The Illusion of Perfection In the Restoration Movement

Matt Dabbs・03/11/22

What happens when you finally get everything right? You have a tendency to stop moving and start defending.

The truth of the matter is there is no perfect church and there is no perfect movement. But there can be the illusion of perfection. And that illusion is dangerous for several reasons.

The first reason it is dangerous is because it forces us to focus on the wrong things. Instead of focusing on mission we focus on defending against heresy. Instead of focusing on serving the poor we get focused on micromanaging what is being said on Sunday because it took so much work to finally arrive that we don't want anyone throwing a monkey wrench in to gum up the works.

The second reason perfectionism is dangerous is because it focuses on our activity rather than God's activity. When we focus on our activity over God's activity we get self-sufficient and self-sufficient is, in many ways, the opposite of faith.

Obsessing over perfection is actually a fight against faith
because we come to trust in self over trust in God.

Third, perfectionism creates anxiety. Have you ever noticed how anxious people are who are part of churches that believe themselves to be at the pinnacle of correctness? Why is that? It is because when you nail everything down with precision then even the tiniest movement in any direction away from what was established as perfect is error and error is to be punished and the anxiety stamped out...which sets everyone on edge because no one wants to be the target of that much fury (which is drenched in insecurity)!

When you view any imperfection as denominational and the narrative is that we aren't a denomination (therefore we are perfect) then you set yourself up for having to maintain a myth that will ultimately be the undoing of your own faith.

Instead of focusing on our perfection (which is a myth) let us focus on God's perfection. When we do that we can rest easy because his grace is sufficient and his power is made perfect in our weakness, not our strength!