Occupy...Church?

Unless you live in a cave, you are probably aware of the Occupy Wall Street protests that are currently spreading around the United States. You may not be clear on exactly what the goal of the protests is, however—not surprising, since many of the protesters seem a little fuzzy on that themselves. They seem to have a general sense of discontentment with the status quo. They know something is wrong with "the system" (and it's hard to argue that point), but lack a clear plan for how to fix it. Without a clear goal, some of them have defaulted to blocking streets, taking over public spaces, and holding up signs with naughty language on them...

Protesting for the sake of protest

It's an uncomfortably familiar phenomenon.  I admit it: I am in rebellion against church-as-we-know-it. For years, I've had a general sense of discontentment with our Sunday morning status quo, along with the feeling that something is wrong with our church system. What's been missing, though, is a clear sense of WHAT is wrong, let alone how it could be fixed.

To some extent, I've become like the Occupy protesters:

Vaguely discontent, sometimes angry, identifying a few key issues, but sometimes—I'll admit it—rebelling for the sake of rebellion. Rebelling because I wanted to distance myself from some of the things the church has said and done over the years. Rebelling because I got tired of pretending everything was fine. In some ways, I overcorrected.

When I began to realize that some of the things I've believed and embraced—things that have been part of my identity—might not have been 100% correct, the temptation was to throw it all out. Turn my back on "the system", pitch tents in the park, and paint naughty words on my protest signs.

Is it wrong to protest?

It's uncomfortable—even more for the protester than the protestee—and it can certainly be done the wrong way. But just because something is uncomfortable or inflammatory or rebellious doesn't mean it's wrong. Just about any important social change in our history was brought about by those who were considered troublemakers, pot-stirrers, inflammatory.

However:

It's important for those who protest to stay on-message and avoid cynicism

To do otherwise is to risk losing the message altogether. This blog is my attempt to sort out my thoughts in a constructive way. To articulate the reasons behind the discontentment while searching for solutions. To be honest and real in a way that the church doesn't always encourage.

I don't expect my thoughts to turn the Titanic

It's too big of a job for me.  I'm just sorting things out for myself, and sharing them in the hope that they'll help someone else begin their own sorting process.

Are you in the sorting process?  Do you think I'm crazy?  Overly dramatic?  Heretical?  Your comments are welcome!