A Church as One of the Important Foundations of Community Literature review - 2

A Church as One of the Important Foundations of Community - Literature review Example The culture of consumerism, according to Brooks (2), is the main problem that has undermined the biblical model. Communities frequently view the classical church as archaic or oppressive. As a result, the church is viewed by the public as a provider of religious services only. Furthermore, churches of different congregations have come to inventing multiple creative ways of attracting people to them – attracting new ‘clients’, just like it happens in the corporate world. Churches compete among themselves to offer the most attractive array of programs to potential ‘clients’. People, in their turn, are free to move from one church to another depending on their individual needs or preferences. As a result, they do not form a single community of believers, because their interests and activities may be scattered across a wide array of different programs offered by different churches. So, the biblical discipline should be enforced in order for the communitie s to become more united. First of all, and it should be among the tasks of the church, it is necessary to deliver to the people the need for unity. Knowledge, intelligence and virtues are the foundation for making the church a community consolidation institute, instead of just a temporary community of parishioners (Hauerwas). Public and private moralities, as Stanley Hauerwas suggests, should be united in order for people to change their perception of churches. The society has to realize the very nature of the church as an institution.