The Heart of The Congregant’s Perspective
All my Christian life I have gained a reputation from my peers for being outspoken, oftentimes offering an unsolicited zealous critique of the state of the modern church. With regards to the Word of God and the state of the modern church, I will admit that my reputation is fair but if I must respond with one thing it would be this - that while I speak with zeal, my heart comes from a placing of loving care for the church today. As in every situation, the critiquing expressions made by believers should always come from a pure intention. If the intent is ill, the critique may not be valid.
I feel that I can confidently say, in concurrence with my countless brethren from same & different denominations, that the state of the health of the church is critical. Not just a church but the church. I do not say this with joy. As someone who is biased for a certain political party (and I would argue with good reason), while I do believe that the influence of a political party has an effect on the nation as a whole I will confess that it will not bear the absolute redeeming solution. It is argued whether or not the French diplomat, Alexis de Tocqueville, was properly attributed these words and assuming the case that they were misattributed, the truth behind them remains:
I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there; in her fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there; in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.
It is easy to blame the liberals for welcoming the sinful and demonic ideologies into America that they have and it is easy to blame the conservatives for being pacifistic towards the issues and allowing it but ultimately one group bears the greatest responsibility and that group is the church. The pacifism of the modern church in catering to the itching ears of the masses has resulted in the degradation of America. Let’s drift off for a moment and ponder upon this concept as a hypothetical. Let us say that there is a man named Alan and Alan has a concerning weight issue that is affecting his blood pressure and cardiovascular health but is oblivious to the matter. One day, Alan visits his doctor, they do a physical with some lab work and Alan’s doctor is concerned - Alan’s doctor discovers that Alan’s cholesterol is nearly at 200. His doctor knows exactly what he needs to do - Alan has to lose the weight to prevent a heart attack. Alan’s doctor now has the choice to do two things:
Express his genuine concern to Alan about his health but give him a solid plan to help him lose weight and get on track
Walk on eggshells and simply say, “You’re doing good! Keep it up, you may not feel like your health is perfect but hey, who’s is?”
If his doctor stated the latter, I would argue that doctor is incompetent and unfit for his position. Speaking in spiritual terms, pastors today are stating the latter, they are dismissing the severity of the disease that is sin which afflicts the lives of every single person that walks this planet. Of course, not every pastor but most certainly many. These teachers and pastors have strayed from the word of God and continue to do so because we have allowed them to, because as 2 Timothy 4:3 says, people have itching ears. May God’s help be with us.
My heart is this - to stand by God’s infallible word in correcting the doctrinal wrongs made by leadership and to voice the concerns of the congregant about what grieves him from his perspective.