Some Causes of Disillusionment

Some of the many reasons why Christians are growing disillusioned with the congregational experience:

• We’re bored – sitting through the same tired ritual every week, or listening to the same voice has dulled our spiritual passions rather than excited them
• We felt disconnected – sitting in rooms full of strangers on Sunday morning watching the same stage does not build the relationships among believers we desire.
• We are tired of seeing people blasted with guilt and religious obligation.  While it may press some people to conform to the needs of the institution, it only distances them from a Father who loves them more than they know.
• We got sick of the political games played behind the scenes to serve someone’s ego or put institutional priorities above the purpose of Jesus.
• Some of us didn’t leave, we were pushed aside by those who disliked the questions we raised, the clothes we wore or the truths we struggled with.
• We found that they reinforced the wrong things, encouraging us to pretend instead of being real, encouraging us to exploit people rather than serve them
• We found out that the Gospel was so mixed with performance-based religion that the life of Jesus had been swallowed up in busyness.
• And yes, some have left because of the emptiness of religion and have abandoned Jesus altogether and no longer believe that scripture speaks the truth.  That’s what many of us hate about religion.  It makes promises that it can’t keep and then makes people question whether or not God is real at all.

But at the same time others who are also disillusioned remain in traditional congregations:

• We are there because on balance we feel our congregational experience enlivens our passion for Jesus more than the politics and abuses undermine it.
• We are there to connect with fellow Christians in our communities.
• We are there because we’ve found some people that are more focused on Jesus than the demands of the institution.
• We are there hoping against hope that others might come to see that the authority structures can be changed to reflect more closely the Lord’s glory.
• We are there to learn from the scriptures from what others have learned
• We are there because we feel God has asked us to be even though we struggle with the politics and petty gossip.
• We are there because we don’t know what else we’d do if we weren’t.
• And, yes, some are there only because they are convinced that Heb 10.25 obliges them to be so.

(Wayne Jacobsen)