I recently was reading about the famed football player, Tom Brady. The article was listing all the things that he avoids in his diet. One of them is alkaline salt. (I had to look up that one. Apparently it isn’t good for your bones.)

You might already know that table salt is a compound, a mixture of two specific elements: sodium and chloride. By themselves, both of those elements are poisonous. But when they are mixed properly, they just become plain old ordinary table salt.

…two things that are better when they are combined.

Makes me think about the age-old argument regarding our churches. Some seem to emphasize doctrine and theology (or anything else that ends in “ology.”) These churches have a very high view of God’s Word. It is preached with power, studied diligently and everyone is urged to memorize its contents. With that serious focus though, sometimes the body seems a bit cold. Relationships take a back seat to spiritual education.

And then there are churches that are very warm and inviting. Their members seem to genuinely love each other. Care and service are the watch words of those communities. And everyone loves to be loved. But there may  be a shortage of good gospel preaching. Topics will be “light” and easy to understand. The emphasis is on caring and sharing, not Bible knowledge.

But why can’t we have both?

Doctrine and genuine love can and should go hand in hand. One without the other will likely lead to a spiritual imbalance. Believers will have “flat spots” in their growth and development as the body of Christ. But when those two concepts are blended, there is health, growth and joy.

So the next time you reach for the salt shaker, give some thought to your place of worship. Prayerfully it has a wonderful balance to it. Hopefully God’s Word is honored, taught with passion and applied by the community of believers. But I also pray that it is a gracious community of loving brothers and sisters who care, genuinely care for each other.

If that’s not your church, may I suggest that you be an agent for change? And if that doesn’t work, find a body of believers who care about  both aspects of church life.

And, in the meantime, will you please pass the salt?