The Church Is A Whore
So I was finishing reading a Donald Miller book yesterday and I came across a quote that really stuck with me. He is talking about how the church is a "big, beautiful, ugly thing" and goes on to quote the great thinker Augustine who once said, "The church is a whore and it is my mother."
To me, its such a profound and powerful statement...and carries a lot of truth. Jeff and I spent some time debating about what he meant by it. I think what he was saying by the church is a whore is that it claims to love too many things easily and loses the true sight and meaning of love...Christ. And yet, as much as we would like to dissociate ourselves from it, it is our mother. It brought us up to be who we are now. It gave us a foundation and introduced us into this new world of a relationship with Christ. So we cannot so easily abandon it our turn our backs on it, because it is our mother.
Jeff's thought on it was that the church is whore because it is the greater evil. It claims love and yet is responsible for some of the worst atrocities in history...yet it still is our mother and we cannot turn our back on it for the above reasons.
I would seriously love other people's opinions on it because I think it is a very interesting thought. So think about it, and let me know what you guys come up with. Seriously.
To me, its such a profound and powerful statement...and carries a lot of truth. Jeff and I spent some time debating about what he meant by it. I think what he was saying by the church is a whore is that it claims to love too many things easily and loses the true sight and meaning of love...Christ. And yet, as much as we would like to dissociate ourselves from it, it is our mother. It brought us up to be who we are now. It gave us a foundation and introduced us into this new world of a relationship with Christ. So we cannot so easily abandon it our turn our backs on it, because it is our mother.
Jeff's thought on it was that the church is whore because it is the greater evil. It claims love and yet is responsible for some of the worst atrocities in history...yet it still is our mother and we cannot turn our back on it for the above reasons.
I would seriously love other people's opinions on it because I think it is a very interesting thought. So think about it, and let me know what you guys come up with. Seriously.
posted by stacey at 1:36 PM
4 Comments:
I am with you. The church, the bride of christ is so filthy with sin, hypocrisy, the world. It does anything to make a quck buck, and usually leaves it's customers (congregation) with little more than a cheap temporary thrill.
I agree about the "it is my mother part". I also would add that our lifestyle is a product of her whoring. Little remorse over sin.
Damn... where's green valley lake and a cigar when ya need her?
Hey Stacey,
I feel that I actually agree with what you said. I do believe the church loves/accepts things too easily. Anyways i agree with you.
You missed an AWESOME thunder and lightening storm yesterday! AMAZING! wish you were here to witness it
stacey-
i like your thoughts on millers quote. to add: i think the mother part is important as well. ya know we are all quick to say what we hate about the church and how it is a whore, at the same time i think the most important part of the quote is that is is our mother - one who has helped raise us and loves us and is beautiful. i know i find myself thinking about all of the bad things the 'church' is doing, at the same time i must realize i am 'the church' and it is my family so i should be doing all i can to help stop it from whoring around.
(anyone else try to make a word out of the word verification for comments?)
I don't know where you're going to church...(just kidding)but i remember last year my pastor talking about how in the book of proverbs it describes the strange woman and the virtuous woman. It was really neat the way he showed us that the virtous woman is Christ's bride. I know that my church isn't perfect, and there is no doubt that many churces aren't geared the way God intended, but if you just look at the way the virtuous woman is described in ch. 31. Her husband safely trusts in her, she ministers to her family and provides them with meat, she reaches out to the poor, she is wise and kind, "her children arise up, and call her blessed." Call me naive, but the church is the bride, my mother.
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