Church that gets back to individual change, atonement, and redemption

[Anonymous]

I would like to participate more in my church but feel surrounded by religious people that preach this nationalistic or prosperity view of religion that doesn't deal with growing yourself closer to Christ through change but instead proclaims people righteous without effort and focusses on keeping away Satan or just moving forward because of some predestination to be great. Also a lot of focus on how this world is fallen rather than how to live in a godly way in it. Narcissism has flooded all of the religious groups I know and if it isn't narcissism, it's playing a victim instead. What church in the DC area really works on examining your conscience and making good choices while also working on faults. Being happy God is in your life while also being clear that we are on a path to redemption, not at the finish line already. Having compassion for others while also protecting yourself from evil that might be shown through others. How to protect yourself from evil. Is it possible to find in this day and age?

[Anonymous]

Del Ray Baptist in Alexandria VA

[Anonymous]

I'm thinking any mainline christian church would be okay (methodist-UMC, American Baptist, Presbyterian USA, Evangelical Lutheran, Episcopal).

[Anonymous]

Any church that considers itself Reformed (look for the NAPARC churches) should historically be more focused on faith than politics or the politics-adjacent type issues you're discussion. I also haven't seen what you're talking about in the ACNA.

I will say that evangelicalism as historically defined - the theological definition not the political one - has moved away from individualism a little bit. It's just not biblical to only focus on individual change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any church that considers itself Reformed (look for the NAPARC churches) should historically be more focused on faith than politics or the politics-adjacent type issues you're discussion. I also haven't seen what you're talking about in the ACNA.

I will say that evangelicalism as historically defined - the theological definition not the political one - has moved away from individualism a little bit. It's just not biblical to only focus on individual change.

+1 on this. You're talking historical, Reformed Christianity. Agree on NAPARC.

In my town there aren't any NAPARC churches, so we landed at an Anglican Church that is part of the Continuing Anglican movement. I have strange bedfellows here (fellow parishioners who dress like Mennonites or old-timey Baptists), but the liturgy and preaching is straight Reformed Christianity, so here we stay and have grown to love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any church that considers itself Reformed (look for the NAPARC churches) should historically be more focused on faith than politics or the politics-adjacent type issues you're discussion. I also haven't seen what you're talking about in the ACNA.

I will say that evangelicalism as historically defined - the theological definition not the political one - has moved away from individualism a little bit. It's just not biblical to only focus on individual change.

What do you mean it's not biblical? To me it is. When we die, it's just us and God.

The entire country has a problem with narcissism and it's flooded our local churches as well. I'm looking for a church that spends less time blaming others for their issues or ignoring issues and pretending they are great for how devout they are and spends more time admitting their faults, working on them in the world, and working in communion with others to spread god's love.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any church that considers itself Reformed (look for the NAPARC churches) should historically be more focused on faith than politics or the politics-adjacent type issues you're discussion. I also haven't seen what you're talking about in the ACNA.

I will say that evangelicalism as historically defined - the theological definition not the political one - has moved away from individualism a little bit. It's just not biblical to only focus on individual change.

What do you mean it's not biblical? To me it is. When we die, it's just us and God.

The entire country has a problem with narcissism and it's flooded our local churches as well. I'm looking for a church that spends less time blaming others for their issues or ignoring issues and pretending they are great for how devout they are and spends more time admitting their faults, working on them in the world, and working in communion with others to spread god's love.

DP, but do you see the irony? PP said "It's just not biblical to only focus on individual change". You disagree, saying "To me it is [biblical]". And then go on to decry the narcissism in our churches.

You are making his point for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any church that considers itself Reformed (look for the NAPARC churches) should historically be more focused on faith than politics or the politics-adjacent type issues you're discussion. I also haven't seen what you're talking about in the ACNA.

I will say that evangelicalism as historically defined - the theological definition not the political one - has moved away from individualism a little bit. It's just not biblical to only focus on individual change.

What do you mean it's not biblical? To me it is. When we die, it's just us and God.

The entire country has a problem with narcissism and it's flooded our local churches as well. I'm looking for a church that spends less time blaming others for their issues or ignoring issues and pretending they are great for how devout they are and spends more time admitting their faults, working on them in the world, and working in communion with others to spread god's love.

DP, but do you see the irony? PP said "It's just not biblical to only focus on individual change". You disagree, saying "To me it is [biblical]". And then go on to decry the narcissism in our churches.

You are making his point for him.

