Only the Cross

I find myself in a bit of a pickle as I think long and hard about my relationship with the larger church (ELCA).  I love my church.  There is no doubt about this.  I want her to grow and thrive.  I want the God-awful state of decline she has been in to reverse itself and for people to fill her pews on a given Sunday morning.  I long for the day when all of our congregation's pews: Lutheran, Baptist, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Pentecostal, and the like are filled to overflowing as people come from far and wide to worship.

I do not wish for any church body to decline and die.

And yet, many are.  Some slowly.  Some spiraling out of control.

Now, this is not some sort of "the Church must change or die" sort of post.  God knows, I've heard so many of those lectures and read so many of those blogs that I have started tuning them out.

That goes for those folks who say that we need to become more moralistic.
That goes for those folks who say that we need to focus more on justice.
That goes for those folks who say that we need to change our doctrines.
That goes for those folks who say that we need to stop being so liberal.
That goes for those folks who say that we need to stop being so conservative.
That goes for those folks who say that we need to implement more programs.
That goes for those folks who say that we need to implement less programs.
That goes for those folks who say that we need to have more "contemporary"/modern worship.
That goes for those folks who say that we need to have more "traditional" worship.

In each and every one of these things, we are focusing on ourselves.  We are trying to figure out what the surrounding culture wants and give it to them.  It's as if we believe the Church is here to satisfy the needs and desires of the culture, and if we want our pews to be full, then we need to be giving the culture what it wants.

I can see the early Church trying to take such action. 

"Well, you see those Jews over there.  They expect a Messiah who will come and establish power and peace by military force.  The Messiah will overthrow the Romans and free the nation of Israel.  Let's shun the cross and what Jesus did and talk about such power and might.  Let's give them what they want."

"Well, you see those Gentiles over there.  They want comfort and security.  They want a god who is omniscient and omnipotent who can favor them.  Let's get rid of the cross where God dies and give them a god who allows them joy and pleasure in their lives."

"For the cross is a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles."  --1 Corinthians 1:23.

Indeed, the cross still is foolishness.  It must be.  That's the only reason I can think of that it didn't make an appearance at the Synod Assembly I attended last week.  Can you imagine a Synod Assembly whose focus was intended to be evangelism that didn't mention the cross?  That didn't mention the acts of God on that cross?  Can you imagine a Lutheran Synod Assembly whose focus was supposedly evangelism--whose founder espoused and coined the phrase the theology of the cross--who didn't spend a single minute asking the question, "How do we convey the message of the cross in this day and age?  How do we talk about God's reconciling the world unto Himself in this postmodern age?"

So, what was the Synod Assembly focused on? 

Essentially, it was one giant pep-rally trying to get us to do good things.  Yep, that was it.  Work hard at being especially nice.  Work hard at listening to your neighbors.  Work hard at loving everyone.  That is evangelism.  Your works are evangelism.  What you do is evangelism.

So, you might ask, what is the problem with that?  I'd like you to read the following quote from a young man who served on a panel of young adults at the Synod Assembly.  He leans atheist/agnostic, and he offered this scathing criticism of the church:

But the part of me that lives on the edges has to stop and ask this...why?  Why is the christian church trying to recruit "youths ages 18-35 who make up the blah blah blah???  What does having more people in church do?

The people I asked to help me with this do amazing things, why doesn't the church stop trying to pull them into their crowd and instead go out and be with them? ...The question I want answered is, when will the church stop trying to make itself the center of everyone's world and go out and do something like so many 18-35 year olds are doing, because I have to tell you, we are just waiting for the day the church joins us.

What response can one give to such a scathing criticism IF the church's job is "doing good things?" 

There is no response.  The criticism stands, and the Church is convicted.  (Although to be fair, in the omitted examples this gentleman listed in his screed where he asked "Where is the Church?", in all reality, the Church was already in all of those places.  One can easily ask the question: why can't you see it there?)

In fact, as I was debriefing with one of my members, I was brutally honest.  I said, "I don't want this guy in my church.  He reminds me of myself not too long ago.  Arrogant.  Self-righteous.  He'd be a troublemaker.  But it doesn't matter if I want him in church or not.  There is One who does want Him.  There is One who wants His heart and soul."

