What if the church were Christian?

Yes, what if the church were Christian?

I recently read a post by Richard Rohr at the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC).  It stated beautifully what he believes Christianity can and should be.  Below is an excerpt from his post of 11/1/19. 

Quaker pastor Philip Gulley superbly summarizes how we must rebuild spirituality from the bottom up in his book, If the Church Were Christian. [3] Here I (Richard Rohr) take the liberty of using my own words to restate his message, which offers a rather excellent description of what is emerging in Christianity today:

1. Jesus is a model for living more than an object of worship.
2. Affirming people’s potential is more important than reminding them of their brokenness.
3. The work of reconciliation should be valued over making judgments.
4. Gracious behavior is more important than right belief.
5. Inviting questions is more valuable than supplying answers.
6. Encouraging the personal search is more important than group uniformity.
7. Meeting actual needs is more important than maintaining institutions.
8. Peacemaking is more important than power.
9. We should care more about love and less about sex.
10. Life in this world is more important than the afterlife (Eternity is God’s work anyway).

I can and do sign up for, believe, and practice this way of being Christian.  Richard Rohr is a Catholic priest and he often makes me wonder if there is something good I can still find in the church in which I was raised.  

Perhaps this list of ten things could be the new and improved modern day version of the ten commandments for Christians today. Don't get me wrong the original ten commandments are useful but have too many "Thou shall nots" in them for me.  I look more for something that gets me up in the morning and a way to live my life and make a difference.

To end this post, here is another excerpt from the same post from CAC.  You can see the complete post from 11/1/19 at If We Were Christian.

A Circle expands forever
It covers all who wish to hold hands
And its size depends on each other
It is a vision of solidarity
It turns outwards to interact with the outside
And inward for self critique
A circle expands forever
It is a vision of accountability
It grows as the other is moved to grow
A circle must have a centre
But a single dot does not make a Circle
One tree does not make a forest
A circle, a vision of cooperation, mutuality and care—Mercy Amba Oduyoye [1]

Want to learn more about the Center for Actions and Contemplation.  There web site is:      cac.org and if you want to sign up for their daily emails you can do that at:  https://cac.org/sign-up/.   

Abundant blessings.