But Where’s Christ?

 Now this doesn’t apply to all clergy, but I am finding it applying to more and more in at least my denomination, and I am sure that it could be applied to just about every denomination. But I am really beginning to wonder more and more where Christ is in the hearts of the the clergy? Do the Religious Order have it right in that many of them basically surround there life in Christ? Should the education curriculum in the seminaries be changed?

 I wonder about these things as I listen more closely to the Episcopal Clergy and the clergy from other denominations when they aren’t in a service. In a way their seems to be a disconnect from Christ in talk and actions. I’m seeing and hearing more and more about the Theology and Practice of Christianity, and seeing and hearing less and less about the Actions of Being a Christian. Clergy seem to be so ego driven.

 As I sit in church meetings and listen, and when I listen to sermons, it seems as though I am hearing so much about who they know, the things that they are doing, and how great that they are, but little about Christ and a Christ Centered life. I am seeing more and more clergy with a bunch of “Alphabet Soup” lettering before and after their names, come across as though having all of that is an insurance that they will assure them a place in Heaven. It is though when Judgement Day comes, they can stand before the Holy Triune and show off all of the degrees and talk about all of the Theology that they know, but avoid talking about the Rights and WRONGS that they have done to deserve going to Heaven. 

 I heard a sermon, by someone who won’t apologize about anything, including making a joke and/or blaming others to avoid apologizing. talk about how basically the only thing that we have to do is to ask God for Forgiveness. Hmm, I always thought that we should see the face of God in each other, and am of the opinion that for all I know the person that I may have offended could be Christ Returned. 

 But the importance of the clergy (and even the laity) seems to be in levels of education and who one knows. people seem to get impressed that I have a good relationship with my Bishop, but that is something that I didn’t aim for with him, it just occurred. A number of things occurred that brought us to be involved in each others lives, and we get along. What I find wonderful with him and his wife is the Love that they have for each other. Yes I respect his title, but it is them as people that I have the most respect for, as I see them living a Christ Centered Life.

 On one of my Twitter accounts, I was surprised when I saw that Father Alberto Cutie was following me. Now I am sure that most everyone (all three people) who read this blog know who he is, so I won’t go into his history. But I have heard people talk about how they have had the chance to meet him and talk with him, and they make a big deal of it. I have nothing against him, in fact I have a lot of respect for him. The thing that I really like about him is that he listened to what the Holy Triune was telling him. Sure it took him a while to listen, but he heard the calling of Love and is now happily married and with a child that was born out of Love, but he and his wife are living a Christ Centered Life from what I know. But meeting and/or talking with him seems to be a big thing for people to talk about.

 Why am I calling for a change in the curriculum in the seminaries? It seems as though it seems as though people are coming out knowing the theology of the Bible is more important than Living In Christ. People are coming out knowing how to “Talk The Talk”, but not “Walking The Walk”. Now this is not true with everyone who goes through a seminary comes out this way, but it seems as though so many do. Christ didn’t just talk about the Old Testament, but Lived it. The Seminaries need to start producing more and more people who are leaving as being examples of what it means to Live in Christ. Yes the importance of the theology is something that they need to know, but people need to be living examples of being Christians.

 I sit in a congregation where almost every week it seems as though the sermon has nothing to do with the lessons that are read. It seems to be a lot of “I did this”, “I did that”, which comes across as “See how important I am and all of my greatness”, and I hear it at times at other churches that I go to. Yes one should use one self at times during a sermon, but now when one has to mention self over and over again in a sermon, it becomes boasting, which is something that the Bible speaks against.

 But what do I think that we need to do? I think that we need to get away from the Theology of the Bible and start Living it. We need to start going out and evangelizing and being an example to others as to the greatness that Christ brings to us. We need to go out and not only feed and help those that we can see are hungry and poor, but we need to also need to go out and help those who are also hungry in Spirit. We need to start basing our life around Christ, not just a theology about Christ.

 So what are you doing in your life to make sure that the Holy Trinity is at it’s center?