christian enterprise?

"Christianity started out in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an Enterprise."

There is something disturbing about a quote like this. My first reaction was simple. "Ouch." It seemed clear that the philosophy, institution, culture, and enterprise were all unwanted additions to a pure . . . fellowship . . . movement . . . community . . . All these words seemed more appealing than the others used to describe the "change" in Christianity throughout history. However, after initial reaction to the established understanding of what each mean in regards to their current standing in the Christian world, I went back to the definitions. Here I found pursuits which I believe to be noble, worthy of effort, and should not be ignored by those who profess to follow Jesus.

Philosophy: the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct

Institution: an organization, establishment, foundation, society, or the like, devoted to the promotion of a particular cause or program, esp. one of a public, educational, or charitable character

Culture: the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc

Enterprise: a project undertaken or to be undertaken, esp. one that is important or difficult or that requires boldness or energy; or a company organized for commercial purposes; business firm

Would one say that those following Jesus should not pursue rational investigation of the truths of Jesus and his teaching? I believe no. I believe what we react to in the above quote is the Greek philosophical influence on current "Christian" philosophy. This same direction of thinking could be applied to the rest.

Would one say that a fellowship following the teaching of Jesus should not unite as a group to be devoted to the cause of the Kingdom of God? Our initial reaction would be to the establishment of an institution that is so clearly corrupted by men, not the goal of Jesus' Way.

Would one say that those following Jesus should not concern themselves with the quality of a person who develops within the fellowship of those followers? Should they not express these qualities in the arts etc? Again, we most likely respond to the social norms that seem to breed a hypocrisy within "Christian" culture.

Would one say that those following Jesus should not undertake especially important tasks, like that of evangelism or service? Here, we might clearly see that the further definition of enterprise, which is surly in the mind of the one reading this quote, is the business and corporate establishment of such a cause. So perhaps the answer here is a bit more fuzzy. Surely Christians should devote ingenuity and effort to important tasks. The inherent fuzziness of enterprise for a religious community is when there becomes red tape and "administrative costs." The smaller "fellowships" would seem to have more accountability and less "overhead." Their ingenuity and effort would not diminish, and if they believe their "influence" or "power" is truly from the Spirit of God, then corporate backing may not be necessary.

So in the end I am challenged by this quote in a way I did not originally expect. Perhaps I might have initially intended to abandon these seemingly distorted changes to Christianity. Instead, I am actually inclined to consider the appropriate way to engage each to the benefit of the Kingdom.

What say you?