Ep. 31: Journeys & Destinations [Do You Have to Go to Church to Be a Christian?]

Is going to church a necessary, required part of being a Christian? Church attendance has been in a steady decline over the past decade (and even more so following COVID) but surprisingly this isn't necessarily a reflection of people's beliefs. In fact, a vast majority of those who no longer regularly attend a church continue to say they still "believe" and generally think of themselves as Christians. They aren't giving up on Jesus per se, just regular church attendance. So what are we to think of this phenomena? Is it a requirement of what it means to actually be a Christian? Or was the idea that one had to regularly attend a church service to be a Christian something to be challenged and re-examined, possibly one more passe idea that needs to be deconstructed? In this episode, I tackle the question by examining the differences between a destination (the goal and purpose of Christianity) and the journey itself (things we do and engage in to help us reach the goal.) Church attendance, as you'll hear, should most likely be considered part of the journey, more than what it actually means to be a Christian. However, that doesn't mean there isn't still a strong case to made for why it's an important part of the journey that we should be extremely wary of removing from our lives. Something may not be "necessary" but can still be extremely beneficial. I also discuss the release of my new book, aptly titled Like Stars, available for purchase now on Amazon. https://a.co/d/asc4n4A Find more content on the Like Stars YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/@likestarspodcast

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