This morning in worship, the question was offered, “Has the
Church done more harm than good?” As the words left the pastor’s lips and as they
resonated with me cognitively, my inner apologist immediately thought, “Well,
of course not!” As the pastor went on to discuss, history shows that the Church
has been at the forefront of many positive social movements and cultural developments.
For example, factions of the Church were leaders in abolitionist movements and
other activities for human rights. Education has always been a value of the
Church, which is evinced by the fact that the oldest universities in the world
were established by elements within the Church. And the Church has always encouraged
the development of culture through the arts and other means. However, the pastor
was also correct to point out that this same institution was also responsible for
some of the true horrors of history. The Crusades and the Inquisition immediately
come to mind (although I do believe that the negativity often associated with discussions of these events is overblown...). In addition, there are the modern issues of political corruption
and abuse.
As I pondered this question further, I found myself
coming back to two particular thoughts. I share them because I think that these are helpful in
formulating an answer to any question similar to the one offered at the onset of
this posting.
First, the Church will let you down. Why do I say this? Because
it is populated with sinful people. An interesting scene of the end of the
movie Angels and Demons, which is based upon Dan Brown’s novel bearing
the same title, brings out this point. In that scene a Cardinal of the Roman
Catholic Church discusses recent events with the movie’s chief protagonist,
Robert Langdon (played by Tom Hanks). Addressing a corrupt priest, the Cardinal
says something to the effect (and I am paraphrasing from memory), “The Church
is flawed because we are flawed.” The point is both simple and profound,
and it brings one to the issue of hypocrisy. Quite simply, everyone deals with
hypocrisy from time to time. The question therefore should not be “Will it
happen?” But rather, “How will you respond when it happens?”
But I get it. Ecclesial hypocrisy is particularly
maddening, since it is an institution that offers certain moral claims and
judgments. If the Church cannot adhere to its own moral ideology, why should it
pontificate and why should anyone take it seriously? However, it is important
to realize that Scripture never skirts the issue of hypocrisy. In fact, it tackles the issue
head on. For example, in Galatians chapter 2 (vv. 11-14), Paul recounts how he
rebuked Peter and other Jews for their “hypocrisy” (υποκρινομαι) in
dealing with the Gentiles. So, it appears that hypocrisy has always been an unfortunate reality
of the Church, and Scripture admits this. What should define the Church, though,
is how it deals with it decisively when it rears its ugly head.
Second, the quintessential reason why the Church has done
more good than harm is Jesus. In fact, this reason alone will always
carry the discussion. The Church, despite its flaws, is the earthly
manifestation of God’s kingdom and proclaims the message of salvation. It my
opinion, this is the ultimate redemption card…no matter what problems or
hypocrisies the Church may be associated with. Why do we need to the Church,
and why is it so special? It is special because of Jesus.
