The American Churches Legacy

If you’ve ever wondered if the church has hurt more people than it has helped, you’re not alone.

I’d assume most would say that what we’ve come to know as “Christianity” has done far more harm that it has good.

Yes there’s a subjective aspect to this statement, but it’s mostly coming from objective view of basic world history.

Constantine. The Crusades. The Third Reich. Reconquista. Catholics vs. Protestants.

We look back at our history and we can’t understand how the Church got behind Hitler’s Third Kingdom. We consider the utter ridiculousness that Constantine murdered hundreds of thousands and then gave glory to God pointing to the “Chi-Rho”. We wonder how a majority of southern American pastors could so openly support segregation of our public school system…

But what I wonder is

… in generations to come how will we be remembered as the Church in America?

As of yet, unless some things drastically change, American Christianity will be remembered by generations to come as an oppressive institution. A traumatic experience for many. A religion that swept through the western world, and sept its way into the eastern third world, polluting the entire world with racism, prejudice, and discrimination. Starting off with the oppression of Native America, soon there after leading us into the support of slavery then Women’s suffrage, and currently, equality for the LGBT community at large.

All of this done in the name of “the God in which we trust”.

Yet the argument and the pushback is that these people and institutions have nothing to do with the church, and that just because you take on the title “church” or call yourself a “Christian” does not mean you’re actually the Church or actually a Christian.

That’s just my point…

We find ourselves here today in an institution that is found encouraging a segregated way of life, that has single handedly impacted the majority vote in regards to segregation, slavery, women’s rights, and now in regards to the rights of the LGBT community as stated above.

Yes, an institution of power, but an institution like any other, that has abused its power. An institution that I have every right to question whether or not it is actually the Church. It’s perpetuating what some call “Civil Religion,” which is not Christianity at all. It’s a religion created by a seeker sensitive institutions, starting with Billy Graham, carrying into YoungLife, and now dying within our American Churches.

Blog posts like these are shocking to many because they haven’t been taught the gospels, or because I’m challenging a pastor’s career, or we haven’t figured out beyond what our pastor says, what a true faith is, that following Jesus requires cost, that Church is more than just singing songs and listening to a sermon…

Though this does not go without saying that we must distinguish between a Christianity that is simply cultural and a Christianity that is based off of the life of Christ as seen in the Gospel’s. I have no qualms against Christianity but I have major differences with this institution in America that has mislabeled itself as Christianity. For me to remain silent is just as wrong as these institutions in which seem mainly to be perpetuating a systemic injustice. 

Ask yourself – take a second, and ask yourself whether or not you’re comfortable with the state of our Church? I think many of you have thought about it, and a majority of you are uncomfortable with it. Which is probably why less than 20% of America this Sunday attended “church”.

Christendom is not done, but “Civil Religion” is.

We have to remember – on the other side of the 20% that attended church this Sunday, there’s us, the majority. When there was slavery, there were Christian abolitionists, during the crusades there was St. Francis seeking peace and reconciliation to end the fighting.

On the other side of injustice and ruin is always Christ and His Bride, risking their lives and careers for the sake of the Gospel, not the life of an institution. 

This is more than just salvaging Christianity’s reputation but this is about being good stewards of the Church in which Christ entrusted to us. The question is how will we as Christian America be remembered?

What’re your thoughts?