Sunday, April 7, 2013

The American Visible Church is Sick Unto Death

Three acquaintances of mine have been victims of the American church--two of them realize it now, and the third hopefully will as he shipwrecks on the shores of American evangelicalism.  The first rightly quit seminary when he figured out what was going on.  He would have made an amazing preacher, but it is so difficult to get a job if you actually believe in Grace--whether you are in a liberal or conservative denomination.  The second is a young family who came back from the mission field, because they lacked support.  The third is a dear young friend who has asked for thousands of dollars of support for a short-term mission trip.  If the thousands for the short-term mission trip could go to the family that was living in a foreign land as missionaries, they might not have had to come home.  Why are things so screwed up?  

It's our wrong theology which underlies these problems.  In the American church, we are constantly exhorted to do things for God, to pursue holiness, and to be good Christian examples.  This leads to guilt-driven pursuit of God--which ruins lives.  (I have written before about how guilt-induced pursuit of God almost ruined my life, and I won't repeat since you're probably tired of hearing about it.)  So, why do preachers and other church leaders do this?  They are self-righteous and/or fearful--two things which Christ preached against. 

Both self-righteousness and fear cause people to pursue God not only for the wrong reasons, but also cause people to pursue the wrong God!  We cannot make God love us any more or any less by becoming a preacher, by becoming a missionary, or by going on short-term mission trips.  Yet, this is what we are exhorted to do in the visible American church.

A George Barna poll revealed that more than 80% of the people attending seminary are doing so to earn favor with God--more than 80%.  This is why there are so many preachers and missionaries who are not following God, but following their desire or need to please God.  This is why so many preachers and missionaries are in the wrong jobs.

How do we know that they are in the wrong jobs?  Just look at the state of the American church.  Look at what is taught every Sunday.  Every $!#&*** Sunday, preachers have the gall to stand in the pulpit and preach application of the Scripture and exhort us to good works.  THIS IS NOT CHRISTIANITY.  THIS IS ONE REASON WHY JESUS HAD TO COME.

The Bible is not a $%&##@@@ instruction manual designed to help us live better lives.  It is a book which pierces the hearts of men with its profound look at our deep, deep sin problem.  It is a book which says that our good deeds are usually much more of a sin issue than our bad deeds.  It is a book which, after revealing our haughtiness and fearfulness, then proclaims God's unbelievable response--one way love--grace--mercy--unmerited favor.

I will leave you with the thoughts of two preachers who actually comprehend and have the courage to proclaim the Gospel.

First, Tullian preached recently (paraphrasing):  "If American preachers would for one year proclaim the goodness of Jesus with no exhortations or applications, who knows what might happen?  Certainly the church can't be any worse off than it is now."

Second, and I will leave this preacher nameless since he may not want to be associated with this rant:  "I came home from work the other night and I just wanted to watch March Madness.  But my daughters wanted me to read to them.  Reading to them is not as sexy as going on a short-term mission trip, but it is what I was supposed to do."  

The point is that if preachers would preach grace, if seminary preachers would teach grace, if we Christians would proclaim grace, then persons who become preachers and missionaries would do so out of the correct motivation, not from self-righteousness or fear.  Just as importantly, the congregations of such preachers would actually hear Christianity proclaimed every Sunday--the only solution for sinful people living in a fallen world.