Indeed, there is one part of the young man's criticism that is Truth: the Church should never try and make itself the center of everyone's world.  Never.  Ever!  At the center of everyone's world should be a cross with a suffering God who is stretching His arms out to suffer and die to make sure the world is reconciled to their Heavenly Father.  At the center of everyone's world should be Jesus.

If anyone in the Christian Church disputes this, then I simply think you cannot call yourself a Christian.  (Read my extended quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer from a few days ago.)  If at the center of your world is anything less than Jesus, then you are committing idolatry.  You have a false god.

And so, the answer to the young man's question is Jesus.  The Church doesn't want you, sir.  Jesus does.  The Church will go on without you too, but there is One who doesn't want to go on without you.  There is one who was willing to die for you.  I know you probably don't see that or get that.  You are completely and totally focused on your actions and the actions of the world and the Church.  You want to make a difference.  I understand that.  I really do.  I wanted to change the world myself.

But I found out something.  It was a hard lesson.  A very hard one.  I couldn't make that difference.  I couldn't change people.  I couldn't change the world.  I might be able to feed a person for a day.  I might be able to lobby government officials.  I might even be able to lead a movement to change laws, but I can never, ever change someone's heart.  I can't make people love each other.  I can't make people get along and see each other a fully human.  I can't convince people to stop looking out for their own interests and look out for the interests of another. 

I know you are a studious sort of person.  It came across very strongly in your presentation.  Read Nietzsche?  You understand, don't you, that if there is no transcendence, no God, then everything we do are simply power plays, right?  You do understand that essentially we are all working out our own wills to power even if we say we are looking out for another?  You could argue that you aren't looking out for yourself, but Nietzsche would scoff at you and say, "Yeah right.  The only reason you are trying to help others is because you get some benefit.

You see, there is One who indeed came and lived for no benefit to Himself.  Jesus didn't need anything from us.  He was totally satisfied, loved, and glorified in His relationship with His Father and the Spirit.  He needed and needs nothing from us.  Yet, He came to us for a reason--to change our hearts that we might experience the same kind of love He knows living with the Father and the Spirit.  He came that we might be able to love one another without any sort of contempt or anger towards those who are different than we are.  And He showed that not with power and might but with a cross.

It's all about Jesus and the cross.  If you can't get someone to the foot of the cross, then...well, you might be doing some good things, but you are not doing evangelism.  And if the Church exists solely for doing good things, then we have no need of worship.  We have no need for buildings and Bible Study.  All we essentially need is to have someone urge us, remind us, sometimes whip us into submission to "Love our neighbors as we love ourselves."

But Christianity isn't about that.  Evangelism isn't about that.  It's all about Jesus.  It's focal point is the cross. 

Somehow, this has been pushed to the periphery.  No longer is it at the center.  

To our detriment.

What will it take to reclaim our cross-centeredness? 

I frankly don't know, but I know what I will do from henceforth:

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. ²For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.  -- 1 Corinthians 2:1-2.

If that message changed hearts then, it will still change hearts now.  Here I stand...

I Decided to Know Nothing Except Christ Crucified

    St. Paul writes, “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. 2For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. 4My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.”

    Most of my life and in most of my time as an ordained minister, I have tried to do the exact opposite of what St. Paul says in these opening words of the second chapter of 1 Corinthians.  I hate to admit this.  I really do.  I hate to admit that for most of my career, I have tried diligently to learn as much as I can and then show how learned I am.  I have tried using lofty words of wisdom in my sermons, on my blog, in Bible study, and in conversation.  I have oftentimes been convinced that such lofty words of wisdom will convince many in today’s society of the reasonableness of Christianity.  I have oftentimes been convinced that Christianity has all the answers to all the questions that exist and that if I just learn them and articulate them, well, then I can have a tremendous impact in the lives of others.  I have oftentimes been convinced that our churches simply need to get with the right train of theological thought–the right train of wisdom, and then all will be well. 

