A Community of Justice
A very good two part series by Tim Keller
Along similar lines, from Abbot Tryphon
Evangelical and apostolic faith
There is less and less authentic Christianity in our world today.
One of the most powerful reasons to embrace orthodoxy lies in the Church's insistence that it clings to the Evangelical and Apostolic doctrine of the Ancient Church. At a time when everything is ready to change, there is some security and stability when an institution (the Church) stands firm in its Apostolic Authority and refuses to allow popular culture or political correctness to influence its legitimate role as soul hospital.
“It is not lawful to differ a single word from evangelical and apostolic doctrine, or to think otherwise than as the blessed Apostles and our fathers learned and taught about the Holy Scriptures” (St. Leo the Great).
We know from the same fundamentals of the Church, established in the Gospels and Apostolic Canons, that the Church exists, not to judge, but to bring healing. Its mission is to heal those who would enter through its doors, like those who enter a hospital. She does not force anyone, because the one who is forced is not open to healing. However, the Church is also aware that sin is not really a private matter as all sin affects everyone. Know that even private sins affect the whole cosmos. Therefore, the Church continues, as it has done since antiquity, testifying to God's commandments, the hope found in the Gospel of Christ and forgiveness and healing that can lead to fullness.
The Church may seem like an institution that looks back, irrelevant to our time, a view that has caused many of the denominations to alter basic teachings to please a more liberal society. This has led to numerous denominations to allow parliaments to enact laws that have forced these religious institutions to ordain women as clerics, to conduct same-sex marriages and to submit to modern opinions about abortion that have led to the deaths of thousands of innocents. …
The sad state of American Christianity is based on a constant attempt to adapt to a constantly changing society, and with every change, there is less and less authentic and ancient Christianity to be seen. It could be compared to using an old family cake recipe, removing one ingredient, or changing another, with each passing generation. In the end, is it really the recipe for great-great-grandma's cake or is it something else?