EVERYBODY KNOWS... but no-one’s talking
“Everybody knows that the boat is leaking/ everybody knows that the captain lied/
everybody got this broken feeling/
like their father or their dog just died"  Don Henley
   I’ve spent over 60 years in the segment of Christianity known as evangelical. This cuts a wide swathe and my involvement has been in non-charismatic and charismatic, liturgical and contemporary, fundamentalist and progressive.  Over the years I’ve tasted a range of leadership roles in evangelism, worship and preaching (a counsellor I am not!)

  Reflecting on my experiences one sad reality stands out – the unwillingness of so many, including the majority of leaders, to engage in the tough questions, and face the truth.  The result is that while everybody knows what’s going on, leaders are in denial and followers are hoping it’s not true.  Jesus said the truth will set us free but most of us don’t really believe it.

 -  Everybody knows that our fixation with buildings and equipment has resulted in an inordinate waste of money while the poor are increasingly at our door.  And we know what Jesus thinks of this.

 -  Everybody knows that the Bible isn’t inerrant, if by inerrant we mean that every word was dictated by God and is perfect and true.  There’s just too many changes in translation and examples of cultural religious and political influence on the translation process.

 -  Everybody knows that the professionalization of youth ministry has disempowered families, neutered wise elderly people, and produced a shallow generation of Christians.

 -  Everybody knows that the over 50’s are leaving institutional church in their droves and that leadership refuse to discuss with them the why.

-  Everybody knows there is a leadership crisis in both church and mission. Sexual predation, bullying, insecurity, burnout, drivenness, pride, dishonesty ... are rife and taking their toll.

 -  Everybody knows that the claims made by all our evangelical events, are bogus.  The numbers just don’t add up.

 -  Everybody knows that the decades of a therapeutic approach to Gospel and ministry hasn’t produced a healthier, more balanced church.

 -  Everybody knows that our taking the moral high ground in society, on issues like sexuality, family life, justice... , in fact most issues , is bankrupt.  That even if we think we have the right to speak, most everyone else wishes we would shut up and listen for a while.

 -  Everybody knows that our worship has been hijacked by the music business, lacks substance, and is largely repetitive.

However, the greatest tragedy is that however imperfectly you love Jesus, love people, and live a life of service, if you raise any of these issues ...  everybody knows you can expect to be blasted.  Reasoned dialogue will disappear under a barrage of labelling (liberal, rebellious, disloyal, etc) that enables everybody to retreat back in to their factions, and the status quo remain.

 Everybody knows... but no-one’s talking.

“YOU DON’T SPEAK FOR ME”:

   In my last post I suggested “Christianity” had lost any definitive meaning as a label or description.  Part of the problem is the tendency for people with opinions (and I’m one of those), who communicate as though they are speaking for God or Christianity (I’m trying to avoid being one of those).  Many of these people are leaders of churches and Christian organisations who assume that their job description includes making sure the community at large know their personal and organisational position on every issue that comes down the highway.

Reality check!

-   sometimes the spokesperson doesn’t really believe what they’re saying.  They say it because it’s “expected” of someone in their position. And more often than not, not everyone in their organisation believes it. Issues get debated, votes cast, decisions made, and positions declared.  And sure, everyone who wants to stay part of the group accepts the outcome.  Doesn’t mean they agree with it. And yet when the pronouncement is made public it is usually accompanied by an air of certainty, as representative of God and the Christian community.  So let me just say that even though I too am a passionate follower of Jesus, “you don’t speak for me”.

 

*When a Christian leader declares that God made the world in 6 days, 6000 years ago – “you don’t speak for me”.

 *When some Christians got offended that Christopher Hitchens declared the last Pope should be arrested, on entry into Britain, for contributing to child abuse – “you don’t speak for me”.

 *When Christian groups declare that God will bring judgement on the nation for legislating to allow same-sex marriage – “you don’t speak for me”.

 *When you label all Muslims as part of a plot to use every means including violence to conquer the world –“you don’t speak for me”.

 *When you claim the ‘righteous’ nature of God supports tougher prison sentences, and the death penalty – “you don’t speak for me”. 

   I think I’ve made the point.  I fully endorse the right to have an opinion and to make it public.  So long as you don’t give the impression you are speaking for “Christians”.  Nor for God.  Because neither you nor I speak for God. Even when we quote Bible verses.