THE PLAIN TRUTH

In times past, I associated myself with a "church" that proudly proclaimed THE PLAIN TRUTH (the name which that church's founder chose for their magazine). And, although that "church" no longer exists, many of the folks who continue to adhere to its tenets believe that they are carrying on "the work" of that body. In short, the old Worldwide Church of God believed that the English speaking peoples of the world were "God's people," and that they were specially commissioned to "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." (Isaiah 58:1) Moreover, they believed that this commission to call out individual and national sins exempted them from acquiescing to "political correctness" or being careful not to offend other folks. And, although members were not supposed to vote, that did not prevent "church" leadership from fully endorsing capitalism, criticizing socialism and expressing a conservative political ideology from the pulpit and in their publications.

Leaving aside the argument that the English speaking folks of the world are "God's people" (I, along with many others, have addressed this topic in numerous other posts and comments), is their understanding of God's message to the prophet Isaiah consistent with the "Great Commission" which Jesus Christ gave to his followers at the end of his earthly ministry? In the gospel of Matthew, we read that Christ told them: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matthew 28:19-20) Now the Worldwide Church of God understood this to mean that they should preach the "gospel of the Kingdom of God," and that an integral part of this message involved warning "God's people" about the consequences of their sins. Was that correct? Do Christ's instructions to his disciples before ascending into heaven either explicitly or implicitly include God's instructions to Isaiah?

Unfortunately, I continue to hear sermons from preachers who have emerged from the ashes of the old Worldwide Church that are focused on personal and national sins and are encouraging folks to support conservative causes and candidates. Some of them will even acknowledge that the Republican Party is not God's party, but then they will quickly go on to tell their listeners that anyone who supports a Democrat for office is also endorsing abortion, gay rights and socialism! Does that mean that anyone who supports a Republican for office is also endorsing anti-environmental policies, capital punishment, capitalism and anti-labor policies? Maybe it's time to take a closer look at exactly what God had to say to Isaiah?

We read there: "“Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Shout aloud! Don’t be timid. Tell my people Israel of their sins! Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me. They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me. ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say. ‘Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’ “I will tell you why!” I respond. “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers. What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord? “No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help." (Isaiah 58:1-7, NLT)

Once again, for the sake of argument, let's assume that this message to Isaiah and the people of Israel applies to modern Christian ministers and the English speaking peoples of the world. We are informed that these folks act pious - they act like they are following God's laws. They brag about their humility and fasting and are perplexed by the fact that God has seemingly abandoned them. God, however, responds that they are just going through the motions - that their pious acts are self-serving and insincere. Instead, God insists that they should be working to free those who have been wrongly imprisoned, making things easier for their employees, removing the things that oppress people, sharing their food with the hungry, providing shelter for the homeless and taking care of their families. My goodness! That sounds an awful lot like the whining of one of those liberal Democrats! Is it possible that Republicans advocate some things that are contrary to Christ's teachings? Is it possible that Democrats might advocate for a few things that are consistent with them?

How did Jesus Christ handle the issue of sins? The Gospel according to John informs us that Jesus didn't shout "Whore!" when an adulteress woman was presented to him. Instead, we are told that he silently bent down and wrote something in the dust with his finger. (see John 8:1-11) Was he listing all of the sins of the people surrounding him and the woman? We don't know, but he did stand up and say "let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!" Likewise, we know that Christ asked his followers "why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye." (Matthew 7:3-5) In fact, I can only remember one instance of a story where Christ expressed overt anger and indignation, and I believe that was with some capitalists in the temple! (see Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-18; Luke 19:45-46; and John 2:13-17) Sure, Christ was constantly pointing out the hypocrisy and sins of the preachers of his day, but I can't find many instances of where he did that to the crowds who followed him.

It seems to me that: if we are going to "tell it like it is," we best be careful to TELL IT LIKE IT IS! Christ's message was about salvation through him and sharing eternal life with him and his Father. Yes, repentance from our sins is an integral part of that message, but the emphasis was ALWAYS on putting those things in the rearview mirror! Christ's message was about love, hope and a bright future. Can I get a big AMEN?