Why do so many Christians have such a negative attitude about God's Church? In the past six months, I've heard several different speakers rubbishing the Church for its various forms and traditions. One of the common criticisms of the Church is that it's out of touch with the world, and that it has a culture all its own.

For some strange reason, this is assumed to be a bad thing.

Of course the Church has its own culture! Christianity is a way of life, with a definite worldview and a Bible that's filled with instructions for a different kind of life. The Church is also a community, and almost by definition, any community has its own common culture. We should affirm our common culture, rather than denigrating it!

Let's get one thing straight. To be successful in evangelism, we need to understand the people who make up our target population, and we must know how to relate to them, but our own culture in the Church must be different. Christian conversion is not just a spiritual transaction - it's a decision that radically affects every possible aspect of life.

I'm amazed at the sheer prejudice of people who have never attended church and yet say it's boring. People in our communities often assume the worst, but their opinion is based on ignorance. So why should we base our opinion of ourselves on their opinion of us? Seems pretty dumb, and yet that's what I see happening. Even if they've been to church, spent some time with us, and then concluded that they don't want what we've got, that doesn't mean it's necessarily our fault. The rich young ruler walked away from Jesus because he apparently loved his riches too much to turn to Christ. We should not bash ourselves over the head in despair when people choose to stay in their sin. That's not a valid reason for the Church to condemn itself!

The Church of God does not need to be reinvented, as many Christians are saying. God Himself is the Inventor of the Church and no-one else has the authority to dream up a new version. Preaching, teaching, baptism, communion, worship - which of these things are no longer relevant? None of them are particularly appealing to non-Christians, but does that justify scrapping them all in favour of concerts and coffee-shops?

Obviously, the Church is not perfect. There are many problems and challenges. Even the most contemporary, vibrant and successful churches are not perfect. But what hope do we have when the harshest critics come from the Church's own ranks? Who is going to want to join a movement that has such a negative self-image? Surely, it would be wiser to focus on our strengths, of which there are many. No business would ever dream of advertising its failures and its problems, so why should we?

During the Reformation, the established Church was a single monolithic organisation. And there can be no doubt that it was corrupt. Something had to be done, as even official church sources freely acknowledged. But now, the scene is very different. When radical Christians speak out on the need to bury outdated forms and traditions, and find new ways of doing church, they are effectively denying the validity of many different streams of Christian churches. I cannot believe in these days of spectacular church growth around the world, that no-one has got it right.

The view of Christianity put forward on this website is, I think, a much more optimistic view. By seeing the Church as a valid subculture throughout the world, we have something to work with. It's well known that children respond better to parental affirmation rather than condemnation. Who wouldn't? So why do so many Christians seem intent on heaping more and more condemnation on the Church as a whole?

I believe that God is very committed to His Church. We would not disown a son or daughter because they were going through some serious problems. Neither will our God. He is calling prophetically to His Church. He is breathing a fresh wind of His Spirit in many places around the world. He is responding to a growing prayer movement. There is much to be excited about. This is not a time for despair and self-condemnation.

Watch what happens in the next few years. I predict that dry churches will come alive, apostolic leaders will arise and plant thousands of wonderful new churches, the Spirit will anoint a new generation of preachers who will carry the torch of revival to a new generation of hearers.

Let all those who Christians who want to bury the church remember the words of David, when he said "I will not touch the Lord's Anointed."