I see. I think you can only change how you act with others though once you've worked on yourself and actually behave differently. My main issue with my current church is that there is a lot of outside blaming, politics, and a lot of checking off religious items completed but not a lot of introspection and reform. Like the example of the hypocrites in the Synagogue Jesus talked about. I don't feel like I fit in. I'm looking for a new congregation that really focuses on the walk with Jesus and the reformation of the soul.

[Anonymous]

Any mainline Protestant church: Presbyterian, Episcopal, Methodist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any mainline Protestant church: Presbyterian, Episcopal, Methodist.

I wish. Sadly not in my town. Do you have any specific churches?

[Anonymous]

This is a lot of churches right now, because they and their congregants are **ignoring** the news. It’s time to talk about themselves. Not the wider world, so they can pretend they don’t see anything (Trump killing norms that they would have a hissy fit if anyone else did)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any mainline Protestant church: Presbyterian, Episcopal, Methodist.

I wish. Sadly not in my town. Do you have any specific churches?

Do you live in the DC area?

Otherwise check:

https://pcusa.org/search?query=&page=1#directories-congregations

https://www.elca.org/directory/congregations

Stay away from most stand alone churches which aren't members of a mainline Protestant church, and stay away from evangelical churches and Southern Baptists. Or else you will find yourself in the midst of that prosperity mindset.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any church that considers itself Reformed (look for the NAPARC churches) should historically be more focused on faith than politics or the politics-adjacent type issues you're discussion. I also haven't seen what you're talking about in the ACNA.

I will say that evangelicalism as historically defined - the theological definition not the political one - has moved away from individualism a little bit. It's just not biblical to only focus on individual change.

What do you mean it's not biblical? To me it is. When we die, it's just us and God.

The entire country has a problem with narcissism and it's flooded our local churches as well. I'm looking for a church that spends less time blaming others for their issues or ignoring issues and pretending they are great for how devout they are and spends more time admitting their faults, working on them in the world, and working in communion with others to spread god's love.

DP, but do you see the irony? PP said "It's just not biblical to only focus on individual change". You disagree, saying "To me it is [biblical]". And then go on to decry the narcissism in our churches.

You are making his point for him.

I see. I think you can only change how you act with others though once you've worked on yourself and actually behave differently. My main issue with my current church is that there is a lot of outside blaming, politics, and a lot of checking off religious items completed but not a lot of introspection and reform. Like the example of the hypocrites in the Synagogue Jesus talked about. I don't feel like I fit in. I'm looking for a new congregation that really focuses on the walk with Jesus and the reformation of the soul.

First quoted PP here. The Bible focuses on the church (or in the Old Testament, the Israelites). Yes there's individual change, but there's also a lot of stuff about corporate change and God's people as a group. Trevin Wax had a whole series on "expressive individualism" for The Gospel Coalition that gets at some of the problems and solutions: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/expressive-individualism-challenge-church/

As the PP you responded to said, there is a slippery slope between the idea of individual change and the narcissism you are talking about. Do you have to fall down that slope? No. Is it likely without an equal focus on God's people as a group? I think so.

What you want is a church that focuses on the church being the church - both as a group from member to member and outwardly in service to the world - and as part of that individuals changing. But God should be primary, corporate relationships secondary, and individual change flows from those vertical and horizontal relationships.

You want a place where you get both Philippians 2:12 ("work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you...") AND Ephesians 4:16 ("from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.")

This is a good article by a Christian from Singapore on the church and it's role as a global organization with lots of individual groups (churches) in it: https://www.esv.org/resources/esv-global-study-bible/the-importance-of-the-global-church/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any mainline Protestant church: Presbyterian, Episcopal, Methodist.

I wish. Sadly not in my town. Do you have any specific churches?

Do you live in the DC area?

Otherwise check:

https://pcusa.org/search?query=&page=1#directories-congregations

https://www.elca.org/directory/congregations

Stay away from most stand alone churches which aren't members of a mainline Protestant church, and stay away from evangelical churches and Southern Baptists. Or else you will find yourself in the midst of that prosperity mindset.

One of the NAPARC posters above. There are plenty of churches that are theologically evangelical and not politically "evanglical" or in the crazy megachurch mindset. They tend - but are not always - to be smaller and are definitely more humble. You just have to go looking for them in the right places.

[Anonymous]

Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda. You can watch online if you want to check it out before going. Parking is a problem for the 11am service, so we go at 8am or 6pm.