The Church

Even being a Christian, I have never worn the church comfortably. I am also never comfortable when being labeled a "church-goer". Why? Because everyone in church is always in their "sunday best". Everyone trying to look their best, everyone trying to look perfect. When faced with something like that I feel uneasy.

Why is that so? Sadly, I believe we are afraid of being judged by our Christian peers. And is this fear justified? I believe it is. We Christians are a quite judging lot. We judge about what is happening, about what other churches are doing, about a certain pastor who decided to be a celebrity, about how a fellow brother or sister did something wrong etc... With people like this, it is little wonder that people try to look their best in front of their Christian peers. One false move will provoke a wave of backlash filled with gossip, funny looks and people who judge prematurely. I am not saying I am not on occasion guilty of a lot of judging myself but as I start to learn the reasons for the existence of the church and compare it with the state of the church today. I have discovered the error of my ways; it has also left me cold and disillusioned.

To illustrate my point a bit better, I quote from an article called the “The Midnight Church” which talks about an organization called the “AA” (Alcoholics Anonymous);

“… The ‘sharing time’ was like a textbook small group, marked by compassionate listening, warm responses, and many hugs. Introductions went like this: ‘Hi, I’m Tom, and I am an alcoholic and a drug addict.’ Instantly everyone shouted out in unison like a Greek chorus, ‘Hi, Tom!’ Each person attending gave a progress report on their battle with addiction…”

“… My friend freely admits that AA has replaced the church for him… The church seems irrelevant vapid, and gutless to him. Others in the group explain their resistance (of seeking the church for help) by recounting stories of rejection, judgment, ‘a guilt trip’. A local church is the last place they would stand up and declare, ‘Hi, I’m Tom, and I am an alcoholic and a drug addict.’ No one would holler back, ‘Hi Tom!’”

When the author asked his AA going friend what does AA have that is missing in the church, his friend answered;

“None of us can make it on our own, isn’t that why Jesus came? Yet most church people give off a self-satisfied air of piety or superiority. I don’t sense them consciously leaning on God or each other. Their lives appear to be in order. An alcoholic who goes to church feels inferior and incomplete. It’s a funny thing, what I hate most about myself, my alcoholism, was the one thing God used to bring me back to him. Because of it, I know I can’t survive without Him. Maybe that is the redeeming value of alcoholics. Maybe God is calling us alcoholics to teach the saints what it means to be dependent on Him and on His community on earth.”

This is a lesson we should all take to heart.