Club Church

I recently finished Dan Brown’s (of the da Vinci Code fame) new book, The Lost Symbol. To give you a quick rundown without giving the story away- the main character, Robert Langdon, tries to uncover the truth behind mysteries surrounding different religious and secret groups. This is par-for-the-course for Langdon, for Dan Brown has become a master of cryptic mystery writing.

The Lost Symbol focuses heavily on the mysteries and suspicion surrounding the Freemasons. Langdon journeys through Washington D.C. (a city full of Masonic symbolism) to unearth the truth behind the group’s secrets. The book led me to dive deeply into the freemasons and their rituals, which led me into many very informative and interesting conversations. Without going into depth or implications, it seems that the Masons are a group of people who have a social club. There are initiations into the club that seem strange. Many people become Masons simply because their father or grandfather is/was a Mason. Even within Masonic Lodges there are “circles within circles” of secrets. Ultimately (especially in rural America) it is a social club with community privileges and social benefits.

It was in looking at the Masons in general terms that I realized I could have just as easily been talking about the Church of Jesus Christ. For many alleged Christians in America the Church is just a social club with initiation rituals (baptism, communion). It is generational and, as is the case in many towns, being a member at “First Baptist” says something about you socially. We have, in many ways, turned the Bride of Christ into a Masonic Lodge.

The issue is discipleship. The Church becomes a club when we are just trying to herd people through the door like cattle. The Church becomes the body of Christ when we bring people in and grow them in their faith. “Bringing someone to Church” is too small an aim for Christ’s Church. We must look with the eyes of Jesus at the world around us and seek to make disciples of them. Not merely converts.