The Remonstrance
A Protest by Disengagement
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The Articles of our Remonstrance
Whereas this present world continues its eternal slide away from God at an alarmingly accelerated rate and
Whereas the church of Jesus Christ has, through selfishness, idolatry, and worldliness, ceased to be effective in halting or even abating that slide, and
Whereas what passes for the Christianity of today has all but forsaken its calling in favor of political power and the acceptance and friendship of the world, and
Whereas the church of today has become so congenial with the culture and idolatry around us so as to lose any distinctiveness as the people of God and
Whereas the power of the Holy Spirit, so evident in the first century church through signs and wonders, has ceased its operation in most of the organized and institutional church, and
Whereas the modern church has abandoned the commandments of Jesus Christ to care for the poor, feed the hungry and loose the prisoners, focusing instead on a gospel of self-actualization and greed, and
Whereas the modern church has squandered its resources on the unnecessary and the unneeded, investing in buildings, properties and large paid staffs instead of caring for the poor and suffering, and
Whereas the church has so disengaged itself from the present world as to be not only irrelevant, but hostile to the very souls we are called by Christ to reach, and
Whereas many of the leaders of today’s church have cried “peace, peace” where there is no peace, have not taught the simple truth of the gospel, and have given sinners and worldly Christians a false sense of security in their sin, and
Whereas the church of Jesus Christ has become something He never intended, bound in palaces, pulpits and programs and has forsaken the community, care, and intense love marked by the first church
Whereas our friendship with the world has blinded us to its vices and implicated us in its guilt
We the church of Jesus Christ, a church not built with human hands but with human hearts, humbly acknowledge our sin and repent before a holy God. It is the cry of our hearts and the purpose of our lives to restore true worship to the church of Jesus Christ. To that end
We choose, as an act of protest against divisions and dogma in the church, to walk in the ways of Jesus Christ and His teachings demonstrated in the lives of the Apostles, seeking lives of holiness and simplicity before God
We choose, as an act of protest against the denominations and domination of God’s people through organized religion, to not recognize any group as superior. We choose to reject any head of the church other than its true head, Jesus Christ. We choose to reject any law that would enslave, any regulation that would imprison, and any dogma that would divide God’s people
We choose, as an act of protest against the worldliness and idolatry that has rendered much of the church impotent against the power of sin, to disengage from the worldly practices around us, to separate ourselves as a people unto God, free from the weights and distractions of modern life and to completely destroy the idols we have placed before God
We choose, as an act of protest against our modern materialistic ethos, a path of downward mobility, choosing to forsake our attachment to any possessions in favor of attachment to Christ
We choose, as an act of protest against a church that has abandoned it pursuit of Christ in favor of pursuit of selfish pleasure and entertainment, to abandon all distractions and to seek Christ above all else that we may know Him and only Him, simply for the pure joy of knowing and being known by the Creator
We choose, as an act of protest against the self-centered religion of today, to reduce our lifestyles and redirect our God given resources for the work of His kingdom, feeding and caring for the poor, especially those of the household of faith
We choose, as an act of protest against a church that has sought the acceptance and approval of the world, to radically follow in the footsteps of the Master, who promised the same world that hated Him would hate us; not inviting persecution, but understanding that living a true faith in Christ can mean nothing less
We choose, as an act of protest against the self-help religion prevalent in today’s church, instead to die to ourselves and to be emptied of any desire for self-help, instead focusing on exhausting our lives in the loving service of others
We choose, as an act of protest against the isolation, loneliness, and individualism that has destroyed hearts, families, and the body of Christ, to commit ourselves to real spiritual community, living our lives in faith, commitment, and intense love one for another
We choose, as an act of protest against the improper and debilitating hierarchy that exists in today’s denominations and sects, to return to the five gifts of ministry, each equally important as the others, according to their true and biblical intent and meaning
We choose, as an act of protest against the pragmatism that has led the church to seek size and numbers, to intentionally downsize, realizing smaller, more personal communities of faith are better equipped to provide the love, care and accountability needed for a genuine life of faith in Christ
We choose, as an act of protest against a church that has ignored the command of Jesus to “go into all the world”, to abandon our own pursuits and dreams in order to follow His leading, wherever that may take us and whatever that obedience may cost.
We choose, as an act of protest against the utter prayerlessness of much of the church, to commit to lives given to prayer without ceasing, living in constant communion and connection with our Lord
We choose, as an act of protest against lazy and careless Christianity, to commit to doing whatever it takes, suffering whatever we must suffer, and sacrificing whatever He may ask that we may win Christ and see His power evident in our lives
Quitting Christianity 