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"Give me the old time religion.
It's good enough for me."
"Tell me the old old story,
Of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory,
Of Jesus and his love."
A definition of old time religion would describe its belief
in the inerrancy of the Holy Scriptures, and the certainty
of what must be believed from that singular source. The emphasis
is on total commitment to Jesus Christ, the Lord and Saviour
of human kind with a conversion experience essential for everyone.
There is no doubt of the efficacy of its teaching and preaching.
There are positive responses when the appeal to people 'to
come to Jesus', is made and hands are raised in the 'I do'
of respondents, at meetings described as of the old time religion.
The cynic will say that that is no more than the reaction
to a pressurised and exciting moment. But the reality is the
lives of many have been changed after they made that response
for they meant it. They turned to Christ and showed their
faith in Him by how they lived thereafter.
The meetings have their singings, Bible reading and prayers.
The preaching has in it an assurance of its truthfulness which
leaves the listener in no doubt that this is the truth and
you can be certain of it. The substance of what is said and
done in them is similar to that of church services generally.
The differences are with emphases which are dissimilar from
liturgical and other more ordered patterns of worship. There
is, too, the lesser friendliness of the "main" churches
compared with those which speak of themselves as of the simple
form of other days. They have a reputation for being especially
welcoming.
It is an indictment of some churches that time of day is
about the most a visitor is likely to be offered in them.
There is the old story of the man who attended a church for
two Sundays without receiving a word of greeting.
On the third Sunday he wore his hat to be reminded that,
"You shouldn't wear a hat at service," to which
he responded, hat removed, "Thank you for speaking to
me." A silly little story but as some will say near enough
to what could happen.
The church can be a cold house to people. It is not that
they are not welcome at any and every church service but that
the words of welcome are not always said. And they should
be.
Compared with the certainty and intensity of these other
churches and meeting places the "main" churches
can appear to be lacking in conviction on the primary doctrines
of the faith. There is the unattractiveness of uncertainties
in beliefs and practices. Absent also is the sense of expectancy
that listeners will be affected by what they say, do and hear
in their services.
Where there is that sense of expectancy it is to be believed
that benefit and growth will be there. A revitalised church
is much needed in a society which is suffering grievously
from the weakening and loss of Christian values in so much
of its life.
There is always the danger that a church will be self interested
and self satisfied when the reason for its existence is to
be not for itself but for others. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said:
"The church is her true self, when she exists for humanity."
There must be no doubt that the church was brought into being
by Christ to give the good news of faith in Him to people
whoever they are and wherever they may be for Christianity
is Christ.
Rev. Canon Dr. S.E. Long
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