DOES THE AMERICAN CHURCH HAVE AN IDENTITY CRISIS?

It seems as if a number of events in 2020 might hint at a problem within the American Christian church body.  It likely isn’t a new problem, and I don’t know if this is a widespread problem.  It’s really hard to see beyond what can be seen locally, and what is made publicly visible, via news and social media.  What can be seen may not be representative of the larger church body, but maybe it is.  I like to think that the majority of the Christian community continues on as they always have, leading quiet lives of charity and Christian service within their local communities, mostly out of sight and out of the news.  Still, some of what is visible on a larger stage might be reason for concern.  Also, even if it isn’t a pervasive issue within the larger Christian community, a reminder to stay true to the mission of the church, keeping focus on God’s will, and not be distracted by societal issues around us, might be worthwhile.  It’s good to be reminded who we are, and how God intends His people to function together as His body.

In 2020, U.S. citizens were forced to confront a number of issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic, racism, protests and riots, and national politics.  Beyond these new issues, there exist longstanding issues like the pro-life/pro-choice debate, and conflicting viewpoints on aspects of human sexuality.

In the past year, I’ve seen Christians take strong positions – “die on this hill” type of stances including:

-the COVID-19 pandemic is a hoax
-the COVID-19 pandemic is overblown and the societal impact is no worse than the seasonal flu
-the COVID-19 pandemic is being leveraged by evil globalists to advance a one world government
-wearing face masks as a preventative public health measure is an attack on religious freedom
-restrictions on large group in-person meetings as a preventative public health measure is an attack on religious freedom
-true Christians must vote for President Trump
-It is God’s will President Trump serves a second term
-the fate of our country depends on the election of President Trump
-Powers of evil have stolen the election from President Trump through massive voter fraud

My question is – what in the world does any of this have to do with the Great Commission and the clear will of God for His people as communicated in the Bible? 

It seems to me that these strong positions derive from an identity other than a primary Christian identity.  Perhaps these positions derive from a political identity, or a patriotic identity, or an American freedom identity.  That Christians would dismiss our best sources of knowledge for dealing with a dangerous infectious virus (medical research and the public health profession) to make stands which defy reason, confounds me.  That Christians would get caught up in unsubstantiated allegations of massive voter fraud, and would pray for the miraculous overthrow of a legitimate election, all in the name of “saving America” baffles me.  How in the world is stubborn resistance to community public health initiatives and opposition to a legitimate election part of Christian practice?  For those Christians caught in these matters, who are they listening to?  What do their positions indicate concerning their foundational understanding of Christianity?  How do these positions benefit the larger Christian mission?

I’ve seen prominent Christian leaders oppose reasonable public health initiatives concerning group gatherings (and yes, I do understand that there are specific incidents of likely government overreach).  I’ve seen prominent Christian leaders express skepticism concerning the severity of COVID-19.  I’ve seen prominent Christian leaders embrace and promote the unsubstantiated allegations of massive voter fraud.

Is it difficult for Christians to remain identified with Jesus Christ as the singular identity which masks all others?  Is it that difficult for Christians, and especially Christian leaders, to stay focused on mission?  It doesn’t seem too difficult to understand – it’s laid out pretty clearly in the Bible.

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  (John 15:8-12)

Beyond staying focused on Christian mission, what has happened to our understanding of the multi-purposed body of Christ?  The instructions Paul provides in his first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 12, and in his letter to the Ephesians, chapter 4 come to mind. 

Do we not believe that each member of the body is differentially gifted?  Would we not want to depend on those with knowledge and experience in medical and research fields to help us craft a Biblically sound Christian response to the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than listening to random voices from cyberspace, or our own church leaders, or even our own internal voices?  I appreciate that pastors have significant theological training, and have spent great effort reading and reflecting on applying God’s word to modern Christian practice, but that doesn’t make them experts in population genetics, statistics, immunology, or public health.

Likewise, it’s easy to see that individuals within the body excel at specific gifts of the spirit.  Ought not we work together to leverage the best of the body, as needs emerge?  Whether it be individual fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), or other spiritual gifts, such as what Paul declares in 2 Timothy 1:7:

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Are our local church bodies depending on a single person, or small group of persons, to lead in every circumstance, or are we attending to the exhortations we find in scripture to provide us a better framework for navigating diverse issues confronting the body of Christ?  I’m glad for the diversity of spiritual gifts in the local church body.  I can see excellent examples of love, joy, peace, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, etc. among the members of my own church community.  Do we leverage these individuals and their gifts when needed?

In 2020, when I witnessed prominent pastors questioning COVID-19 pandemic data, I wondered who they consulted with, prior to making inaccurate and dangerous declarations to their local church community and beyond.  It’s doubtful they sought out the advice of medical experts in their midst.  When I witnessed prominent church leaders supporting unsubstantiated election fraud allegations, I wondered who they were listening to as trusted sources of information, suspecting they were not consulting knowledgeable data analysts or statisticians for their opinions.  Every church community may not have individuals with specialized knowledge or expertise, but in these cases, it would seem to me that a pastor or church leadership group would keep their community specifically focused on what is known concerning Christian practice, as clearly indicated in the Bible.

We cannot be fooled into thinking that the body of Christ is immune to the significant literacy and numeracy issues that plague the nation.  I suspect the literacy and numeracy proficiency within the church mirrors that of the larger population.  The evidence for this has been clearly seen in the pandemic and election reactions observed within the American body of Christ.  Christian communities ignoring public health recommendations and dismissing scientific and medical research information?  Christian communities falling prey to unfounded election fraud allegations? Christian communities prioritizing the outcome of a federal election over the great commission?  

In these circumstances, are church leaders seeking out those within the church body whose strength is soundness of mind?  Ephesians 4:11-16 could not be more clear:

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.  Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

We are equipped across the church body to address these sorts of circumstances, if we would only recognize and depend on the various God-given giftings within the church body.  Yet, at times, it feels as if everyone views themselves as their own personal expert in everything, and those who do not align with their positions are clearly misguided.  We each have gifting and strengths in different areas, and should acknowledge and use them for the benefit of the larger church and the mission to which we are called.  Do we view each other's unique gifts, knowledge, and experience as welcome and helpful to the body of Christ?

Again, I don’t know how widespread of an issue this is.  It could be that the majority of “invisible” local church communities have navigated these issues without any problems, diligently applying these Biblical principles about the church body to ensure unity in the midst of difficult circumstances.

Paul’s exhortation to the Colossians in chapter 3, verses 12 through 17 is a fitting conclusion to this post:

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.  Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.