Faith is more about your ethics and morals

The Rev. Vicki Penner, chaplain, Presbyterian Manor, 1429 Kasold Drive:

Yes. Faithfulness to God is more about being ethical and moral each day than it is about satisfying certain requirements. It doesn’t matter which church you attend or if you attend any church.

The prophet Micah from the Hebrew and Christian scriptures asked this very same question. Micah asked whether thousands of rams, tens of thousands of rivers of oil or his firstborn would be please God and persuade God to forgive him. God replied in these sacred texts, “I have shown you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6: 8)

We go to church, not because God requires it of us, but because it teaches us more about God and what actions are just, loving and humble.

Humans are limited by our very nature. We must be very careful these days to not consider our own understanding of God’s will to be the absolute and only possible understanding of God’s will. Listening to other’s experiences of God deepens our relationship with God and sharpens our understanding of justice and mercy.

By attending a church, we learn more about God. We learn from traditional religious readings. We learn from the explanations of those readings provided by clergy or lay leaders. We consider the experiences of others around the world as they struggle to figure out what God desires for humanity. And finally, as we share our personal spiritual journey, we learn new dimensions of our own relationship with God.

Church attendance is not a requirement of God but a tool for humanity to become more just, loving and humble.

– Send e-mail to Vicki Penner at vickipenner@sunflower.com

If you are a believer, go to church

The Rev. Kevin Wood, First Southern Baptist Church of Eudora, 1103 Main St.:

C.S. Lewis quotes Coleridge on prayer in his fictional book “The Screwtape Letters.” Coleridge said of his prayer life that he “composed his spirit to love” and indulged “a sense of supplication.” The only problem with Coleridge’s approach to prayer is that it is not actually prayer.

Many people want to claim a particular quality or belief without actually bothering to practice that quality or belief. For example, many people like to describe themselves as believers without bothering to be a part of a local community of believers.

My family recently returned from living in Central Europe. In Romania we visited a local orphanage. At that orphanage we saw first hand what happens to children without the love and care that a family can provide. The children were malnourished and suffered from emotional problems related to their unfortunate situation.

When a person claims to be healthy spiritually without the support of a local faith family, they are only playing at faith. In reality, they are like the malnourished and ill adjusted orphans of Romania. God intends for people of faith to be in a family of faith. Just as He intends that all children receive loving support in a family environment.

Of course, there are situations when people cannot attend a local church. And, sometimes our faith grows cold and we drop out of church for a period. God’s grace is always sufficient for those times.

Claiming to be a believer without attending a church is an American phenomenon. Believers in other parts of the world do not indulge in such foolishness. Rather, they realize the truth. To be a believer is to be vitally connected to people of like mind and faith. So, quit playing at Christianity. If you are a believer, go to church.

– Send e-mail to Kevin Wood at kwood503022@aol.com.