“If you were good enough, there would be no need of confessing Christ at all. It is just because you are not good enough, that Christ says to you, "Follow me." He came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. It is not the perfect people whom He wants in His church, but those who have a deep sense of their own imperfection, and who believe that His strength is made perfect in weakness.” PeopleIfsWantNeedsBelieveMadeEnoughWould BeChristChurchPerfectWeaknessSinnerRepentanceGood EnoughImperfectionRighteousFollow MeNot Good EnoughConfessing Author:Washington Gladden
“Let the church come to God in the strength of a perfect weakness, in the power of a felt helplessness and a child-like confidence, and then, either she has no strength, and has no right to be, or she has a strength that is infinite. Then and thus, will she stretch out the rod over the seas of difficulty that lie before her, and the waters shall divide, and she shall pass through, and sing the song of deliverance.” ChildrenLyingSongFeltWaterChurchPerfectSeaWeaknessDifficultyInfiniteDividesHelplessnessDeliverance Book:Strength and beauty: A baccalaureate sermon, delivered at Williamstown, Ms. August 17, 1851 Source: Strength and beauty: A baccalaureate sermon, delivered at Williamstown, Ms. August 17, 1851
“The Church is always in trouble because the Church walks into the trouble in which mankind is trying to resolve itself. There are a lot of areas that need to be addressed. If we were perfect we wouldn't be the Church. I think it's the imperfections that allow people to trust that you're working (toward) something.” PeopleIfsThinkingNeedsTryingChurchWalksPerfectTroubleMankindAreasResolveImperfection Author:Dolores Hart
“The BBC is a perfect example of uncontrolled growth, [occupying] old churches and manor houses, the old Langham Hotel where Sherlock Holmes once met Moriarty and where this correspondent once shared an office with an 8-foot bathtub.” HouseGrowthChurchPerfectFeetExampleMetsOfficeHotelHolmesBathtubsMoriartyOld Churches Author:Morley Safer
“The perfect church service would be the one we were almost unaware of; our attention would have been on God. But every novelty prevents this. It fixes our attention on the service itself; and thinking about worship is a different thing than worshipping ... 'Tis mad idolatry that makes the service greater than the god.” ThinkingHas BeensDifferentWarWould BeChurchPerfectAttentionGreaterMilitaryWorshipMadExcellenceDifferent ThingsNoveltyMonarchyIdolatryChurch Service Author:C. S. Lewis
“No union exists between church and state, and perfect freedom of opinion is guaranteed to all sects and creeds.” StatesChurchFreedomPerfectOpinionUnionsCreedsChurch And StateSects Author:James K. Polk
“Marriage is not mainly about prospering economically; it is mainly about displaying the covenant-keepin g love between Christ and his church. Knowing Christ is more important than making a living. Treasuring Christ is more important than bearing children. Being united to Christ by faith is a greater source of marital success than perfect sex and double-income prosperity.” ChildrenImportantSexChristChurchPerfectLove IsUnitedKnowingGreaterSourceProsperityIncomeCovenantMaking A LivingProspering Author:John Piper
“Search for the perfect church if you will; when you find it, join it, and realize that on that day it becomes something less than perfect.” IfsRealizingChurchPerfect Author:Andrew Greeley