Leah Libresco Sargeant coordinates a debating program. She thinks learning to debate can help bridge the differences among people. She’s also a Christian. Here’s a fascinating quotation from her.

“If the church is framed as a way to have community, so is the Rotary Club. If it’s a place to get into justice, so is your union. If it’s framed politically, so are party politics. We need to talk about our foundation in Christ. If the church isn’t Christ’s church, it isn’t worth people’s time. We need to proclaim loudly what it is.” *

She’s right.  I’ve been involved with the church since I started Sunday School in September 1951. The church is at its best when it is proclaiming and living Christ. It becomes useless or even dangerous when it isn’t doing that. I am grieved that most young people today have no connection with a church. Maybe some of it is that younger people today simply don’t join things, but I think some of it is that many Christians don’t regard church as a place to be transformed by Christ. The church is a private club where we can do things we like, and we only want to include people who like the same things we do. My experience as a pastor was filled with occasions where church members were outright hostile towards young people. It gnaws at me.

Hey folks, we’re about the good news of Christ. That’s what matters in a church. That’s why you matter to us–young or old. Christ loves us. That’s the truth.

Read 1 Peter 3:15 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne

*The Christian Century, November 2024, p. 53