Ralph Neighbour Jr once wrote a book called The Seven Last Words of the Church. Do you know what they are? ‘We Never Tried It That Way Before!’
This attitude has been a destructive and sinister influence in many churches. Where a handful of enthusiastic people are imaginative enough to conceive of new life, new levels of spirituality or new patterns of worship, a pocket of negative, conservative people will make a firm stand of resistance.
Not because they have any biblical or theological argument against the new concepts, but just because they never tried it that way before.
When someone dreams of healing gifts, or words of prophecy becoming part of the life of the congregation, a group of church stalwarts denounce the idea. On biblical grounds? Hardly–there are none! But, ‘they never tried it that way before.’
When someone imagines an exciting ministry, others oppose the idea. Too much work? Not the right program for the church? Perhaps? Perhaps, too, they simply never tried it that way before.
When God made the world, he had never done it that way before either.
To read more on this topic see Living in the Image of God, Barry Chant (Miranda: Tabor, 2012 available in eBook and Paperback) from which this edited extract is taken.