Perhaps only dead men can
dominate conversations in the United States these days. Licentiousness, gossip, envy,
and mediocrity reign supreme, not only on the internet and airwaves, but in the
pulpits as well. If I were to die tomorrow, the result of my life would be less
than exceptional; much of what I have contributed or written down could be
viewed as careless rants and posturing against an institution that I honestly love: the church.
Add one more rant to the list.
When it comes to the church, I'm in a love hate relationship. It is my love that keeps me pining at its doors
hoping that a church of Acts revolution breaks out upon the world; it’s my hate, upon seeing its true face, that makes me want to burn it to the ground! It is not
enough these days for people to simply hate the church…if that were the case, we might
as well just cut our wrists or become atheists. Conversely, it is not enough to
sit idly by and watch the church remain in its present state, which is awful! The
only way out seems to be to both love and hate the church enough to change it.
This love/hate has to be akin to Christ’s love of mankind, and hatred of sin: a transcendental purpose without any
earthly reason.
If the church is to be “saved”
from its current state, that’s all well and good…I have bought my ticket, and I’m
willing to show up to the burning and/or barn raising. But if there is to be emancipation,
then I must ask: By what means and what way? A religious movement needs to
be biblically based otherwise it is a sham! That being said, the emancipation
must come about through martyrdom-a bloody or bloodless sacrifice. The sacrifice is a spiritual
commitment and a non-compromising attitude. Now there are those who wish to
save the Church by secular and worldly means (i.e. no martyrdom), they have
bastardized it through politicization and self-serving agendas. This rightwing political
infusion is currently the bane of the modern day church. We love our wars, we
love our guns, and we love our money. Hail prosperity at all costs!
So I ask: what does it mean when
we continue to behave as though the Church is as it should be? How can we call
ourselves “Christians” when the ideals of the New Testament have gone out of
life? I personally believe that you have to both love and hate something to
change it. We need more martyrs! The only alternative is the paralyzing
realization that the world has outgrown the Church...and possibly Christianity.
