There was a time when the church was very powerful—a time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. . . Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be “astronomically intimidated.”…Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church’s silent—and often even vocal—sanction of things as they are.
(Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his book entitled Why We Can’t Wait)
I grew up in the church. The joke in my family was that I went from the hospital where I was born to the church before my parents ever took me home. The church I belonged to demanded a lot of time from its members. There was Sunday school and worship on Sunday mornings; Training Union (only Baptists from years ago know what this exercise in futility entailed) and worship on Sunday evenings; Wednesday night church supper and prayer meeting; Thursday night choir practice for the children’s choir, the youth choir, and the adult choir; and teenage activities and bible study on Friday night. We joked that many Baptists became Presbyterians simply because they were exhausted trying to fulfill the expectations of being faithful Baptists.
But now as I look back over my years spent in that church, I cannot think of many instances when that church did anything to make the world a better place. Not one sermon was ever preached on the sin of racism and segregation. The pastor I most admired said that if he preached on those topics, the church would lose members and money and that his calling was to minister to those within that particular congregation. The church never even had a food pantry much less had the courage to ask why people were hungry in the richest nation in the world. Homosexuals were roundly condemned and driven from the congregation. Strom Thurmond was a member of that Baptist church and was highly esteemed by the pastors and the congregation even though as a politician he did more to suppress the civil rights of Blacks and to deny resources to the poor than perhaps any politician in Washington. Many members of the congregation worked at the Savannah River Plant where tritium was made for the production of nuclear weapons. The irony of Christians making weapons to destroy the world was never raised in that church. (I am thrilled to say that my childhood church is making a healing difference in the wider world today. And I thank God for that transformation. The church of my youth was no worse than virtually any other church in the area. It was simply caught up in a distorted and truncated understanding of the gospel which allowed its members to remain racist and indifferent to the needs of the less fortunate in the world.)
It wasn’t until I got some sense knocked into my head and some justice and compassion instilled in my heart through education at a state university that I began to question and to recognize the vast discrepancy between the theology and mission of my church and the message and mission of the Jesus whom that church claimed to worship and obey. Jesus—the real Jesus—the Jesus of the Gospels — was a stranger in that congregation.
I was oblivious to all the complicity of my home church in the greed, prejudice, and violence that was afflicting our city, nation, and world. It wasn’t until I got some sense knocked into my head and some justice and compassion instilled in my heart through education at a state university that I began to question and to recognize the vast discrepancy between the theology and mission of my church and the message and mission of the Jesus whom that church claimed to worship and obey. Jesus—the real Jesus—the Jesus of the Gospels — was a stranger in that congregation. We sang about him and prayed in his name, but tragically, in the words of Clarence Jordan, we worshiped the hindlegs off of Jesus, but we wouldn’t do a thing he said. We had a large sanctuary, four ministers, hundreds of members, and lots of money. But I’m hard-pressed to think of much that was ever done which reflected the spirit of the Sermon on the Mount, the Parables of the Good Samaritan, the Last Judgment, the Rich Fool, the Rich Man and Lazarus, the Book of James, the testimony of Paul regarding the necessity of sharing with the poor (II Corinthians 8), or the nature of love for everyone (I Corinthians 13). There were good people in that church. I’m sure many kind, generous, and loving things were done there. But no effort was made to follow Jesus in the radical ways required by our Lord in the Gospels. We thought the job of the church was to “save sinners” and to look out for the spiritual welfare of its members. But Jesus did not utter one word about “saving sinners.” Instead, he said 87 times “Follow me.” He also said, “Take up your cross daily and follow me.” That cross he commanded us to carry is the price we pay for being faithful to God’s will in a world opposed to that will. (I’m sure some are reading this and thinking, “But there’s the Great Commission where Jesus commands us to take the gospel to all the world.” Yes, but that Great Commission in the Greek focuses specifically on what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. It says that we are to “make disciples (which are “followers”) and to teach them to obey everything I have commanded you”—all of which is a far cry from “saving” people from a hell we and our spiritual ancestors have invented. Please read my blog article on the Great Commission under the title of Matthew 28:16-20 “Back to the Mountain” for a thorough treatment of these final words in Matthew’s Gospel.)
Today, we are in the midst of several crises which threaten our nation, our world, and God’s creation. Nationally, we are still reeling from the influence of a former greedy, lying, and sociopathic president. One of the two viable parties in our country is doing all it can to suppress the vote of people of color. Many Republican politicians realize they can win only if they cheat and through that cheating, destroy our democracy.
