The video below popped up in my YouTube feed right after David and I were discussing some of these same topics in October. “How Christians Gathered in the 1st Century” with Dr. Tom Wadsworth is eye-opening. If you are familiar with the book Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola, some of this won’t be new to you. But I imagine much of it will be for many Christians. 

(If you want to watch the video first without my commentary, skip what follows here and go directly to the video at the end of the post. Then come back and read this.)

There were two ideas in this video that I had specifically been thinking about the previous couple of weeks. Both revolved around how there is almost nothing in the New Testament that would lead us to “do church” the way we do it. This is certainly true of the Roman Catholic Church and also true of the vast majority of Protestant churches.

The section about the way the various elements of pagan temple worship (sacrifice, altar, priest, temple) became established in the Christian church over the first four centuries is one part that stood out to me. I think about that often. Very often. It frequently pops up in conversations David and I have to this day. I’m still processing the significance of that, especially as I sort through topics related to partial preterism.

The other is at the very end where they discuss that the Reformation did not go far enough concerning worship and church structure. The Reformers kept way too much Catholicism in the church which you can still see today. I had just made that very point to David over breakfast the day before I came across this discussion.

One last thing I want to point out is the discussion re: how people benefit the most when they are actively involved. We know this from life as parents, homeschoolers, etc.

In the vast majority of churches, there is almost zero opportunity to be meaningfully involved in what is happening during the “morning service” or what Tom more appropriately calls “the assembly.”

Participate? Yes.

Meaningfully involved? No.

In most churches, 97% of the people could not be there and everything would go on without them. Their attendance isn’t meaningful other than filling a seat so the room is full and the church bank account is kept topped off that week. 

Now some people might not like the way I said that, but am I wrong? I don’t think I am. Being meaningfully involved on Sunday morning in a way that promotes spiritual growth and edification is seriously lacking in most American churches. 

Let me know what you think of this in the comments.