The Third Thing Matters Most
When people describe churches, they tend to focus on two things. One is doctrine: what does the church believe, and do I agree with it? On Scripture, soteriology, sacraments—what do they teach, and is that correct? Doctrine does matter. Ideas have consequences. Christianity is a propositional religion, a religion of belief, centering on truths of first importance about the work of Jesus and then seeking to have our thoughts conformed to His thoughts in every way. The other is practice: what does the church do, and do I resonate with that? Practice includes things internal to the life of the church—how liturgical is it? What style is the music? What programs does it offer? It also includes more general ways of living out faith, in terms of calls to obedience and focuses of mission and activity. Practice also matters. God is not just concerned with out thinking but our doing. The choices we make in terms of praxis can be good or bad, wise or foolish, helpful or an impediment to C...
