In a society which holds a great antipathy for authoritarianism, the church needs to be sensitive to the way we proclaim the Word. The authority which is most readily received in our society is the authority of experience if it is claimed and not imposed.
If you were having problems relating to one of your teenage daughters and I told you that you should go to church and that would help heal the divide, you might well think that I did not have a clue to what was going on in your family and that my suggestion was worthless. On the other hand, if I shared with you that when I was having trouble reaching my daughter, I had the marvelous experience of being able to talk to another teenager who was part of my church and she gave me some very helpful insight, then you might see the healing possibilities of a church. “To be saved…is to enter into a new relationship with God and fellow human beings in the community of God’s people here and now.” (Christian Doctrine, revised edition, Shirley Gutherie, p 355)
