I am waiting for the pastor who is compassionate enough to stand behind the pulpit, look lovingly at his congregation, and say, “Life is hard. It is a gift that we did not ask for and brings troubles that we would rather avoid.”

Let’s admit it; life is hard. Death and sickness are hard to talk about, think about, and observe. Mounting bills when there is no money and no additional income expected creates a fearful expectation of the future. It is tragic when innocent people suffer physically, emotionally, and socially, in the hands of evil people. It is hard to wake up some mornings and get out bed. It is hard when friends, who we thought we knew, talk bad about us when they thought we weren’t listening. Betrayal, death, fears, and so much more are difficult parts of this existence we call life.

I haven’t found that pastor or that church. My guess is that neither have the “69-94 percent of Christian youths [who] forsake their faith after leaving high school (cite)” So, we are all left wondering, when will the church authentically address issues that are common to every person?

I was reading blogs last night about the “emergent church”. I hate labeling spiritual movements and this is just about as bad as any of them. It’s a term that’s been used since the 1970’s (which speaks to the generation came out of, causing further skepticism). Frankly, after last night’s reading, I’m not any closer to understanding how to differentiate an ‘emergent church’ from Rusty Nail Baptist Church down the street; though I do know to look for white men with goatees. One word, however, keeps popping up: relevant.

When I was a getting ready to leave for college, I visited various churches all over my hometown. My ten-Sunday experience was enlightening as I learned the differences between denominations. In two and half months, only a few were what I considered to be relevant in addressing life issues. I know it’s hard to be a pastor because so many demands are placed upon these spiritual guides, counselors, and teachers. On top of the forty (plus) hours worked per week, they have to show up every Sunday, dressed nicely and wearing a smile. I don’t envy pastors. But, what’s the point of preaching and teaching if the congregation dismisses the church as irrelevant to their life? More significant than sermon delivery style (which is sometimes used as a crutch for absent substance), what’s the point if the message lacks substantive relevance?!?

Perhaps, I am coming across more strongly than I intend so let me make this clear: the power of God to pierce people’s hearts and change lives transcends the words and actions of any one person. Furthermore, the preaching of the Bible is never accompanied by God’s absence. When the Word is preached, God’s changes lives.

But, if the effectiveness of persuasion lies at the intersection of life and Scripture, might that be a good target? When someone can say, “Hey, that’s me,” followed by an exegetical exposition about what the Bible says or how God perceives it, wouldn’t the church’s effectiveness increase? The Bible was written by real people for real people and it has within it messages for life’s greatest struggles. Why be afraid admit that struggles exist and that we all deal with them? Strength can be garnered by authentic believers seeking relevant answers together.

The Bible gets a lot of flack these days from Christians and non-Christians for being confusing, irrelevant, and written by a bunch of dead guys who were probably liars. An Italian court is even deciding whether Jesus really existed. While I don’t suggest that a Sunday morning service is a place to talk about the historicity of the canon and textual criticism, I wonder if the church perpetuates this myth by presenting the Bible as moral stories that don’t answer the hard questions and daily struggles of life.

Karl Barth said he preached with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. In this simple statement, he speaks directly to the need for relevanct churchs. The other side of this, of course, is not to water down the message of Bible with the passing headlines that people won’t remember in a few days. But, death, betrayal, fear—those issues common to humanity—transcend the headlines and are opportunities for the church to speak with authenticity to our greatest need. As any pastor will tell you, at these moments, when these issues weigh heavily on a person's heart, people often take the next, or first, step in their relationship with God.

During my undergraduate degree, I had the opportunity to study the Bible continuously; I took it. I could offer a fine rebuttal to those with whom I disagreed on this or that theological issue. Later, the Holy Spirit showed me that it was at the time when I was the best theologian, that I was the furthest from the Lord; quite ironic if you ask me. It wasn’t until I realized that the messages in the Bible were not exclusively provided for me to win an intellectual argument, instead the messages were there to change me and they did. I know first-hand that the Bible is relevant and addresses daily struggles.

When life is hard, we need an authentic church that understand life’s struggles and can relate God’s relevant perspective through his Word to those ready to know God.

Related Tags: God, emergent church, authentic religion, Life is Hard, Christian, Pastors, relevant faith