Daniel Thompson: The Church in the Wilderness Sermon

A sermon preached by Rev. Michael Gladish last year described the state of the modern church and how some are leaving due to grievances with it. He explains that the exodus of genuine followers from the church was the 'Church in the Wilderness'. The 'wilderness' acts as a re-centering point for Christians tired of the institutionalized churches they've been a part of for years. He states this re-centering occurs because it allows people to read and understand the bible without outside influences. He mentions that Christ also used the wilderness for this same purpose when he says, "Remember, the Lord Himself went into the wilderness for relief from the crowds and to, as we might say, re-center Himself for the challenges to come." This agrees with what we've been learning in the class about axis mundis. One thing I noticed from the sermon was that the time spent in the wilderness by Christ and the prophets were almost always in teaching others. This agrees with the reverend's points that the Church in the Wilderness re-center's people so they may come back more faithful and knowledgeable than before.