Church & Change
Ever wonder why a lot of old churches have a sanctuary entrance on both sides? Or perhaps three entrances?
Many of these historic buildings share with us physical reminders of churches past - much of that history we aren't too proud of. If not for practicality, most congregations with two doors were designed to separate Men and Women in the worship service. Many congregations with a door placed on the side or back were also used to separate those who were in bondage through the sin of slavery.
Why do I bring this up? I want us all to see glimpses of how our interpretation of God and scripture have changed when we went back to the text and realized we'd been reading it wrong the whole time. It isn't a new idea to re-interpret scripture. It isn't a new idea to follow the Spirit of God into unexpected places.
I'm sure when this little congregation pictured below decided to unite men and women and include people of color into their fellowship, they lost some members. They lost folks who couldn't bear the sight of their church including those whom they wished to exclude. I'm sure the bigots in that period even had a saying similar to the bigoted "go woke, go broke" that we hear today when congregations and businesses stand up for justice.
Yeah, they probably did go broke. They stood for justice and paid for it.
But, I'd rather go broke than lose my soul.
Remember, friends, that change is necessary.
If you're a Follower of Christ like me, you know that we're commanded to a continuous transformation.
