So it’s been (rightly) pointed out a few times in the last year or so that we shouldn’t be so quick to want to “get back to the early church” because they were immature and had their share of problems just like we do — after all, nobody’s perfect. The thing is, I can’t recall anyone actually saying we need to “get back” and do everything like the early church did, at least not in the past ten years. So is this response levied too broadly against at who wants to consider one or two practices of the early church, or are people actually saying we need to behave like they did and I’ve been missing it? Isn’t there a lot of positive lessons to be learned from the early church’s practice?
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Just like people who say they believe in preaching “the BIble,” usually these people are talking about a few things in the Bible and not the bible as an inherent whole. It is a kind of systemized understanding of the Bible. In the same way, people who like certain things about the early church have created a kind of systematic theology of the early church. More often than not, this systematic theology is in their own image.
I hear from time to time how great it would be if we just did house churches because it worked for the NT Church. However, people also forget, in this case, that the NT Church also met in Synagogues and anywhere else they could. That really leads to the discussion on an immature church…not in the bad sense, but the young sense. I don’t think it means that they did anything more “right” than we do, but it is important to study. The fact is that Acts is a historical document, not a game plan.
You know … my mom makes strawberry shortcake with biscuits. Even in New England (where I’m from) that’s less and less usual. I remember when I was about 10 years old I was visiting a friend for supper and that mom served strawberry shortcake for dessert. It was very yummy and I said so … because there’s nothing I love better. But, I observed, it was different than the way my mom made it. I know for certain I never said it was better or worse, it was just different. And since I did everything but lick the paint off the plate, it had to have been obvious that I enjoyed my hostess’ version.
It’s always been interesting to me that whenever anyone in a group points out something is different, everyone else in the group assumes that person is making a judgement of that the something is lacking. But it may be that they are just making an observation about a difference.
The early church was definitely imperfect in many ways. So is the church today. But the ways in which each is imperfect are very different, so it is worth exploring in some depth what those early church people experienced to see what we can learn from them … both positive and negative.
Aaaannnnd … now that the Caps have beaten the Oilers this evening, I’m going to go read and go to sleep ;-)
I just wish some things we did at least had at least a remote resemblence of what was in the Bible. I guess I need to look around for believers who long for the same thing.