Christianity started in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise, and when a fellowship changes into an enterprise, it becomes a prostitute. Unknown
"I came across
ReplyDeletea quote attributed most often to Rev. Sam Pascoe. It is a short
version of the history of Christianity, and it goes like this:
Christianity started in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece
and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution;
it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and
became an enterprise. Some of the students were only 18 or 19
years old–barely out of diapers–and I wanted them to understand
and appreciate the import of the last line, so I clarified it by adding,
“An enterprise. That’s a business.” After a few moments Martha,
the youngest student in the class, raised her hand. I could not
imagine what her question might be. I thought the little vignette was
self-explanatory, and that I had performed it brilliantly. Nevertheless,
I acknowledged Martha’s raised hand, “Yes, Martha.” She asked
such a simple question, “A business? But isn’t it supposed to be
a body?” I could not envision where this line of questioning was going,
and the only response I could think of was, “Yes.” She continued,
“But when a body becomes a business, isn’t that a prostitute?”
The room went dead silent. For several seconds no one moved or
spoke. We were stunned, afraid to make a sound because the
presence of God had flooded into the room, and we knew we were
on holy ground. All I could think in those sacred moments was,
“Wow, I wish I’d thought of that.” I didn’t dare express that thought
aloud. God had taken over the class.
Martha’s question changed my life. For six months, I thought about
her question at least once every day. “When a body becomes a
business, isn’t that a prostitute?” There is only one answer to her
question. The answer is “Yes.” The American Church, tragically,
is heavily populated by people who do not love God. How can we
love Him? We don’t even know Him; and I mean really know Him."
Dr David Ryser
The Above quote is from an article by Dr David Ryser. Just in case it may not have been clear. Not my comment, but a quote of his from the article below.
ReplyDeletehttp://truedsicernment.com/2009/07/11/the-prostitute-in-the-pulpit/