Why the church looks foolish, and why it doesn't matter

This article is an alternative viewpoint to those who think the church got it wrong for twenty centuries, and are now claiming how to do Christianity correctly. 

This is a common argument these days, and runs along the following lines;

1. The early church got it right. This period evidently extended from as few as seventeen years after Jesus departed, to as many as three hundred.  Constantine really screwed it up around 337AD.
2. One thousand, seven hundred years of disaster, killing, dark ages, middle ages, renaissance, reformation, Hollywood, power games, and divisive denominations then took place.
3. However, here we are today! You too can see the light! (The authors of points 1 and 2 have generally written a book) And if you just read their book, you can find out how to return to that wonderful early state!

Their approach will always win converts because everyone loves to think their era, and perhaps they themselves, are pivotal in history. 

Okay. So you read one of these books. It will have sentences starting like in the green box;

The church should ....  or The church doesn't ....  or even The church won't ....

Getting the drift? Pretty basic really. These writers are all telling us what they think the church should do. Various successful church models are then proposed to solve the problems. Today, writers have of course climbed on even the dechurched bandwagon, and I am told that Theological Colleges even teach their students about how their thinking has been 'churchified'. 

(But the same theological colleges continue to operate in buildings with lecture halls and libraries. The one Jesus ran operated in the street. But I digress.)

Well, that is arrogant.  All these fancy church models are attempts of man to do the work of God. Clerics just refuse to accept that God is working his plan without their cooperation. In fact the very controversies that make the church look foolish are evidence of two things throughout history;

1. That men have always meddled and come up with different strategies, models and plans of their own in the church - and our generation is no different.
2. That the plan of God unfolds anyway, strangely, through our blundering methods - and in a manner that clearly shows none of us have any claim on contributing to his Kingdom. 

Let's start with some verses from the source book: 1 Corinthians 1:27-29. 'But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.'

We all lend credence to these verses of course, and point to people like Mother Teresa as an example. A weak elderly woman who demonstrated Gods love to the poor. Balderdash. Mother Teresa was a tough old bird who could argue her way into the bank accounts of airlines and corporations when she needed to fly somewhere or get another orphanage built. No, if you take these verses seriously they really do tell us God deliberately uses foolish endeavours, inferior methods, pathetic institutions, even 'lowly things' like germ diseases from horses and cows - all brought about by men, and all used by Him in order to bring about His Kingdom.  

Since we live in the instant society, let's jump quickly to the point, which can be summarised by repeating our table above again, but with an extra two lines added.

The church should ....  or The church doesn't ....  or even The church won't ....      But how about... The church can't ....      or even worse... The church was never expected to...

Heretic! You shout, brandishing a cross in front of me!

Well, let's use another sound byte. The Bible regards the church as the body of Christ, right? In his final days on earth Jesus was a walking wound, with an unhealed gash in his side, holes in his hands and feet. Not a pretty sight. Could it be the church is also a walking wound? Not a pretty sight. 

And every attempt we make through history to tart her up a bit, cover up those failings and give the church some spit and polish - only make it look more 'foolish', 'weak', 'lowly' and 'despised' than before.

So the basis of my argument is not to persuade you the church needs to change. No, far from it. We've been looking at the issue the wrong way, through our religious eyes of trying to make the church better - as we and the world understand that. I am arguing that the church is indeed this foolish organisation, this lowly, despised, weak thing, and it always will be. It's never looked good, here on earth, and it never will - here on earth. The main reason is that we look at it through human success type principles. Mostly, we knew all along the church looked absurd. It's really only our egos that want to patch it up. If we're honest, we crave acceptance by the world.

We need to look at the church a different way. We need to accept it as it is. And understand what role it has in God's Kingdom. 

Let's take an historical example to show a little of how God works in society. Today the church is full of movements about the significance of women, how to be a woman for Jesus, your spiritual female role etc. One can applaud such moves - few today would argue that equality for women is a Christian principle.  

But they didn't used to think that way. A little over 100 years ago, women in the western world did not even have the right to vote. There were some strong females back then called suffragettes who fought to gain the vote. Some of them lost their lives. The church in general fought and argued against women voting. Even though it is understood today as a Christian principle, church leaders opposed it - back then.

But it came anyway. Women vote today. The church opposed society implementing a Christian principle. Can you imagine an organisation containing a 'spirit' which is so powerful it eventually works despite the agendas of all the individuals in it? Well, that's what happened.

Now here's the real rub. Its scandalous. I fully believe the spirit of Jesus impacts society. But do you know where he lives? Inside a creaking wounded institution. If you took the church out of society, His spiritual influence would disappear. And Christian principles would not be implemented. But it is not due to any group of churchgoers, or intellectuals, or rich patronising Christians, or well meaning individuals at all. It happens because He is there. Simply because He, the Lord of the universe, has chosen to be present.

If He removed Himself, nothing would happen at all. Not all the good, nice, well meaning, well intentioned people, Christian or not, could effect a single, solitary, thing.

Who feels comfortable approaching a wounded person? Answer: another wounded person - is this the gospel message?

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