Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Facing Hard Truths

As a Christian, especially as a pastor, one of the thoughts that is often on my mind is the state of the church. Not just the church I serve, but the church as a worldwide expression of God's mercy and grace shown through Jesus the Christ.

In church circles, one of the constant conversations has to do with shrinking numbers of members and attendees, the shrinking of monetary gifts and support, the closing of churches with regularity, the loss of clergy, the rising number of people who classify themselves as 'nones'. As a supposed 'leader' I'm tasked not only with serving the church I have, but growing it (not letting it shrink); yet it seems that all but a very select few individuals and churches fail at both not allowing the church to shrink, and growing its numbers.

There are all sorts of explanations and excuses put forward for why this is happening. The culture is at fault, the collapse of the family, the busy-ness of our modern lives, modern interpretations of biblical passages, humanistic approaches to theology. The reasons are never ending. One of the areas that I think gets far too much of a pass is the church itself, or at least the way a lot of people and leaders of the church present themselves to the public.

There was a time when the church was seen as a beacon of hope, a sanctuary where people came for relief from the world around them, a time when leaders of the church were seen as people to be admired, respected, listened to. There was a time when we didn't just sing hymns about being known by our love, we actually were. That time is now well in the past. How is the church viewed by many today?

For far too many (perhaps a majority of folk!?) the church and its people are seen as places and people of bigotry, intolerance, discrimination, judgment and hypocrisy. If that is the way we are viewed is it any surprise that people want to stay away? Who in their right mind would want to be associated with, join with, an organization with that sort of reputation? Rather than bringing people to faith in Jesus, rather than growing the church, the church has in many places become the enemy of Christ's message. Rather than creating disciples and believers, it is creating non-believers.

Popular Christianity, especially what I call 'neo-evangelicalism', is consumed with a sky-is-falling, get-saved-or-else, difference-shunning, science-denying theology that despite its sugary sweet wrappings of worship bands, light shows, podiums instead of pulpits, stages instead of chancels, auditoriums instead of sanctuaries is seen as filled with discrimination, hypocrisy, and bigots. And people are seeing it for what it is, and wanting nothing to do with it.

It's not that they don't like what Jesus taught, most would likely agree with Gandhi's statement of “liking Christ, but not liking Christians'. These folks open up the Bible, they read the stories of Jesus reaching out to the poor, including the outcast without judgment, demanding we love our enemies, turning the other cheek, leaving judgment in God's hands, being less concerned with rules and more concerned with relationships. The thing is they aren't seeing that in the church.

Instead they see a glorification of war and nationalism, they see active discrimination and condemnation against the LGBTQ community, they see the continued diminishment of the role and equality of women, they see the fear-mongering against people of different faith traditions or practices, the cries of, “All lives matter', when they are challenged to face our cultural racism. With each and every day the church itself, the way it presents itself, the things that it holds of value becomes the very thing that drives people away and destroys its core calling to be the voice of Jesus in the world.

There will come a day, and for some it has come, when the church will be forced to look at its empty shells of buildings, the handful of folk gathered to worship, its diminished role in society, and do some deep self-reflection. Will the church admit it has become its own worst enemy? Will it admit that those who have left the church haven't stopped believing in Jesus and his teachings, it's just that they can't find it in the church?

Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther questioned the practices and teaching of the Catholic Church and gave birth to the Protestant Reformation. The time has come for a new reformation within the church, a reformation focused on the teachings of Jesus, a reformation that celebrates love, mercy and grace without limit. A reformation that reflects the person we see in the pages of the Bible, rather than one created by fear and manipulation.

Come Lord Jesus, inspire and ignite your church. Break us, and mold us according to your image.



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