Different churches vary in their emphasis upon:

1. The Bible;
2. The "Church" as a visible and human organisation;
3. Human reason.

I have seen a mixture of these sources in most churches, but you will generally find that:

• Protestant Evangelical churches focus on the Bible, as an unchanging source for people everywhere;
• Catholic and Orthodox churches place more emphasis on the visible "Church" organisations, and their traditions;
• "Liberal" churches place a greater emphasis on human reason.

My personal experience leads me to rely on the Bible - not as a legal or scientific thesis, nor as poetry or drama; but as a way of being drawn closer to God, and being given ever new understanding as I read it.  In that sense it is a living book.

I find it important to share in worship and fellowship with other believers, but I have also found all visible human organisations are flawed in some way.  The media have more than enough material to use in their attack upon visible church organisations.

And while we rely on human reason for so much, it is very flawed as a source of guidance.  You may find the "Liberal" churches to be subject to the latest social fads and causes, and most illiberal in their application of them.  Human logic alone can lead us to some illogical places, and the Age of Reason ended in the Age of the Guillotine!

Let us explore what the Bible says.