David Wayne:
As I’ve hopscotched around the internet the last month I’ve come across a G. K. Chesterton quote that offers some wisdom in how we relate to the church. He is speaking of his love for England, but the love he shows for England here is a terrific example of the love we can and should have for the church. This is from an article by Joseph Sobran:
G.K. Chesterton, with his usual gentle audacity, once criticized Rudyard Kipling for his “lack of patriotism.” Since Kipling was renowned for glorifying the British Empire, this might have seemed one of Chesterton’s “paradoxes”; but it was no such thing, except in the sense that it denied what most readers thought was obvious and incontrovertible.
Chesterton, himself a “Little Englander” and opponent of empire, explained what was wrong with Kipling’s view: “He admires England, but he does not love her; for we admire things with reasons, but love them without reason. He admires England because she is strong, not because she is English.” Which implies there would be nothing to love her for if she were weak.
The analogy I am making here is probably pretty obvious –
Read the rest here.
Hi Chris – thanks for linking – God bless you and give you great joy in your continued labors for Him.
Hey pastor chris,I am not Pam, but Steve,
Got your message and had to read it a couple of times.
I think i got it but not sure,
GOD’S love is constant, all he asks is that we believe and live our lives by his word.
Therefore, our love for his son’s bride should also be constant and unwavering;
does it mean we will always agree with the mission or direction; does it mean we will be not only be supportive when things are going smoothly.
We will always have issues, but if we truly love Christ’s bride we will work through these times and become stronger in the end. Steve
love steve
Yes, Steve, I do think that’s the point. We should not condition our love for the church on whether or not we perceive that all is going well.