The Church: does it have any divine authority?

I love God, God loves me. My belief in God is unquestionable, undisputable. I am grateful for everything that God has done for me, and I believe he will do more for me. But that should not, and cannot, prohibit one from engaging in some constructive, yet robust, critical debates about some of these issues that relate to the church. Mine begs no judgement, nor misinformed conclusions about my being a Christian. I am not a devil worshipper, and I have no elements of Satanism (as many charismatics would be quick to label), I worship God, Christ Jesus. I am rational, objective, intriguing. I don’t allow my religious convictions to prohibit me from thinking.

Most of the time one is born within into or within a particular religion and denomination and little individual thinking is done to consider the fundamental relationship between man and God. I was likewise born into a particular African church. At a certain stage in my life I considered strongly the question of why I was not a Catholic, Methodist, etc. Beside rationalising the established fact of my being in an African church I found very little reason of my being in that church other than the fact that my parents, grandparents worshipped in that context. I have since become extremely critical of denominationalism. Beyond this I have also grown to question in fact the very need for worship in an organised way. In other words do organised churches necessarily have a divine origin or should we view them as man created institutions probably in the same category as soccer team?

The existence of a multiplicity of denominations convinces me of the uselessness of organised worship in investigating man’s duty to God. Churches have tended to complicate religion theology and to make it a matter to be understood by specialists (that is to a lager extend an exception). Churches have tended to drive away the common man by immersing themselves in bureaucracy and institutionalisation. Where does the truth lie- with Methodists or Anglican, with the Catholics or Jews, with Jehovah’s witness or the Seventh Day Adventists? In my view the truth lies in my ability to incorporate me vertical relationship with God into the horizontal relationship with my fellow men; in my ability to pursue the ultimate purpose on earth which is to do good.

My attitude to the church- i.e. Organised denominationalism- is therefore down to earth. I see them more as a social man made institutions without any divine authority. Though probably useful and potentially much more useful, organised worship, I feel, is not prerequisite proximity to God. I can reject all churches and still be godly. I do not need to go to church on a Sunday in order to manifest my Godliness. Yet I do appreciate that all too often people’s moral conviction are reinforced by revival meetings. If then I go to church it is more of this type of limited service than because I regard them as having a monopoly on truth and the moral judgement (that is the claim of all religions, or else there would be no need for their existence). Then if my motives for going to church are bound to be limited expectations I feel free to withdraw without any compunctions if and when my expectations are not met. For this purpose also, the ultimate denomination which serves me is only of relative importance.