Some Thoughts on the Church

This morning I was grabbing some dollies from the parking at Lowe’s where I work when I came across a truck that was covered in bumper stickers that were conveying messages of what one might call the persuasion of the religious right. Essentially, they were comparing President Obama to the Antichrist and democrats as demons. Some of the bumper stickers used Bible verses while one was laced with profanity. Another thing to keep in mind that this couples of the “Religious Right” was at Lowe’s at 10:30 am on a Sunday morning (due to a scheduling mistake I was forced to work Sunday morning even though I had informed Lowe’s that I had church every Sunday). Now I am a both a committed Christian and a committed conservative. I am fearful that many of the programs that Obama is instituting are coming not from good economics but rather from the president’s commitment to egalitarianism and democratic socialism and will do a great deal of damage to this country’s economy and its finances. However, I believe that it is absolutely inappropriate to disrespect the President of the United States, especially by using sections of the Bible. St. Paul taught, regarding those in positions of civic authority, that we must give “respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” (Romans 13:7). It is helpful to keep in mind that Paul was speaking of those very pagans were persecuted Christ’s Church.


What I saw this morning reinforced my fear that the Religious Right is doing more harm to Christianity than help. Some in the Religious Right are also extremely un-Biblical in their ministry, if it can be called that. They make many secular people fear giving Christianity any force in society because of the Religious Right’s angry rhetoric, such as: God Hates Gays, God allowed 9/11 to happen because of gays, and God sent Hurricane Katrina to punish New Orleans because of its immorality. First this is unbiblical because God forbids us to assume that we, apart from His Word, can assume to know His will (see Isaiah 55:9). They belie the fact that the chief message of Christianity is not hatred towards non-Christians but rather grace. Often Christians believe that must choose between a full-out crusade against secularists in society or acceptance. I would propose that neither of these choices are biblical. As Christians we are called to live godly lives, fulfill the Cultural Mandate, and fulfill the Great Commission. The Bible nowhere tells Christians to launch a Crusade against the non-Christians of the world. Rather non-Christians are to be dealt with evangelism, where as Christians we can convey to those who do not know Christ his wonderful love that, at the price of the cross, bought us grace so that we might be restored as the children of God.


Sometimes pastors, especially some of the ones I see on TV, give full sermons condemning the godlessness of the world. To be sure, the Bible affirms that the very definition of the “world” is that which is godless. It is the City of Man. Yet St. Paul says “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. ‘Purge the evil person from among you.’” (I Corinthians 12-13). Christians must never accept the godlessness of City of Man, which is the world, but are to leave the judgment of the world to God. Rather Christians are to focus on improving the piety of the church. Christians need to say less harsh things about non-Christians and say more about the failure of those within the Church to fully live up to the model that Christ set for us. Over and over again the Apostles taught that the best way to transform the world for Christ was not through angry rhetoric but by living godly and joyful lives so that the world might see the power that is in Christ. Christians are also should be imitators of God’s mercy by loving the unsaved just as God loves us who were at one time also unsaved. It is important to remember St. Paul’s constant admonition not to boast. Thus Christians should remember that, apart from the grace of God, we are no different that the homosexuals, the sexually immoral, and the moral relativists who compose much of what Christians refer to as “the world.”


It is telling that all of the condemnations in the apostolic letters are aimed, not at condemning the world, but at condemning the immoral and scandalous behavior of those in the church. Christians always be models of God’s grace and love to fallen world as we are called to be imitators of Christ, who is described as the friend of sinners. So did God send 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina to punish immoral Americans? Perhaps, but only God knows for sure, therefore I will not speak with confidence as to why God allowed these things to happen. Personally, I believe it is just as likely that God sent for the church so that in a time of crisis God’s Church might emerge as a leader in these troubled times in a fallen world. Therefore, Christians should be concerned about improving the piety of the church so that the transforming power of Christianity can be truly manifested.