Dale Cresap's blog

Have you heard of seeker-friendly churches? My word refers to seekers, but this term implies something else. It means those who are casual or tentative in their search. The seekers mentioned in my word are understood to be pilgrims and sojourners, moving forward even as they wander, and never looking back. There is an implied full commitment to continue on despite hardships and loneliness and weariness, for what they seek is not of this world, even as I am not of this world. Does this sound discouraging? Doesn’t my word promise that if you seek you will find? It promises that if you seek me you will find me if you seek for me with all your heart. 

Early theologians worked out the basic creed of your faith that I am fully God and fully human. Both aspects are important. Those who encountered me on earth needed no convincing that I was fully human as I stood before them. I had no form or comeliness that they should desire me. I wasn’t much to look at. Yet there were some who realized that I was also divine. I said they were blessed because flesh and blood had not revealed this to them. Much time has passed since then, and you grew up being instructed that I am divine. Do you need a revelation to know that I am also fully human? 

How did you choose the church you currently attend? Was it on the basis of family tradition? This is unlikely for new converts and many established believers move out to find faith traditions of their own. Did you study the doctrinal works of the founders of the churches available to you and make an informed selection on this basis? That would be extremely rare, particularly for new converts. Then do you go where you first felt a sense of love, acceptance, and belonging? If this was the dominant factor for you then you may expect that it will be true for others as well and extend it to those who are looking for a church. 

Where do you find spiritual life? Do you assume that church is the primary or only place for spiritual encounter? It is one way but not the only way. Do you believe that everyone is made in my image? If so then you can have a spiritual encounter with every person you meet, but this is not automatic. You need to be aware of the leading of the Spirit, and foster and cultivate spiritual encounters. I want this to be the hunger of your heart, and for you to be as aware of my presence at all times as you are in church. If this is what you seek then you have my promise that you will find spiritual life everywhere you go. 

Do you value your freedom? This is a normal human longing and my word tells you to stand fast in the liberty in which Christ has made you free. Do you feel sympathy for those in prison, or bound by addictions or limitations? Liberty has many dimensions of which the ability to move about at will is only one. It may be the most obvious but least important. Paul lost this form of liberty when he was in prison, but it was there that he wrote much of the New Testament. Do you understand that there is a spiritual liberty always available to you regardless of life circumstances or any other limitations? Stand fast in this liberty.

I didn’t die so you could go to church. I gave my life that you may have life that is eternal and abundant and true. Church is a part of that life but it is not the whole part. I invite you into a continual engagement with the divine mystery. It fills the entire heavens and earth and influences every aspect of your life. I am not hostile to the church that I built and I don’t want you to be either. I do want you to have a true perspective on its purpose. Don’t look at it as a source of life, but rather as a place where you can join together to share and celebrate the overflow of life that you live every day. 

There is an inherent human longing to make human contact and confide in others. Perhaps you have felt this in yourself. Yet you are prudent to be selective in whom you confide, for not all people are trustworthy. What do you look for? Someone who is loving enough to show interest and care, someone you trust enough to treat hold your confidences in confidence, and someone who is accepting and non-judgmental enough that they wont reject you no matter what you say? Other people are looking for the same qualities for someone they can confide in.

Are you familiar with the concept of a ‘strawman’? A straw man is not a real man, and a strawman is understood to be a false representation. It is easy to create these to represent the positions of those you disagree with. This is a lazy way to attack your enemies, making it easier by misrepresenting them; exaggerating their weaknesses and minimizing their virtues. It is also fundamentally dishonest. My word teaches you to love your enemies. Do you see this as only an abstraction involving vague feelings of affection? But love is demonstrated in concrete actions. You can start by not misrepresenting them to criticize them. 

You refer to my love as unconditional, and you are right. Do you find this word in the Bible? It isn’t there because it is a modern word and the Bible was written before this term came into usage,   but the concept is there in other words. Where else do you use this term? In warfare this word is used to describe terms acceptable for ending the conflict, such as unconditional surrender, meaning surrender that is absolute, with no negotiated provisions. Do you see surrender to God as an appropriate attribute for your life as a Christian? Only unconditional surrender is consistent with unconditional love. 

Chemists use litmus paper to indicate acids and bases. There are two colors to indicate which of these conditions is present in a solution. The term litmus test has taken on a broader meaning in politics, as a binary indication of whether an individual meets a certain criteria. Churches have throughout history have applied the same concept to persons to decide if they are saved or not. Do you prefer to minister to other believers? Consider my own time of ministry on earth. Did I ever examine someone to find out if they had the right group affiliation or beliefs to be worthy of ministry? I never applied a litmus test to people who came to me and you shouldn’t either.