It was never the intention of the great reformer, Martin Luther, to break from the Roman Catholic Church. And John Wesley never intended to break with the Church of England. But the consciences of both men would not allow them to remain silent about the many ways in which their churches had lost touch with the Christianity of the New Testament. Sometimes following Christ means doing and saying things we would rather not.
I’d rather not criticize the institutional church or Christendom, as it is often referred to, with its budgets and programs, colleges and seminaries, denominations and para-church ministries, and most of all the culture it creates and is the most visible reflection of what it is and what it stands for.
As I’ve written in a previous article, the reality of that culture is not always seen or, better yet, experienced by those on the inside. I can tell you, as a pastor for thirty-six years; most church members have little or no idea of the inner workings of church leadership and life. To be honest, if they did, a whole lot of folks would leave their churches. At the same time, there is a Christian culture that subtly or oftentimes not so subtly places certain expectations on its members. And as people follow their pastors and Christian leaders, who they love, trust, and respect, they are often unaware of the struggles these leaders face when it comes to toeing the line and conforming to the expectations necessary to be a part of the “camp.”
Let me share an example with you. About fifteen years ago, I conducted a funeral with two other pastors. All of us had known the deceased and had at one time led the church of which she was a member. All three of us were known as biblically conservative preachers, and all of us had been a part of what some described as the “Battle for the Bible” in our denomination.
After the funeral, we reflected on where the strife and turmoil in our denomination had led. All of us agreed it had gone way too far. The power brokers in our denomination continued not only to abuse their positions, spending money on lavish buildings and lifestyles, while refusing to publish salaries which had previously been available for all members of the denomination to see but were taking things to extremes we would have never imagined. Both pastors and denominational employees were expected to get in step or be pushed out or, at the very least, lose opportunities for advancement.
One of my pastor friends had recently attended a denominational conference. At that conference, he ran into one of his professors from seminary. He decided to ask this professor what he thought about what was happening. To his credit, this professor took several minutes to tell his former student exactly what he thought about things; and it was not good! And then he said, “But if you tell anyone I said this, I will deny it.”
Now don’t be too hard on the professor. Tenured, with a wife and family, he acted as most would in the situation he was in. Without rocking the boat, he justified his silence as loyalty to the denomination, and I’m sure he continued to have a positive impact on the students he taught and the churches where he was invited to preach.
But he is only one example of many leaders in his denomination who are simply not going to rock the boat. And make no mistake about it (I’m being brutally honest and transparent here), for every leader who remains silent, there are plenty of others who hop on the bandwagon of camp loyalty as they eye the most prestigious churches and positions in the denomination. And I was one of those.
But along the way, I was blessed to meet and get to know a godly pastor who had lost a large church because of his unwillingness to compromise his convictions and calling. He built another church from the ground up, and he established a ministry to pastors. His life and teaching opened my eyes to the tension existing between the way of Christ and the structured, institutionalized church. In many ways, that is what led me to Seoul and the best years of my ministry.
Some of you reading this are church members who are happy and growing spiritually in the churches you attend. You likely have never seen the unseemly side of the institutional church. In fact, you may very well be a member of a fantastic fellowship of believers whose lives are shared with yours and reflect the image of Jesus to your community. Thank God for your blessings, and if you have a hard time connecting with what I’m saying, I understand. I get it.
Others are reading this and thinking to yourself, “I’ve seen these things, and I recognize how rigid and heartless and divorced from the spirit of Jesus the institutional church has and is becoming.” And I must be honest and tell you, whoever you are and whatever your experience, the church in twenty-first-century America today is a far cry from the church Jesus intends it to be. I wish that wasn’t true, and I wish I didn’t have to say it. Most of all, I wish I could spare those of you who are happily involved in church the distaste of reading this. But I can’t keep quiet. Like Jeremiah who said, “But if I say, ‘I will not mention his word or speak any more in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot,” I have to say these things. I don’t think I could live with myself if I didn’t.
So, what do we do, those of us who see this present-day Babylonian captivity of the church? This is the third post in which I’ve promised to share some advice for what it’s worth. It’s about time I started doing that.
Here’s my first thought - to coin a well-known phrase, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”
The teachings of Jesus and the life he calls us to as his disciples clearly involves participation with others in this grand, spiritual assembly the New Testament calls the church. And it is like nothing else this world offers. “Where two or three are gathered in my name,” says Jesus, “I am in the midst of them.” I’ve experienced his presence in Sunday School classes and small groups, in prayer meetings, and in restaurants with a good meal, a glass of nice wine, and good friends with a common faith in Christ.
Maybe you’ve left the church. Perhaps you are a bit jaded and cynical. Been there, done that. The truth is, I still struggle with those feelings. But don’t quit. Don’t give up on Jesus or his church. Instead, look deep into your heart and answer this question: Do I want to follow Christ? Do I want to do more than complain and criticize His church? And am I willing to ask my Lord to lead me in the days ahead to be a part of a new reformation, a reformation of the heart that breathes life, the life of the Holy Spirit, back into His wayward people?
The old hymn says it all - Lord bring a revival and let it begin with me.
Together, whoever we are and whatever our views of the church in our world today, let’s pursue Christ with every fiber in our being, crying out from the innermost places of our spirits for His will to be done, His kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.
In Christ,
Dan
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