    I don’t think I am alone in what I have done and to some extent continue to do.  It’s the way the world works.  I mean, just browse through the comments section on any particular political article.  Jump onto an internet message board and read through any particularly controversial thread.  Look at what stands out when people engage in dialogue about such subjects.  Well, first filter through the comments which are simply baseless attacks.  Then, read the more serious ones.  See what they do.  Time and again, they list: point by point; reason by reason why their “side” is correct.  Time and again, they will provide links to studies, articles, and citations to bolster their particular point of view.  Time and again, they will show statistics and numbers to prove their particular position.  All of the facts must be shown, and once the facts are presented, then one shouldn’t be able to argue with my position.  After all, I am right!  I have the facts on my side.  I have thoroughly researched this issue, and by God, I know what I am talking about.

    Oftentimes, the rebuttals are swift, and one of my favorite ones is, “So, you have a degree in whatever subject matter is at hand, I suppose?  You are a climate scientist, a social scientist, a biologist, a biblical scholar, a doctor, a political science major, a lawyer, or what have you.  The rebuttal is that unless you have studied the subject matter and have a degree in it, then you are not qualified to speak with any kind of authority on the matter.

    It’s part and parcel in the way the world works.  We love appealing to our experts.  We love appealing to those who have numerous letters behind their names.  Of course, if certain experts disagree with us, then we will find other experts, but hey, that’s the game, isn’t it?  Lofty titles.  Large degrees.  Plenty of status.  That’s what awes people into believing what you have to say. 

    I am reminded at this point of a joke I love to tell.  It’s about a church congregation president who decided to call on several members who hadn’t been in church for some time.  He goes to see Farmer Joe. 

    Farmer Joe is out in the field chopping cotton.  Bob parks his car down in the turning row and walks up to Joe.

    “Hey Joe! How’ve you been?”

    “Aiiight,” Joe replies.

    Bob continues, “Haven’t seen you in church in a while, Joe.  Thought you might like to come back.”

    Joe wipes the sweat off his brow, spits in the dirt and says, “Well, why should I come back to church?”

    Bob says, “Joe, you have got to come and hear the new preacher we got!  He’s fantastic!”

    Joe slowly says, “Well, what makes this here preacher so special?”

    Bob replies enthusiastically, “Joe, he’s got a B.S. an M.S. and a PhD!”

    Joe shakes his head and says, “Well, that settles it.  I ain’t a comin’ to church as long as that preacher’s there.”

    Bob is taken aback.  He can hardly believe his ears.  “W-w-w-why?” he stammers.

    Joe spits in the dirt and says, “Well, we all know what B.S. is.  M.S. is just more of the same.  And PhD is piled high and deep.”

    Don’t laugh too hard now.  I personally have a master’s degree.

    But there is something to be said here.  There is something to be said regarding those who try to proclaim the message of God based in wisdom and lofty words.  There is something to be said about those who claim to have special knowledge of God and how God operates.  There is something to be said for those like myself and others who have tried time and again to use knowledge and reason and other such things to talk about God–to try and convince everyone that we’ve got it down pat when it comes to knowing and understanding God and His ways.

    And that something is not necessarily pretty.  You see Paul was onto something when he proclaimed the Gospel to the Gentiles. “I didn’t come with words of wisdom.  I chose only to know Christ crucified that your faith may not rest on worldly wisdom but on the power of God.”

    You see, Paul knew it wasn’t what he knew that counted.  Paul knew it wasn’t about what he had accomplished.  Paul knew his resume wasn’t the important part of the equation.  Paul knew very well that it wasn’t about anything he had done that mattered.  If people were resting their faith on what Paul had done, there would be problems.  But if they rested their faith on what God had done, well, then that was quite a different story.  And now we must ask: what has God done?

    For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world may be saved through Him.

    On the cross, Jesus died–God died–to reconcile the world unto Himself.  God died to pay the price of forgiveness–to take away our shame, our guilt, our debt to Him.  It was on the cross that the world’s redemption took place.  “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. 2For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”

    I am beginning to change, my brothers and sisters.  I am trying to leave behind this notion that I must be filled with lofty wisdom and knowledge and understanding.  I am trying to leave behind the notion that I have to be super-knowledgeable about Christianity, the Bible, all sorts of theology.  I am working to focus on the main thing: Christ crucified and the grace that flows from the cross.  It’s all about that grace.  It’s all about what God has done.  None of us need a degree to proclaim it.  All of us can do it, and when we do, we live God’s Word daily.  Amen.