Open Source Theology?

I was raised Roman Catholic and have always had an "on again/off again" relationship with the Church. First of all there was my reaction against the Roman Catholic church as too much of a worldly institution...something that always gave me pause. Then there was my belief that there was no need to have a priest intercede on my behalf...for better or worse my relationship with the Lord has always been upfront and personal and that is what I always believed that Jesus intended (i.e. wherever two or more are gathered in my name).

Despite these misgivings, I enjoyed attending mass and at a particular point in my life, derived great solace from it. Lots of good work gets done in the Roman Catholic Church because there are, like in many other churches, lots of true believers whose faith is greater than any petty complaints about church doctrine. I agree with C.S. Lewis that the devil is probably quite amused by humans that become church connoisseurs. That said, I never really felt that the Roman Catholic Church was home, just a place I went to be with others that shared a similar faith.

I recently attended a service at the Vineyard Community Church in Maryland. It is a church that my son is an active member and I must admit I had a completely different experience. First of all the pastor was dressed in khakis and an "open" short sleeve shirt with a tee-shirt underneath. He told jokes while delivering a powerful message. He discussed his own familial challenges in a way that seemed not only more "human" but also more relevant because it was more human. Check out the welcome message in the link above and you get a feel for the experience.

I have done some research on the Vineyard churches (about six hundred or so nationwide) and there are some nearby us in Largo, FL. I might just pay them a visit...

Comments

[breyeschow]

Glad the the "Open Source" approach to faith works for you. As "one of the those" pastors with a similar posture of ministry I firmly believe it is not generational, but more about a person's worldview that clicks with a setting such as this. Hope you were able to make that visit!

[breyeschow]

Glad the the "Open Source" approach to faith works for you. As "one of the those" pastors with a similar posture of ministry I firmly believe it is not generational, but more about a person's worldview that clicks with a setting such as this. Hope you were able to make that visit!