Foundations

"Families are the foundation of the church." That's what I heard Dr. James Dobson say this morning on the radio in a commercial for Focus on the Family. With all do respect, I beg to differ. Families, while important for society and the church, are absolutely NOT the foundation of the church. If families are the foundation, why are churches like Mosaic in Los Angeles (majority single persons and internationals) and other churches with young adult ministries thriving? Dr. Dobson's assertion not only isn't realistic, it isn't Biblical. If families were the foundation, then we'd hear Christ himself say so. If families were the foundation, then we'd hear the apostles in the book of Acts preach "family values" to their culture. We don't find either instance. Jesus and the apostles support the family, indeed, but do not consider families the foundation.

Christ alone, Word alone, Faith Alone...

The foundation of the church is Jesus Christ. We don't have access to God because we're part of a stable family or in a church that supports family values. We're part of God's community because of Jesus Christ, whose story is revealed to us through the Word from Genesis 1 to Revelation 21, and who we proclaim by faith to be our Messiah. Christ transcends culture, marital status, age, families, educational level, economic level, color of skin, political bias, interests, passions, talents, etc, etc, etc...to intersect our lives with God's amazing grace. The foundation is Jesus, not the family. It's through Jesus Christ that we are transformed to transform our families. The family is an important piece of the church and our lives...we cannot exist without family and community. God puts us in community. But we can only function well within families and change culture through the power of Christ in and through us.

Thanks for reading.