantinople, and return to living as Jesus taught, which is the true definition of being a Christian.