Wednesday, April 08, 2020

IS LEEMAN'S BOOK JUST RIGHT FOR THIS TIME OF PANDEMIC?

I reference Leeman's new book One Assembly in a post below.  By the way, I think Leeman hits the nail just right sometimes and at other times not; the same is certainly true for all of us.
Just a quick thought -- This book has just been released, AND we are unable currently to meet together as local churches due to Covid-19.  Now, his book was obviously not planned for release in conjunction with this!
But, I do believe that there is--what word do I want to use?....  ironic, surprising, helpful overlap....overlap between local churches currently being forced to be physically distant and a book that argues that physical presence together at one time and in one place is a very basic non-negotiable of what it even means to be a church according to Scripture.

Leeman is NOT saying that a church with 2 or more Sunday morning services is bad or that multisite is evil, No!  What he is clearly arguing--we all have to gauge if he is right according to Scripture--is that if you have multisite or even just multiple services, then you have more than one church.
He is not arguing pragmatics in this book; there is a place for that.  No, in this book, he is arguing ontology.  What is the essence of the church?  It is one assembly.  Assembly. One assembly.  Do you see the connection here?
Preachers and churches may be scrambling a bit to keep up with the Joneses technologically during this pandemic.  But, are we even thinking about the fact that, by definition, online church is not church.  I think many do know this.  But, if we truly believe it, then it should affect how we minister during this time.  (which does not mean that we cannot minister; we must!!)

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