In defense of church-centered churches

Here's something to think about: At connexions blog, Joel makes a case for shifting from a Christ-centered to church-centered religion:

When Christianity is centered in Christ, Jesus becomes my personal guru. Then I will participate in the Church to the extent that what you believe about your personal guru matches what I believe about my personal guru. At the point of diverging views, my arm doesn’t need your leg because I have my own little Jesus tucked under my pillow.

No wonder that so many people believe you don’t have to be in church to be a Christian....When salvation is reduced to “going to heaven when I die” it is understandable that many folks don’t see church as relevant to salvation. They aren’t really thinking of God saving and transforming the world, but only of whether or not they will “get theirs.” Maybe they will, but in the process they will have to watch the world continue to groan.

Remember: the quote here is merely a sample to encourage you to read further. Please read Joel's original post before commenting either here or at connexions.