Culpritless crime
or maybe I should have called this We’re All to Blame. You can look at it either way. Either we’re all implicated in this mess that is called church, or you can’t really blame anyone.
I’m going to say something that may sound a bit surprising: I don’t think pastors are evil. I know, I told you it would be surprising. Let me clarify. I do think that pastors are given a dangerous amount of authority over the spiritual and emotional growth of the people they “serve.” I also think that pastors profit from “serving” others. I think that a system is in place that keeps pastors above and, most detremental, seperated from the congregation, forcing the congregation to need the pastor, and therefore forcing them to pay him. Sounds pretty evil, and it would be if pastors actually went into pastoring for the above reasons. I don’t think many do. I think lots of pastors want to serve Christ and the Church and all that, they just have been so immersed in the church system that they don’t know any other way. They feel like it is important to do stuff for God. I believe for many it is because they genuinely love Him. They think that pastoring is the way to do that. They’re wrong, but not evil.
Then there is the poor helpless congregation. These people don’t know their left from right, and they are being misguided into some crazy religious pyramid scheme by their pastor. Well, I don’t think that is exactly accurate either. Honestly, I think that it is quite possible that if anyone is to blame, the congregation might be at the top of the list. Following Jesus is hard. It requires sacrifice. It takes time. It might make you volnurable. It might get you hurt. It would be a lot easier to just throw money at someone else to do all that hard stuff for you. I can’t grow vegetables, so I pay someone else to do it for me and I buy their product at the grocery store. What if I could make my spiritual experience the same way? What if I could say that I’ve done my share because I have paid someone else to do the studying, and the visiting, and the encouraging, and the counciling in my place? That would make my life much easier and I could still feel good about serving God. I have created a need for a pastor.
It’s like whenever a dictator takes over an empire or a nation. The people are willing to give up their freedom for security. There will always be someone there to provide that security (at least temporarily) in exchange for power over those people (permanently). The dude who wants to take the power is kind of a jerk, but the people willing to give up their own responsibility are kind of the jerks at the same time.
Add to this, the fact that this crap has been going on for thousands of years (just speaking within the context of Christianity) and now you have a system in place built on the laziness of the many and the powerhunger of the few, that has been so engrained that we don’t know any other way to function. I don’t think that most pastors today have a malicious desire for power. I also think that there are many congregants who truly desire to serve others and serve Christ. It’s just hard. It’s confusing. It’s all muddy and convoluted and many people don’t even know there is a problem. Many do, and they just can’t put their finger on it. The bottom line is that I think that this misunderstanding that the system is the Church is simply that, a misunderstanding, one that is deeply rooted and culturally important and difficult to let go of, but a misunderstanding none the less.
Dan,
This may be the best post you’ve written in the last week…
Seriously. Very Good! It is so easy to point our finger at other people and blame them. It is much more difficult to take stock of where WE are and move on from there, following Jesus into whatever and wherever he leads us, regardless of what has happened in our past.
-Alan
It is easy to be the victim.
Dan, You do a great job of helping people think about things in a new way. So many just except what is… for many different reasons. I also love they way you don’t play the blame game but still bring Light into the world. You have a gift. Keep opening that heart and mind of your and others will follow.
Pam, thank you so much for the kind words. I don’t know about gifts or anything like that, but I’m glad that there are a few people out there who don’t think the stuff I am saying is totally ridiculous. Maybe it means I’m not so nuts… or maybe it means we all are! Seriously though, thank you so much for the encouragement, it means a lot!
Dan,
I hope in my heart I am coming to really believe that our enemies are never each other, even if the other is a shameless imposter. We do have a serious enemy, and walking in the Spirit is the hope we have. Jesus defeated the imposter, and has him completely configurated today, weather the enemy understand this or not. So in concurring with your opinion, I believe God is faithful (He was to me). Those who are ready to be unplugged, He unplugs, those who are not, are not.
Unplugged is a good way to look at it. It’s a ll a system that we are born into and many who fight to keep it going do it because they genuinely believe it is right, not because they are evil.
Dan, excellent, an eye opener. the evil powers of the air have trapped our culture in and through what you said. It is on both sides, and supported from the laymen, yet we are all trapped. the problem continues on and on. And i think because no one is truly dying to their flesh daily, except a few, (yet flesh is continuously fighting us all that believe), as the bible says to do. All this ignorance keeps going because of this. All sin is and has been condemned to flesh and no flesh will ever plesase God, and we as people are not seeing this and not dying to this. We are staying under law and sin takes occassion by this law, any law, thus we are taking advantage of the gift of God
Who tooh all sin away at the cross. John 1:29 We are yes trying our darndest, but the problem brother is remve flesh and blood, die with Christ at the cross, then come alive do this daily Romans 6, 7, and 8
No more excuses, all this is happening because of flesh period. die to flesh and all this will go away in you, then you, and then them, individually one at a time as God is finally your savior and teacher. We need to see this truth or all these things you said will continue to be. What you said relates to the whole world. What you said ere is no differant than going to a strip club. The dancer is the pastor and the people (flesh) are the supporters. Truly is there a differance?
Love your post let ‘s quit being of this world and just in it instead
Thanks Howard. Laziness and desire for power are as old as humanity. It is no surprise that these things dress in many different clothes and show up in all areas of human interaction, including the church.
I think from the tree of evil masquerading as good is still alive and going yet not well. I do not call that tree the knowledge of good and evil. fro there was the tree of good still in the garden it is on one of my early blogs.
Evil masquerading as good, I wonder if this can happen within you. Not a bad person tricking people into thinking they are good, but a bad idea seeming good in your head.
Dan I have found that it is either from our flesh, or and others flesh thoughts. Or it is from God, and God can only be worshipped in spirit and truth. This is why Paul said he died daily to flesh and blood. now up to each believer and God to seperate truth from error. And evil is still about roaming whomever it may devour. We are born in this world of flesh and blood after the simultude of Adam and Eve. Born with evil all people, that is why it is vitally important to die to our flesh in our minds eye and seek truth from the Spirit of truth. Dan you become wise as a serphant and yet harmless as a dove
Thanks brother for the encouragement
Oh and may I post your church stuff you wrote on my blogger
Howard
Feel free!