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It’s a pretty big deal when two people get engaged to be married. Usually there are rings, pictures, tears of joy, celebrations, congratulations and planning. Binding ourselves to the one we love for the rest of our lives is thrilling! Eventually we realize it also takes a lot of work. Our initial infatuation is challenged with the realities of merging two personalities, two wills, two families and two different paradigms into one life.

Why does the church exist? What is our essential work? Is it social? Is it political? Is it theological? Is it educational? Are we a community center? If we try to answer the question from the culture “at large,” we’ll end up with a lot of different answers. If we try to do everything that everyone thinks we should be doing, we’ll get tired and distracted. If we think about the two beginnings mentioned in the Bible, it will be easier to summarize our essential work.

Everyone has a worldview whether they call it that or not. A worldview is the lens we use to see the world. The beliefs of that worldview determine what we believe life is about and how we live. For example, if I believe that the world is a “closed system” and I am here to take care of myself, it leads to certain behaviors. In other words, if I believe there is no God or that He is not interested in me or my life, then I will be more likely to take things into my own hands.

The word inspired is used in different ways depending on the context. For example, we might say about an actor, “That was an inspired performance.” By that we mean there was heart, passion or enthusiasm and that it was moving. But in the theological realm, the word inspired means more than that. In fact, in Webster’s Dictionary, one of the descriptions of the word is “to cause, guide, communicate or motivate by divine or supernatural influence.”

From the early church to today, Christianity has been characterized by debate. Church councils, letters, books and 95 statements nailed to a church door are a few of the ways matters of religion and religious life have been bantered about. When I was in college, we took a coffee break after theology class, and we argued until the next class began. We didn’t solve the issues, but we did gain understanding by healthy discussion and debate.