Deconstructing Man’s Church

Posted by Jonathan Brink
March 11, 2008

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I had one of the best conversations with a good friend about why I am so hard on the church. It was revealing for him but more importantly it was revealing to me. It took us three hours to get through it as we struggled with the complexity of understanding what each of us was concerned about and why. After much reiteration he would say, “You’re saying this,” and I would say, “No that’s not what I’m saying.” I kept saying “yellow” and he kept hearing “red”.

And then I said something that caught my attention, “There are two churches really. There’s God’s church, which I love. It’s this organic movement of the Holy Spirit that when it shows up we just know it’s God because we wouldn’t do it that way. And there’s this thing called man’s church, which over history has produces various forms of religion designed to earn God’s love. It’s this thing that we do where we recast what God is doing in our own image. We screw it up. We get in the way. We build stuff that becomes monuments to our own broken humanity, hoping that people will somehow offer us praise.”

This image of man’s church struck me. It reminded me of the moment in The Matrix when Neo has just taken the blue pill and the silver liquid begins to take over his body. We’re always trying to create that mask, that cover that looks like us, not God. And what we end up with is a plastic version of what God is doing. We pretend it’s working only to discover that we have created something that we are subject to.

So please know that when I talk of deconstruction, or I’m hard on the church, know that I’m talking about man’s church. I’m talking about tearing down the idols we create that we think produce life but produce little more than a plastic version of what God is doing. Also, please don’t assume that I’m talking about your church. If you tell me your church is not part of that second category, I believe you.

I wrestle with this question, a lot. Mostly because this is the conversation God has drawn me to over the last 15 years. But as I said to my friend, I sense a better move is beginning to show up. Reconstruction is beginning to appear. Instead of tearing down what it already there, I’m beginning to see the light of day when I will simply be participating in an alternative that has God’s name written all over it.

PS: Right after I wrote this, I found this at Out of Ur by Skye Jethani.

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Church, Conflict, Emerging Church, Reflection, postmodern

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  • Bring on the deconstruction of the counterfeit to build the walls of the authentic Kingdom of God!
  • Dave Allen
    Interestingly, the NT speaks of one church: God's church, Christ's bride. What people have done in the name of the church, or in the name of Jesus for that matter, has been used for oppression or control - granted. However, it's flagrant to suggest that for it's existence over 2000 years this is the distinguishing characteristic of the church. Furthermore, to state that this is man's doing/church only when it counts as being "oppressive" or "judgmental" is quite lopsided.
    Your posting today is timely and interesting. Consider checking out the history of the church you attend... why did it become what it is (denominationally speaking)? Is it plastic? How does it differentiate itself from the denomination it affiliates with? How does it resemble it? When that's done, why did men and women make the change? Were they following the Spirit, or themselves, or... both?

    Checking it out might add considerable weight to your position. Then again, it might lead to giving pause and reflecting on all that you have composed in this post.
  • Dave, I'm glad you mentioned that. I specifically like the covenant church because of its grace and willingness to find relationship amidst the conflict.

    I think what I love about the church is that God works amidst us in spite of our ability to build ornaments around what he is doing. I don't think it's all oppressive, as I said earlier in our conversation. I hope you can see that.

    To say it's all oppressive it to miss what the bride has actually done: mission organizations to the poor, soup kitchens, hospitals, schools, aid groups, Compassion international, and thousands of other groups looking to bring love to the world.
  • Dave Allen
    Heck Yes! I concur with this.
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