EDIFICATION VERSUS ENTERTAINMENT
St. Augustine (354-430 A.D.) once wrote about a common thread that seems to exist in all of us. That thread is the desire to be entertained. In his book Confessions, he mentioned that he was attracted to the theatre because of the way that it would make him feel moved emotionally. He saw in himself and in others the way that an author would command sympathy from an audience. The audience was called on by the author not to “help” but to “feel sympathy” for the characters on stage, unlike real life. The more sympathy an author commanded, the more he was applauded. However, if the audience was denied of the pleasure of feeling sorrow for the characters on stage, due to poor acting, then the audience would walk away “critical and disgruntled.” Augustine also made the point that no one would want to shoulder the burdens of suffering by those portrayed by actors on a stage.
We are not much different from the people of Augustine’s day. Unfortunately, sometimes, Christians act like church is a performance. We sometimes go to church wanting to be “moved”, but lacking the urgency to “help.” Has our society conditioned us to some degree, through the entertainment industry, to be people who desire to be entertained? However, God has called His children not to be entertained, but to pursue edification. Entertainment in this context is a diversion in that our attention is distracted from something else that may need our attention. Edification, on the other hand, is about building which requires work. The word oikodome in the Greek New Testament is a noun that talks about moral instruction (like building) of a spiritual nature.
The Church (inclusive regardless of denomination) is therefore not something to watch, but something to be. There are both spectators and participants in the Church. But, God has a role for all of us according to 1 Corinthians 12 where we are all given gifts by the Holy Spirit. There is unity in spite of the diversity of gifts, because the same Spirit gave these gifts to us (1 Cor. 12:4-6).
It has been said that there are three kinds of churches, mausoleums (a place that entombs dead people), museums (a place that preserves things of the past) and academies (where people are trained and educated for tasks). Edification relates to the academy style of church because as mentioned earlier, it (edification) is moral instruction of a spiritual nature.
Read Ephesians 4:11-13 and think about “edification” when you read the word “building” in verse 12. 1 Corinthians 8:1 says, “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (NIV). Knowing about someone’s burden (Gal. 6:1-5) and helping them bear it are two different things. As children of God, our gifts mean nothing to the “building” if we do not have love according 1 Corinthians 13:1-3. The Church is therefore not something to watch, but rather something to be!
Rev. John M. Williams, III