No More BS…The Church Needs Resurrecting

“If Jesus came back and saw what was being done in his name, he’d never stop throwing up.” – Woody Allen

It’s time to ditch the bullshit and get to the real meat of issues that are plaguing the organized church.

The bureaucracy is stifling…
The CEO posturing of clergy, and congregations’ expectation that the clergy be CEOs, is contrary to the role of spiritual leader…
The brutality of clergy toward church musicians is toxic to ministries…
The petulant and churlish behavior of musicians toward clergy is polarizing for members…
The consumer mentality of church members is minimizing their spiritual growth and the ability to strengthen Christian community…
The creation of a scarcity mindset when God has provided us with abundance…
We have subliminally bought into the misquote of scripture that money is the root of evil, and have not established good stewardship in attracting or managing God’s abundance in the flow of cash.

It’s time for a new model for leadership!

The tactics used by some clergy that hold members through guilt and duty in that they must earn salvation and be in favor with God (translated as, in favor of that clergy’s tactics) is another area of bullshit to which Nadia Bolz-Weber speaks quite frankly:

If my work as a pastor and a theologian does nothing else in the world I wish it to do this one thing – that those in my care may know this: If you have been told that God is some kind of punishing, capricious, angry bastard with a killer surveillance system who is basically always disappointed with you for being a human being then you have been lied to. The church has failed you and I am so sorry. Read the post…

God must truly grieve about what’s become of the church that professes to follow God’s call. Edmund Steimle had a profound gift for language. One of the most memorable moments in my memory is where he challenged church leaders to be aware of our focus on the details of what we do, at the expense of listening to and being present to God’s voice in our lives and in our work and in our church leadership.

Who will blow the whistle on the bullshit? (If you are averse to harsh language, maybe it’s time to get over it and speak directly to what’s poisoning our Christian world.)

We tread the waters of apathy while giving space to those who want to take our freedoms from us.

I wrote on Good Friday that it’s time to bury the church. Then, and only then, can the church be resurrected in a new and more vital form.

Here’s what Richard Rohr said about this concept as a personal perspective. For me, it also applies to the church:

In the passage (Philippians 2:3-8) Paul uses the Greek word kenosis to describe Jesus’ act of self-emptying and surrender. Contemplative prayer is a practice of self-emptying. At its most basic, contemplation is letting go–of our habitual thoughts, preferences, judgments, and feelings. Though life itself is often our most powerful teacher through great love and suffering, contemplation is a daily, small death to false self and ego. It makes space for True Self to reappear, to rise from the ashes of our partial and protected self. Read the post…

Therefore, it’s time for church leaders, principally clergy, who hold the power of position and influence, to transform and resurrect this institution that has become irrelevant and, more often than not, the opposite of what it’s professed to be.

Just to be clear, I’m not suggesting that we abandon the institution that we all love (me, too), or turn our backs on the world that needs our thoughtful intervention; I am suggesting that we follow the thinking of the Apostle Paul, who challenged us in the letter to the church in Corinthians, to be transformed by the renewal (renewing, in some translations), speak the truth in love, and live out the culture of love.

Richard Rohr’s message about kenosis, a paradigm shift for thinking, is about the emptying not only of ourselves, but additionally for the institution of the church.

To transform any organization, the journey begins with self transformation. Who will step into a new leadership role? We all play a role. When there’s conflict, we all contribute. When wanting to change how others in any group emotional culture behave, one can only change oneself, and then others respond.

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