Forgiveness and Reformation - my thoughts

A theme of forgiveness and reformation has been flodding Evangel this first semester. It has been about confessing bitterness, living with joy and reforming our Christian walks with Christ. A thought struck me though, after reading a chapter from "Blue Like Jazz." What if the church, or we as Christians, owe the biggest appoligy?
For years we have put physical "boundary markers" on ourselves, others and the church. Why do we try to change people and THEN save them? What are we condeming before loving? Didn't Jesus love Zachius before he ever brought up the issues of sin and repentance? We as Christians are playing God in our judgement. Is it more important that a man finds Christ at a church where he feels welcomed and accepted or must he stop smoking before we can even consider him saved? Should a troubled teen with a foul mouth be condemed by the church or should she be embraced as a child of God first? We need to do the loving and leave the rest up to God.
I am beginning to fear that the church has lost touch with culture and has recently been turning more people away than drawing them in. The lable that has been put on us as Christians is far less than a positive one. Completely disregarding the feelings of those who are bound by sin gives the world only evidence to back up what they accuse.
Furthermore, the church has become actively involved in "community outreaches" to grow their church; make it more sucessful. But shouldn't church be about growing others? The effectiveness of a church is not based on size but on the weekly growth of its members.

The church is in need of a major reformation. You see, each person has a unique calling on their life. Why is it that the only celebrated callings are those of "church work?" Growing up I remember wanting to be a pastor or missionary becuase thats what I was "supposed to be". That was the "special" calling. All others were simply "secular" callings. During the time of Martin Luther, the church underwent a huge reformation. This reformation, however, would not have been nearly as sucessful if the artists, writers, and teachers were not involved. The church did amazing things but it reached the people through those who had so-called "secular" careers.
But what does this word, secular, really mean? Dallas Willard says "[T]hat is why the division of the legitimate roles and functions of human life into the sacred and secular does incalcuable damage to [us...] Holy people must stop going into 'church work' as their natural couse of action and take up holy orders in farming, inustry, law, education, banking, and journalism with the same zeal [and support] previously given to evangelism or pastoral and missionary work." He also says that recovering this "reformation doctrine may well open the way for contemporary Christians to influence their cultures once again."


just something to think about.