This is not an easy question to answer (but, then again, IMHO, it is not an easy question to ask either). There is no "bottom line" with my viewpoint, but rather my opinion on the status of the Church is an amalgamation of ideas that have been dancing around in my head for a considerable length of time.
First, off, we need to understand what a church is and what a church is not. I think the easiest place to start is what a church is not. A church is an institution, like any other institution, very similar to a corporation. A corporation is, in its essence, a legal fiction created for the purpose of practicality. Corporations do not have souls. Corporations are not the sum total of their shareholders (their owners), nor their employees, nor their board members, nor their chief officials. Corporations only exist in the imagination of the legal system and the public at large. What I am saying here is that corporations do not really exist.
That corporations do not really exist is a hard concept to grasp. To illustrate this point, take the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). There is NO IBM. There are buildings "owned" by the name IBM. There are employees that work at the buildings owned by IBM. BUT, there is no IBM to hold accountable for the actions of the individuals employed under IBM's name. The name IBM is merely an imagination, created to make a convenient way of providing a name for people to give their money to, to receive their paychecks from, to sue, etc.
So how does this apply to the church? The obvious correlation is to say that if corporations do not actually exist, then churches, which are merely non-profit corporations do not either. I think this is very close to the truth, but with a major exception. You see, I do believe a Church exists. The bible refers to the church as the Bride of Christ (and sometimes even as the Body of Christ, which makes sense looking at the scriptural point of view that a man and a woman become "one flesh" once married). I do believe that there exists a spiritual entity, known as the Bride of Christ. I also believe that everyone who knows Jesus in spirit and in truth is a member of this Church, whether they like it or not.
Obviously, there is some tension in what I believe. The thing that reconciles these two beliefs (the non-entity of institutions and the entity of the Church) is that what most people refer to as churches are not, in truth, churches. I believe in one church, not many. It seems to me that all denominations, institutions, sects, divisions and the like are human inventions according to tradition, hunger for power, and the like.
A Quick Side Note. Let me make one thing very clear at this point. I am delivering a judgment on institutions that call themselves churches. I am not delivering a judgment on the individuals that have membership in them. An individuals salvation is between the individual and Jesus Christ. I have no right to judge that. Obviously some that take part in institutional churches will be christians, and, some will not be christians (though they might think they are). How much responsibility any given individual bears for belonging to an institution is another topic I hope to have time to look at in the future.
So what am I saying? I am saying that many believers are active participants in institutions that do not really exist. These institution are built on traditions other than the word of God. They are built for various reasons, good, bad and ugly. Some denominations were created out of rebellion and division. Some were created from the desire to reform and purify. Some were formed to attempt to bring about unity. Some were formed because of lust for power on the part of the founders. Regardless, of how or why they formed, they are traps that most believers get stuck in. They undermine our faith, bring about derision from the world and teach us bad doctrine.
So what do we do? I don't know. These are hard issues to deal with. It is easier sometimes to know what not to do than to know what to do. I do know that the Bride of Christ is infected with a cancer. Ignoring that cancer will not take it away. Becoming aware of the problem will at least allow us to throw ourselves at the feet of Christ for mercy and forgiveness.
What do I do? I spent a long period of time outside of any fellowship at all. And that is a very bad thing. As christians we do need each other. We need each other very much. At present time, I have been fellowshipping on the fringes of an institutional church. This one meets primarily in small groups with very little organization. And believe me, it took a lot of dealing with my conscience to get this far. Who knows, maybe someday I will recant entirely. But, I think that my beliefs on this are correct. I hope and pray that Jesus Christ comes back soon and rescues us all from this bondage to decay.
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