Thanks also for your comment Kafka. As always I appreciate your insights and clarification questions. I also see transformation happening in my church and I'm sure it is happening all around the world. What I'm referring to is the continual drop in numbers and depth. When I capitalize the "C" in Church, I'm referring to the global Church. In other words, while you and I still see God using the Church for His glory, for the most part we are shrinking more than we are growing (I also clarified that I was talking about the Western Church). I don't want the Church to have so much influence that it Christianizes our nation I just want to see more positive than negative.

The point of my blog is to try and root around in the closets and basements of the Church and try and shed light on things that have been in the dark for too long. We have developed some nasty habits and we are ceasing to transform lives. The ethos of the Church has deteriorated to a point that most people won't take us seriously. They believe we aren't thinking straight…we are just blindly hoping. This is what I mean when I say we are not making a difference in the world. Again, we do see some transformation happening but most churches are turning away more people than they are welcoming. This leads to a decline in membership and in effectiveness. Our laziness breeds contempt. Hopefully that's not you and I pray that's not me, but collectively that is us!

Your point, aligned with Galatians 5, is well taken, that the flesh makes us cling to comfortable places while the Spirit demands that we struggle against it.

Maybe you could have emphasized a bit more that the teaching in the church is too often pandering to the flesh, btw…

But, really, I can't remember when the Church was changing the world. To me the Church is the midwife that helps God birth people anew, and equip them to fight the good fight (and encourage them to face the struggle, yet find REST in God [as opposed to plasma screen TVs]).

I see lives transformed every week in my church and my small group. These transformed lives go about the world to make it better.

what do you mean ?
eg. http://www.love146.org/

thanks for the reflection on Gal 5 btw.