We Quit Going to Church

We quit going to church.  And -- who knows? -- we're probably not going back.

I'm not interested anymore, and neither is Carolyn.  I'm going to write about it in the days ahead, and fully realize this is going to offend some, particularly those who read this blog and have their livelihoods, or self-worth, or ways of life tied to church-as-it-is.  There's no way around this, save not writing about our convictions.

There's also no way to say, "Here's our conviction," without others thinking, "He's saying, 'we all must do this.'"   I'm saying no such thing, but whenever one advances a different idea, a different conviction, or has thought about something differently, it's often taken to mean, "I prescribe this for all others."  Fact is, I'm prescribing nothing.

I'm fond of an extreme form of editing, particularly for blogging purposes.  I don't like reading much text on a screen, and presume you don't, either.  Brevity makes for snappier writing, but it also makes tackling a subject like this difficult.  Nuance is rarely afforded in a tight economy of language.  I apologize in advance for this.

We are NOT done with the church.  We're done attending one.  We are not done trying to follow Jesus -- quite the opposite -- and we are not doing what so many churches have warned me against, "forsaking the assembly".  We're still getting together with other believers.  In fact, more than ever, and more fruitfully than ever.

Turns out we have more time for this, since we quit going to church.

We're not done supporting churches with our money.  We're just giving it to churches in Africa, who use the money for things like AIDS drugs and mosquito nets, to keep babies from getting malaria.

Turns out we have more money for this, since we quit going to church.

More to come...