What's Wrong With The Church?

On this Sunday morning I sit in my townhouse wondering why I even bother with going to church. Now I know better than most that Jesus has told us to gather together and that the author of Hebrews admonished us not forsake the assembling together of ourselves and I am in total agreement. But why do I have to go to a building and deal with all that comes with the participation in the institution known as The Church?

I have discussed the meaning of "church" in the past and I think that most Christians know, at least intellectually, that "church" or "eclessia" is an organic gathering of believers. It is a sacred assembly to be technically correct. But in practice we trudge down to a building and give money to an institution and take orders from denominational leaders and we call this The Church. But it is not The Church.

My favorite philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, was a theology major and had studied for holy orders in the Danish Lutheran Church. He became so disillusioned with the institutional church that at the end of his life he sat at a coffee shop across from the cathedral and drank coffee and read the morning news to mock the parishioners who were "going to church." I'm not saying he was right or wrong, but I can certainly understand why he felt the way he did. The institutional church had become absorbed in politics and other issues that really had no connection with the true meaning of the Gospel. Sounds familiar doesn't it?

As a priest and a self-styled theologian I have kept track of the current debates in the institutional church. While the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches continue to insist on closed communion and argue about a male-only priesthood and whether or not using birth control is a mortal sin, the Anglican Communion is wrestling over the ordination of homosexuals and same-sex marriages, and many Protestant churches debate the use of sacramentals and whether there is a Hell, the rest of the world is going to hell in a handbasket and The Church doesn't seem to care.

I deal with people everyday who are literally lost, floating through life with no direction, and are battling addictions that range from drugs, alcohol, pornography, etc. They don't care whether your priest is a male or a female. They don't care whether your Orders are valid or not. They don't care what your stance is on abortion and birth control. They are dying and they need help! And I've discovered that they don't care where that help comes from as long as it comes.

How is it that The Church has lost the heart of the Gospel message? Do we even know what that message is? The heart of the Gospel is the heart of Jesus and Jesus was all about Grace. Grace isn't a theological concept, it is a divine reality. Grace is a completely outrageous love that gives freely without qualification. It is unmeritted and undeserved and that is what The Church is supposed to be offering to the world. Is your "church" offering that to you and others? For 99 percent of the people answering this question I already know the answer and the answer makes me sad.

Theology is important, but its not more important than the central message of the Gospel. I would gladly chunk all of my theology to find a place that practices Grace. Personal responsibility is important but its not more important than the fact that God shed his grace on me even when I fail at my responsibilties. If you have any doubt what Grace looks like look at Jesus hanging on the Cross to save you from your sins and you will see Grace. He died to save you as you are and to help you become who He created you to be. He didn't look at your failures, He looked at your potential. That's Grace!

What's wrong with the Church? The Church has forgotten Grace. I became an Anglican because I found Grace in their practice of Open Communion. Any "church" that excludes any Christian from the central Sacrament of our Faith isn't practicing Grace. Any "church" that refuse to baptize a sinner isn't practicing Grace. I'm not trying to convert anyone to Anglicanism because it has just as many faults as any other "church." What I am saying is that I am tired of those "churches" that claim any from of exclusivity. Your "church" doesn't have a monopoly on the Word and Sacraments. Your "church" doesn't have a monopoly on the Truth. St. John said that only Jesus came into the world full of Grace and Truth. Any place that proclaims Him as the Truth and offers His Sacraments to His people in love and grace is the true Church.

Church, stop guarding your turf and enforcing your dogmas and share the love of God with those around you. The world doesn't need your truth. The world needs the Truth, which is Jesus Christ.

Fr. Rick