For Reformation Day, when Martin Luther's 95 theses against the church mis-doctrine of indulgences are celebrated, I want to remind us of a few ways the church continues to misguide us all.
1. The church has the right to oppress heresies or immoralities
1. The church has the right to oppress heresies or immoralities
Heresies and immoralities come and go. There will always be a sin that people call
righteous and there will always be an evil doctrine that people call
godly. But the response of the true
church to these is not to fight them or attack them. The true church, in humility, realizes that
neither our doctrine nor practice is perfect.
The true church will discuss, and point toward Jesus. The true church realizes that Jesus alone is
the true teacher and that Jesus is the only judge. Thus, we do not judge for ourselves, nor
teach our own doctrine or practice, but just point to Jesus. And, like Jesus, we harm no one, nor let a
hateful word pass our lips.
2.
The church is a place of safety from the world
We see our properties and buildings as holy
places, a place of purity and quiet to worship the Lord. To do that, we lock ourselves off from the
chaos of the world, we separate ourselves from sinners and we create peace for
those who live according to the tenants of our community. But Jesus lived among the demon-possessed,
the lepers and the chronically ill, in order to bring healing. Jesus ate and fellowshipped with sinners,
making them family. Jesus offered peace
to those who have no peace in themselves.
The church is not to create safety for itself, but safety for those who
truly need it—the vulnerable of the world.
3.
Church leadership is a means of gain
Many become pastors because it is a decent
profession and they want to help people.
Many become pastors because they want to discuss theology and the Bible
and make a living at it. Some become
church leaders because they see it as a means of avoiding poverty and even a
means of power for them and their family.
But Jesus said that church leadership is not a means of power or gain,
but rather a means of slavery. True
leadership in the church is lowliness, poverty and the acceptance of
persecution. Jesus’ true leaders are
those who give and give and give until there is nothing left to give, who drain
themselves in love.
4.
Money and influence is power for the church
Churches and church leaders often complain
that there is not enough money to run their programs, that they need more volunteers,
that they need to wield more influence on the world. They want to change the world and build community
and they see wealth and people and politics as the means to create true
change. But according to Jesus, true change
happens through resurrection, and resurrection only happens through the
cross. True change occurs when we
completely trust the Power that enacts change.
The greatest power in the world for change is trust in God, and we enact
that trust by living according the merciful will of God.
5. Oppression of the church is to be avoided
We pray for our persecuted brothers
throughout the world, and we might seek political change to ease their
suffering. We are willing to fight and
even bomb those who threaten the lives of our fellow Christians. We will enact cultural war so we need not
change our traditions and practices for any outside influence. But Jesus said that we are not to fight
persecution, but rejoice in it. We are
not to fear tribulation, but to recognize that it is the key to open the door
to the kingdom of heaven. It is a means
of opening up the heavens so that blessings would come down upon us. For when we have the comforts and support of
this world, we will not obtain the greater blessings of God. The oppressed church is the normative church.
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