NOTE: The gist for this rant is not my own – Pastor Joel Michael Herbert shared the concept – I added my perspective, research, and experiences to his baseline.
Church, please take care of what we may become – we may find ourselves called out by our own beliefs – specifically if we step far left or right of the core teachings and values of the Gospel of Christ.
Church, I remember when you taught me…
…to run everything I learned through scripture – you said I should never take a preacher’s word without checking to see if it lined up with the Bible – so I did – then suddenly I was called “unteachable and stubborn” for questioning the preachers at many of our churches.
You taught me that sexual immorality was among the gravest of sins – you stressed the importance of reaching out to, and caring for the victims – until it was a youth pastor, Sunday school teacher, or one of our seminary presidents – then suddenly it was, “everyone has their struggles, but what was she wearing anyway?”
Church, you taught me that we are to share the Gospel with others as we go, through relationships, and by projecting Christ in our lives to others – until suddenly, you insist on legislating and forcing the Gospel through partisan politics in a nation built on religious freedoms.
You promised I could live and die by the words of Jesus, until I started taking the Sermon on the Mount seriously about the poor and nonviolence – then suddenly I was “taking verses out of context and twisting scripture” – when I asked for clarity, you cautioned me “not to be deceived, or let Satan use my compassion as a weakness.”
Church, you taught me to value human life above everything else – until it was the lives of the poor, refugees, immigrants, women, Iraqi, Afgan, or Palestinian civilians, or queer people – when I asked for clarity, you inquired about imposed prerequisites referencing their salvation, church attendance, or commitment to overcoming sin in their lives.
You taught me not to be ashamed or afraid of repentance – until I started acknowledging and repenting of my engrained elitism, Christian nationalism and my imbedded cruel indifference toward the experiences of oppressed people, people of color, refugees, LGBTQ people – then suddenly, I was a “wolf in sheep’s clothing undermining Christian values.”
Church, you taught me that repentance was absolutely required to be a Christian – then suddenly, you insisted on supporting a man who loudly claimed he had “never done anything requiring repentance” and was represented by you as a “baby Christian who was God’s choice to lead this country.”
You taught me the words of Jesus. “…by their fruits you shall know them” – you also taught me to recognize and call out rotten fruit on the trees of Hollywood, academia, secular humanism, communism and the unchurched world – but when I called out the rotten fruit on our own church trees – then suddenly, I was being “divisive and used by Satan.”
You told me it was vitally important to study the original languages of scripture – until I did and my Greek and Hebrew understanding of a Biblical phrase “conflicted with what you had always been taught” – then I had “over educated myself right out of a relationship with God.”
You taught me that an apology was just the first step when I really hurt someone – that sharing Christ through relationships, restitution, and not repeating the hurt were also required – then suddenly, I was a “Marxist” for supporting reparations for slavery, colonialism, national level racism, and hundreds of years of abuse to indigenous people.
Church, you forced me to read the Bible daily, and to memorize the book of Proverbs, and James chapter 3, so I could stay on the straight and narrow, keep myself pure, and recognize a fool when I saw one – then I was called “dangerous and deceived” for refusing to vote for the Biblical definition of a fool.
You taught me to idolize men in the Bible who stood up to religious leaders of their day for teaching falsehoods – men like Jesus, John the Baptist, and Elijah – until it was our own, and nationally recognized religious leaders compromising Biblical teachings – then it was “why are you attacking a man of God?”
You taught me to trust the Holy Spirit and my conscience until my conscience hurt for, and my heart broke for the oppressed, unhoused, hungry, uneducated, weak, and for gay and trans teenagers at the highest risk of suicide – then suddenly, I was “weak and condoning sin.”
Church, you taught me that “wide is the gate, and broad the way to destruction and there will be many that will follow” – but you defend churches who leverage politically postured dominance of evangelicalism over all other religions in our nation – then suddenly, you claim “God is blessing us for speaking the truth.”
And finally, you taught me above all follow Jesus no matter what – no matter what it cost – even if it cost friends, salary, community, career, retirement or a pension – no matter if it turned lives upside down – following Jesus was essential… (wait for it)
…so when it came down to it, when a decision had to be made – you were the one that turned the lives of so many upside down at the moment when their allegiance to Jesus caused them to follow Him (Jesus)… right out the church doors.
Is the world leading the church astray, or is the church (lower case “c”) also leading itself astray? Biblical principles, teachings, and truths already know the answer to this question.
Some facts to consider:
According to Lifeway Research, 1.6+ million people are leaving churches each year – that number has grown exponentially over the past 4 years – that’s lead to thousands of church closing each year in the country that claims to be built on Christian values.
So, why are American churches experiencing such a historical decline in attendance and increased church closings?
Scott McConnell, executive director at Lifeway Research stated, “In the last four years, all signs are pointing to a continued pace of closures probably similar to 2019 (COVID) or possibly higher, as there’s been a rapid rise in American individuals who say they’re no longer religious.”
Lifeway Research also shows, “a high percent of people leaving churches identifing churches with judgmental or hypocritical tendencies as the cause of their departure,” McConnell continued.
“While Covid-19 may have accelerated the decline, there is a broader, long-running trend of people moving away from religion – from 2019 – 2021 Lifeway surveyed young adults aged between 18 and 25 who had attended church regularly and found that six out of ten had stopped attending church – those surveyed cited conflict with their church’s recent positions on political, moral, sexual/finance abuse cases, and social issues” McConnell said.
Stephen Bullivant, author of “Nonverts: The Making of Ex-Christian America” and professor of theology and the sociology of religion at St Mary’s University, noted the decline of attendance in the Christian world was more than just a generational change – in the Catholic church, in particular, the sexual abuse scandal, and denial of such cases drove many attendees away.
According to www.chruchtrac.com mainline protestant denominations were losing members at alarming rates, while the conservative evangelical traditions grew or at least maintained their numbers – for instance, between 2015 and 2020, the Presbyterian Church USA, the Episcopal Church, and the United Church of Christ lost 40% of their members.
IN contrast, Protestant Evangelical churches and denominations saw a slight increase in church memberships – NOW, that is no longer the case – reporting of church attendance by denominations and traditions of all stripes show the lowest attendance rates never before seen in America’s history, including conservative evangelical churches.
The unprecedented rise in Christian Nationalist concepts and rhetoric in evangelical churches has been referenced more than any other motive for single adults and married adults (under age 40) leaving churches today – Baptist Joint Committee’s (https://bjconline.org ) Amanda Tyler testified before the U.S. House Oversight Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties’ hearing on “The Evolution of Anti-Democratic Extremist Groups and the Ongoing Threat to Democracy” – Tyler stated, “Christian Nationalism and far right political influences in evangelical churches are identified as the greatest threat to our nation’s core values today.”
Church, does the world around you know your position on these challenges facing churches today?
Can your position be easily found and recognized by the world around you?
Have you clearly and loudly denounced and unattached yourself from the motives and methods of these unbiblical and unChrist-like challenges referenced above?
Church, do you uncategorical profess all of Christ’s characteristics, teachings, and doctrinal positions to be the core of your church’s beliefs? Including the Sermon on the Mount, the Great Commandment, the Great Commission?
Have you removed any doubt that your church has no political agenda or affiliation, and lean only on New Testament principles as methods of sharing and spreading the gospel? To include NOT forcing acceptance of the gospel on citizens via political legislation?
Again, is the world leading the church astray, or is the church (lower case “c”) leading itself astray? Biblical principles, teachings, and truths already know the answer to this question.
“Choose this day whom you will serve…”
Kevin's Thoughts 