This is written seven decades after the beginning of Christian ministry for me. During those years the churches of the world have been much maligned for problems related partly to the hypocrisy of some clergy and other members relative to sexual scandals or other practices and omissions. Negative critics sometimes try to relate the embarrassments, the illegalities, the sins, to the church as a whole. References were made to the church and religion as a scam. Disgruntled and disheartened persons announce: We will not set our feet in the church again. And, so the story goes, related to rabbis, ministers and priests, as well as other church leaders, who may have failed their vows and commitments to righteous ministry. The whole church, spiritual and physical, is also made the brunt of oddities and failures of celebrity religionists.
In the scandals, that included the retelling of lurid incidents not to be denied, the battlefields of public opinion were strewn with distortions. From Church history, recent and ancient, the story of the church has been, on balance, a magnificent favorable gift of God. From the beginning of the church, as recorded in the New Testament, there have been those from within and without who have attempted to undermine her, degrade her, embarrass her, turn her into a marginal and political even a carnal, institution. Has anything given more comfort to the masses than the church.
When do we lose the need for government? When bribe takers, self-interested, lazy, unworthy persons, take office? Is it the fault of government or mankind? We do poorly in differentiating the faults of persons and systems. We evade our guilt by blaming impersonal entities identified as the church, the government, the schools, the businesses. Are schools inefficient, or do we have poor teachers, administrators, and others within the institutions? Add casual parents to the mix. Do we dispose of the institutions? If so, what is left? What has the church done constructively? The list of achievements is so long that it could not be reproduced in a document that most persons would take time to read. The church is significantly related to improved treatment in criminal justice; for the establishment of hospitals and clinics; for the development of formal education; for the rights of women and children and others; for the anti-slavery movement; for improvement in contexts of living; for the care and feeding of the poor; for anti-violence movements; for reverence for life; and, the like. And, those are not the most important matters. The church has provided hope for individuals in the belief that God loves and redeems mankind; that there is a way of life that strengthens marriages and families; that there is a way for human growth and improvement; that there are values to be treasured and followed that give peace, and when followed provide safety for society. The Church cares for the infant – strong person and weak. The church is there when life begins, and knows how to care for those whose lives are ending. The church is far larger than those who would destroy her, and deserves more appreciation than she receives. Christian family, when applied, is the first and most important private institution. The church, when engaged, becomes both social and redemptive. It functions well, and is open to invitation.
If leaders or followers, including those within the church, local or worldwide, reduce or dilute the meaning of the Gospel of Christ, or the duty to serve their fellow human beings, or distort the meaning of the Gospel and its humane ministries, we as individuals can find ways to keep the faith and advance it as individuals. Here is where God blesses the Church. For those who understand and release the church for good in society, they are urged to perceive Christ. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020