When Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of the castle church in 1517, it was the culmination of many years of frustration and chagrin with what many believed had become a corrupt and worldly church. In short, many of the saints decided that it was time to reform their faith and remove many of the abuses, extra-biblical traditions, and authoritarian structures which had become an integral part of the Universal Church. In short, for many, the Church had evolved into something that many no longer recognized as being consistent with the values and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, the founder and foundation of their faith.
Unfortunately, although the Roman Catholic Church, both reformed itself and initiated its own Counter Reformation, the folks who had protested the various corruptions of their faith devolved into a number of alternative theological camps which competed with each other for the hearts and souls of the faithful. Hence, instead of promoting greater transparency and righteousness, the whole movement devolved into a chaotic brawl which resulted in even greater dissension, dissatisfaction, intolerance and divisiveness. Far from cleaning up and restoring the ekklesia to its original purity and simplicity, Christianity focused on doctrinal and theological differences and encouraged disharmony and even more squabbling among the saints than had existed before the schism!
Over the years since, the faith of many Christians has been challenged by scientific and historical developments, which has engendered a cycle of falling away and revival. Once again, however, when we look at the health of the Christian movement as a whole, we see that this "boom-and-bust" cycle has not made a significant contribution to the growth and/or sustainability of the overall faith. Instead, in our own time, we have witnessed the stagnation of the faith on the global stage, and even its decline in both Europe and North America.
Unfortunately, too many of us have attributed the current state of our faith to secularism, science, and Satan and have failed to recognize the fault in our own course and behavior! In short, we have not set a good example of practicing what we preach and have ignored our responsibilities vis-a-vis the Great Commission. Instead of focusing on things like brotherly love, compassion, kindness, service to others, and forgiveness, we have concentrated our attention and energy on doctrine, theology, judgment, and condemnation. In short, too many of us have focused on the piece of sawdust in our brother's and sister's eyes and have ignored the large beam in our own eyes. Too many of us have devoted ourselves to the identification and condemnation of sin in others, while ignoring our own shortcomings and failures.
Stop for just a moment and try to imagine how this appears to folks on the outside of our faith. Do the words hypocrite and heartless come to mind? They should. After all, who would want to be part of a system that doesn't embrace and practice the tenets of their own faith! What is the solution to all of this? I can assure you it isn't to be found in the formation of a new sect, denomination, or organization! No, the only real hope of correcting the current trend is in changing the hearts and behaviors of the saints themselves. If we can do that as Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, and Anglicans, there is hope for the future. For, not only will we initiate renewal, growth, and more grace and unity for ourselves, we will present a more appealing posture to others and make a better impression on the rest of the world! Indeed, that might just start filling up those empty seats in many of our churches! What do you think?
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ReplyDeleteThis is a big, multifaceted topic. Jesus prayed that His followers might be one . . . was His prayer ineffectual? Or have we believers over the centuries just chosen to be one only if everybody else believes as I do?
Some of the first English colonists were zealous for their understanding of primitive and true Christianity but a century later the colonies had apparently lost that first love to the point of needing a Great Awakening. Many historians think there have been at least three such major revivals in American Christianity. So, there seems to be a cycle of zeal to lukewarmness, kind of following the messages in Revelation to the church circuit of Asia Minor (Ephesus to Laodicea). Perhaps this has gone on in every century of the Christian era. Revival, renewal, zeal, followed by consolidation, followed by complacency and hypocrisy, followed by lassitude?
Christians are exhorted to "watch" (meaning stay awake). But no one can stay awake forever. So we all slumber and sleep. The answer to this challenge is presented in Matthew 25 in the parable of the sheep and the goats (take care of the needy, visit the sick and imprisoned, etc.). Nothing glamorous. Nothing exciting. Not like figuring out dates or prophetic fulfillments.
Anyway, forgive me for going on and on. As I said, it strikes me as an important topic. But one that has many facets to it. But I do think we can help one another do better. That's why we need one another in the regular fellowship of the ekklesia.