Brokenness

What’s Wrong With Our World?

/ Dennis Griffith / Leave a comment

According to legend, The London Times once sent out an inquiry to famous authors, asking the question: “What’s wrong with the world today?” Among those asked to write up short essays in reply was the noted G.K. Chesterton. Chesterton’s reported reply:

Dear Sir,

I am.

Yours, G.K. Chesterton

[Whether or not this story is factual or fable may be subject to some debate. However, for the curious, The Society of G.K. Chesterton has weighed in for the discussion: What’s Wrong With the World? And Chesterton did write a book titled What’s Wrong With The World?]

Though Chesterton may have never actually penned that pithy reply, (although, maybe he did,) what the story reflects is nevertheless valid. There is much wrong in this world. We all know it. Not the least of what is wrong in this world, according to Romans 1, is me – and you.

Over at The Gospel Coalition, writer/blogger Justin Taylor has penned a semi-fictional interview with the Apostle Paul, asking the question: What is Wrong With Us? I call it semi-fictional because, though no interview has actually taken place, Taylor interacts with Paul’s actual words from Romans 1, which describe the individual contributions we each contribute to what is wrong in this world. It is a penetrating perspective from which to read Romans 1. It is well worth the read: An Interview With Paul on What’s Wrong With Us.

Embracing the Brokenness of Your Church

/ Dennis Griffith / 1 Comment

This post by Tim Locke of Grace Community Church in Bridgewter NJ so captures the truth of a much needed lesson, I post it here below.

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Embracing the Broken Church!

“I don’t feel comfortable inviting people to our church,” he said. “Why not?” I asked. “Our music isn’t upbeat enough, our people don’t sing out and the whole thing falls flat. Our people aren’t friendly. We don’t have a dynamic kid’s program. We aren’t very community-oriented.” He didn’t say all this but he and others have shared these concerns with me and other pastors that I hang with.

More and more people are leaving their small, limited churches to attend large, super-sized, mega-churches. And if they don’t leave, they spend their time comparing their church with others and complaining about what they want but don’t have.

Sometimes a parishioner gets a dash of spirituality and pushes the church to change. Maybe they fight to see the worship changed, maybe get a new minister, maybe a new program. Eventually they’ll probably end up leaving, but at least they can take the spiritual high ground and say things like, “Well I tried to get the church to change but they just weren’t interested.” So they leave after writing “Ichabod” over the door posts of the church (1 Samuel 4.21).

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