Have you ever stopped to consider how God views the history of our world? I have, and I’ve got a pretty good idea that the Lord sees history very differently from much of what makes the so-called history books.
This is true not only of the history of nations, cultures, and peoples but also of the Christian religion. It seems to me I’ve tackled this subject before, but believe me when I say, a short post that takes two to three minutes to read doesn’t even begin to cover it. I may have even mentioned Diana Butler Bass’s book, A People’s History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story, but it’s worth mentioning again. I hope you’ll check it out. It’s a book that will not only help you to see Christian history in a different light but will help you to see the unfolding current events in our world in a different light as well.
“Why is it,” Diana asks, “that so many people are fascinated by and drawn to Jesus but are left cold when it comes to the Christian religion?”1 She continues -
What happened after Jesus - oppression, heresy, trials, schisms, inquisitions, witch hunts, pogroms, and religious wars - witness to much human ambition and cruelty. The things people do in Jesus’s name often contradict his teachings.2
This is how the book begins, and as it unfolds, Diana documents events and people that never made the mainline history books. And their stories reflect so much more clearly the life, ways, and wisdom of the rural carpenter from Nazareth, born of a virgin, anointed by the Holy Spirit, and sent by God as Israel’s Messiah and the Savior of the world.
I’ve read a lot of Christian history books, and I’ve gotta tell you they all focus on the movers and shakers, those holding the reins of power, sitting in the halls of power and prestige. Yes, there are exceptions along the way, but even many of the exceptions end up being people burnt at the stake by the religious power brokers. And I think it’s important that we keep in mind these were the same kinds of people who carried out the wicked scheme, in the name of God, to have Jesus crucified.
If you’ve been to my website and listened to what I say about the focus of Church on the Edge, then you may remember that I clearly state that I am not opposed to the institutionalized church. And I’m not. But I am concerned at how important buildings and budgets, doctrine and membership roles, and yes, politics and legislation seem to be in the eyes of many Christian leaders and those who blindly follow them.
I was sharing about my own early ambition with one of our spiritual growth groups recently. I wanted to pastor a BIG, PRESTIGIOUS MEGA CHURCH. Fortunately for me, I never achieved that goal, and a whole lot of credit for that goes to my wife, who is the love of my life!
By the way, I do believe some men are called and gifted and meant to serve large churches. Rick Warren is one of my favorites!
Anyway, I was sharing this in our spiritual growth group meeting when Betsy (I’ve shared some stories of Betsy in previous posts) spoke up and said, “Well, Dan, God saved you from that.” How right she was! I possessed neither the gifts nor the humility necessary to lead those kinds of churches in the ways and wisdom of God.
And by the way, both giftedness and humility are essentials for leading any church in the way of Jesus.
Let me interject something at this point that underscores this truth. I was on the golf course one day in Maui with a man who has never served as a pastor in my denomination but held an important position as an executive administrator, working with pastor-presidents of our denomination over many years. “Most of these guys,” he told me, “are full of themselves.” Maybe it was an unguarded moment for him, and maybe he would deny ever saying it, but I can’t say I was surprised.
Another friend of mine, who continues to serve a large mega-church, shared a story at lunch with me one day about an offer he had from an organization intimately connected with our denomination. He was offered $500,000/year with a guaranteed $100,000 annual bonus. To his credit, he turned the offer down.
I love what the one-time mover and shaker Saul of Tarsus says about his past ambition and credentials in his letter to the church at Philippi: “I count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ, and be found in him.”3 Saul changed his Hebrew name to Paul, a Gentile name. He walked away from what clearly would have been success in institutional Judaism. He was maligned, attacked, called a heretic, people-pleaser, and rabble-rouser (which sounds a lot like Jesus).
The reason I continue to write these posts, record my seasonal podcasts, and publish books is that I truly believe we desperately need to learn to see our world and the church from God’s perspective. As we do this, and as we commit to swimming against the current that flows so swiftly in the institutional church, we can expect pushback, persecution, and slander. But let me tell you what else we can expect. Something I am experiencing right now. We can expect joy unspeakable, life abundant and unimaginable, and a rest and peace for our souls that so many long for but cannot find by remaining in the camp, going with the flow, and refusing to buck a system that strips away the freedom Christ promises.
In Christ,
Dan
Check out my podcasts from Church on the Edge and my books on Kindle.
You can listen to my weekly messages at Embrace Church, High Point.
Diana Butler Bass, A People’s History of Christianity, Location 149 of 5142.
Ibid, Location 149 of 5142.
Philippians 3:8.