Most of our politicians at the state and national level have been “bought” by special interests before they ever take office. Despicable wealthy families like the Koch brothers are funding not only politicians but institutions whose mission is to increase the wealth and power of the obscenely rich individuals (that 1-2% with over 40% of the nation’s wealth) and big corporations. Against such money and clout, the average citizen has little ability to influence the powers that be. This nation will never be truly democratic until we have radical campaign finance reform. Thanks to our reactionary and regressive Supreme Court and its notorious “Citizens United” decision, those with wealth and power can follow practically any path they wish with impunity.
We are also in danger of losing what progress we made in the 1960s during the Civil Rights movement. Racism is blatant and unapologetic in the halls of Congress, in state legislatures, in financial institutions, and in the hearts and speech of millions and millions of citizens. Groups like the KKK, Neo-Nazis, and vigilante gangs are resurfacing while newer groups like the Proud Boys, QAnon, the Boogaloo Bois, the Three Percenters, the Wolverine Watchmen, and many more lunatic right-wing movements have immerged.
Sadly, almost half of the citizens in the U.S. have lost the ability to reason as they turn to social media and Fox (Faux) News.
Sadly, almost half of the citizens in the U.S. have lost the ability to reason as they turn to social media and Fox (Faux) News. They have no concept of decency and no commitment to a government of, by, and for the people. Like their counterparts in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany during the 1930s, they are eager to embrace and offer unconditional loyalty to any “strong man” who panders to their fears and prejudices. Democracy, fairness, and common sense be damned. What most of us don’t realize is that democracy is a very recent form of government in the history of humankind. Most governments in the past have been some form of autocracy or oligarchy. Democracy is so fragile and is utterly dependent on a majority willing to defend and maintain its presence. It also depends on an informed (not brainwashed) citizenry who will work for its survival and improvement. With our current stalemate in politics and the total abandoning of decency and statesmanship by so many Republican politicians, the continuation of a democratic government is under deep threat.
And then there is the environmental crisis which very few politicians are willing to address in any meaningful and transforming way. This climate crisis is the most crucial problem we face today. If we continue as we are, we will leave a lethal legacy for our children and grandchildren. The earth will survive whatever we do, but human life (not to mention the future of much fauna and flora on this beautiful but suffering planet) will cease to be—all because of our immature, stubborn, stupid, and greedy choices and ways of living.
So, what should be the role of the church in the midst of these overwhelming obstacles to the attainment of the common good and global peace? Our modern saint Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would challenge us to become thermostats to transform our nation and world. As he saw, too often the church has been a thermometer simply affirming, embracing, and reflecting the world around it. Instead of being a movement to turn this world upside down, it has largely become a participant and defender of a deadly, unjust, and greedy status quo.
But it need not remain a chaplaincy for the powers that be. Within our Christian tradition and especially with the radical and transforming example of Jesus Christ, we can join hands with others in this world who are committed to justice, freedom, peace, the healing of the environment, and the common good. We are among the very few Western nations in the Northern Hemisphere where the church is still a potent presence. Granted, entirely too much U.S. Christianity is made up of whites who tend toward racism, homophobia, and the lunacy of Rapture theology all the while being hamstrung by a truncated theology. However, there are enough churches with the potential to make a difference in this nation and in this world. We could become thermostats (changing the “status”) of the world instead of simply being complicit with the injustice, violence, and greed of the status quo. And it wouldn’t take that many churches and followers of Jesus once again to “turn this world upside down.” All major changes for the positive in the history of humankind have begun with committed minorities. To quote cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” MLK and his Civil Rights Movement are excellent examples of the power of minorities to change the course of history for the better. In business, there is a lot of talk today about the “1% rule” whereby significant changes in businesses and personal lives can be brought about by a 1% effort. More encouraging is the observation that it only takes 3.5% of a population to make a monumental change in politics and culture. I have no doubt that at least 3.5% of Christians in this nation are committed enough to the way of Jesus to bring about a much-needed change in so many areas. God has never had the advantage of working with a majority in the healing of this world. She has always depended on committed minorities to bring about the changes necessary to allow for justice, compassion, and human dignity. We must never become discouraged because we are a minority or because our mission seems impossible.
MLK was absolutely on target when he called the church to be a thermostat. I suggest it’s time—way past time — for the church to “heat things up.” Or in the words of another Civil Rights hero, it’s time to engage in some “good trouble” for the sake of our integrity as followers of Jesus and for the sake of the common good of all people and this precious, vulnerable planet.
(Please take the time to read a most encouraging and challenging article on the BBC website entitled “The 3.5% Rule: How a Small Minority Can Change the World.”)
