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THE CLUELESS CHURCH

By   D a v i d     P a m     M c Q u e l



Thanks to the Collins online dictionary.
clueless. (kluːləs ) adjective. If you describe someone as clueless, you are showing your disapproval of the fact that they do not know anything about a particular subject or that they are incapable of doing a particular thing properly.

It seems to be an insult or rather too harsh to accuse someone of been clueless. Don’t even dare use it against the church.

If there is an exposed wire in my electrical wiring of my house, it will spark every time both naked wires have contact. If I don’t know what to do next, no matter how many degrees I have acquired from Cambridge or Oxford Universities, it will be safe to say I was clueless.

Many parents don’t really know what to do as first aid treatment for their kids. So if your kid has a high fever in the middle of the night at home and you have no access to medical care, you may become frantic, desperate and panic because you are clueless. That’s not an insult.

It is “a disapproval of the fact that they do not know anything about a particular subject or that they are incapable of doing a particular thing properly.”

Often, I refer to the dictionary to get the exact meaning and grammatical use of words because too often we overestimate our grammatical prowess. There are words we think we know the meaning because we overuse them. But try your ability to explain common words that you used daily, you will realize that you have focused more on constructing rich-sounding sentences than well understood sentences.

Now that we have taken our ignorance away from the way, let’s if the church as it is today has clue or not in some common matters.

Some of us who grew up in Islamic infested communities and muslim populated nations have heard from our childhood repeatedly about the muslim agenda. This is the core thing that united all muslims, and which every muslim keys into. 

They muslim agenda is basically simple. Jihad. It is a clear cut goal to conquer the world for allah through islam. Every muslim has no higher focus in his life than this. So when a muslim buys a plot of land, builds a house, a business, a gas station, a school, a supermarket, a school etc, there muslim be a small portion to raise a small mosque where allah, their god will be honoured.

There has never been an argument or will there ever be about it. There may be a disagreement about the method of doing it but not about this agenda.

There are muslims who believe that as mohammed did, through violence, murdered, conquest, beheading, rape, threats, intimidation etc that agenda is superior and all these mention evils are a legitimate means of achieving the agenda.

There are also these so called moderate muslims who believe that through democracy, friendship, socializing, lies, persuasion etc this agenda must be achieved. But both agree they are achieving the same purpose that’s why the so-called moderate muslims never ever condemn Islamic terrorist activities.

But if you ask those who say they are Christian what is the Christian agenda? It will shock you how clueless the church is.

How many Christians including clergy believe that God actually exist? According to vox, in America only 70% In Europe it may be just 20%.

How many Christians believe Jesus is the only way to the Father?

According to Pew Forum Poll, 70% of American Christians don’t. Astonishing 56% of evangelicals believe that there are many paths to God!

“Many were so shocked by these numbers that the Pew Forum went back and did further polling to make sure that by religion, respondents did not have in mind other Christian bodies or denominations. Their earlier results were essentially confirmed.

In this most recent study, large numbers of Americans believe that actions or a combination of beliefs and actions can lead people to God. Even among the 30 percent of Americans who say that eternal life depends on one’s belief, nearly half designate belief in God, a higher power or other generic beliefs as sufficient for salvation. Among Evangelical Christians, only 45 percent clearly affirm that a personal belief in, or relationship with, Christ is essential for eternal life.

Increasing numbers of Americans, Christians and even Evangelicals are questioning the long-held commitment of the Church that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ. Among all Americans affiliated with a religion, 52 percent believe that Islam leads to eternal life with God, 53 percent believe that Hinduism leads to God and 42 percent even believe that atheism leads to God. Among Evangelicals, the numbers are 35, 33 and 26 percent respectively. Clearly in recent years, in the midst of growing cultural and religious pluralism, large numbers of Christians are troubled by, or ignore, the claim of Jesus, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn. 14:6).” 

Is Jesus Really the Only Way to God by By Dennis P. Hollinger, Ph.D. President & Coleman M. Mockler Professor of Christian Ethics

How many Christians believe that the bible is the infallible word of God?

How many Christians believe one can be saved?

How many Christians believe Jesus will come back again?

According to pew research, “By the year 2050, 41% of Americans believe that Jesus Christ definitely (23%) or probably (18%) will have returned to earth. However, a 46%-plurality of the public does not believe Christ will return during the next 40 years. Fully 58% of white evangelical Christians say Christ will return to earth in this period, by far the highest percentage in any religious group. 

Only about a third of Catholics (32%) and even fewer white mainline Protestants (27%) predict Christ’s return to earth by 2050. One-in-five religiously unaffiliated Americans also see Christ returning during the next four decades. Americans with no college experience (59%) are much more likely than those with some college experience (35%) or college graduates (19%) to expect Jesus Christ’s return. By region, those in the South (52%) are the most likely to predict a Second Coming by 2050.”

These questions are not complicated; they are simple biblical assertions that Christians should believe!

Ok, let’s leave doctrinal issues aside.

What did Jesus said should be the agenda of the church? Muslims have a well-coordinated pursuit to Islamised the world. Their agenda is unified. Even though terrorism should be a setback, yet their doggedness is making even Westerners to rethink. 

No matter the negative impact of any terrorist activity anywhere in the world, they move on as if nothing happened. They gather at street corners, they block streets, they blast their loudspeakers and still shout their call to prayers as if nothing has changed.

What is the church’s agenda? What do we really want to achieve as followers of Christ? I only see internal and external divisions, I see Christians disown each other, I see doctrinal warfare daily and at the end of the day we seem to have different “Lords”.

Jesus left just one agenda, MISSIONS. 

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 NKJV

He expected them and those who will believe after them down to us, to have just one focus between our eyes, taking the good news to the ends of the earth. Every other thing we do should be an accessory to that FACT!

And Mark added, “And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.” Mark 16:20

What is the plan of the church on evangelism? Do we even agree that should be our join overriding pursuit?

The church at the beginning in Mark 16:20 did just exactly what Jesus told them to do. But then along the line, somewhere down coming to our generation, we added- and we went out and preached….(inserted) but had to hold on and build cathedrals, established a renown bible school and seminary, and participate in politics, build influence among and before world and national leaders first…. and …. before everywhere, the Lord working…

It’s not that building cathedrals, establishing bible schools and seminaries or participating in national political process is wrong, it is that the commission left behind has taken the last agenda of the church.

What is our solution to hunger, war, poverty, child and human trafficking, drug and substance abuse, terrorism, pornography, crime, Islam, sexual perversions etc? We have left it to the United Nations, UNICEF, WFP, IMF, World Bank and such liberal secular godless organizations to determine how best the world can be helped.

The problem with all these institutions is that they are human, liberal and anti-God. Whatever they do, it is from a humanist perspective and they don’t consider the church as significant. Not that we should be jolting for recognition or position with them. No!

But nobody should serve the compassion menu better that a people filled with God’s love. Jesus said in Matthew 25:
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

Don’t we appear clueless?

What our solution for corruption?

What is our solution for dirty politics?

How about refugees and internally displaced victims of conflicts?
“Oh, let the UN handle that” Someone echoed back.

Yes of course. 

That’s why the world will rather listen to the UN than to Christians. We are truly clueless.
We better wake up! God’s judgement at the end will be, did you take the gospel to the end of the earth? Did you care for the sick and feed the poor?

I hope we won’t reply, “We allowed the United Nations Commission for Refugees to do it.”
CHURCH! Let’s get a clue.

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