Rural America Matters Too

I’m an Englishman living in America. In California, to be more specific. I absolutely love the people, the culture, the architecture, the food, the beach, and the unity that is so evidently engraved into the fabric of its societal structure. The Pledge of Allegiance is what I believed truly knit the American society together, a shared liturgy of unity, so to speak. As a so-called “outsider” living amongst the people, it has been fascinating to join the rest of the world in watching the response of the American people, as this current epidemic of political, racial, and religious issues has taken over the everyday conversation of the last 12 months.

I recently read a tweet that outlined Mile’s Law, which is a proposed law of human nature and a key theory within Bureaucratic Political Science. It states this: “Where you stand depends on where you sit.” Interesting, right? Mile’s Law originated as an explanation for behaviour of the people in bureaucracies, but the more I think about this statement, I believe that it could have a much broader impact. I believe that it can speak into the massive impact that our own social, religious, and cultural experiences influence our viewpoint (trust me here, my English experiences are what lead me to put these thoughts down onto paper!). Our subjective milieu affects the way we address the same words or phrases, the ways that we approach rules and sanctions, and most importantly, the way that we approach each other.

I can’t help but notice the fragility of such experiences, though. We daily boast of our unity in the church, amongst our friends, and within our political persuasions, but the moment that outrage, disruption, and accusations of injustice arise, the unified foundations extolled in “the pledge” seemingly begin to crumble.

How United Are We?

The polarising of left/right and liberal/conservative has found me questioning that, perhaps this really isn’t the “one-nation” country that I fell in love with.

Indivisible? I just have to turn on the news or scroll through my social media feeds to see that this isn’t true.

Liberty and justice for all? Thousands have had to take to the streets to campaign for both.

We are left trying to balance competing claims, navigating our friends turning on each other, and also trying to keep our eyes desperately and unwaveringly focused on Jesus. Maybe the only thing that we really do have in common right now is this deep sense of disturbance in our very core, with the overwhelming sense that something really isn’t right.

An Ageless Hope

But allow me to introduce you to the solution. Two thousand years ago,
a man named Jesus stood and addressed audiences composed of people like me and you—the right, the left, sinners, prostitutes, robbers, religious leaders, men, women, and children. He
commissioned them, he loved them, he lived amongst them, and most importantly (in relation to this article, at least), he challenged them to transformation.

One of my favourite Jesus moments in the entire Bible is where he feeds the 5,000. He both wanted to take care of the immediate physical needs of the crowd (Luke 9:13-17), but he also aimed to transcend their hunger in a way that surpassed their physical need for food. He preached the kingdom to them, demonstrated ways that he would one day bring the eternal kingdom (v. 11), and presented himself as the true bread of life (v. 22-59).

So, what would it look like for the church to mirror Jesus’ pattern of caring for the physical and long term needs of those around them?

Following A Different Pledge

As Christians, we are called to follow Jesus’ example of caring for the physical needs of others in order that the gospel witness of the kingdom may well and truly saturate the entire earth, resulting in open hearts and open conversation. Paul, by way of Jesus, had a clearer vision of what true unity looks like in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” It is my understanding that until we make it to heaven, Paul’s vision of perfect unity is only ever something we can continually strive for, and until we reach heaven, we must constantly remind ourselves, and everyone around us, that because of Jesus, we are made for much more than the division placed in front of us in this moment.

Sometimes, pledging our loyalties and allegiance to Jesus comes with very few conflicts in the areas that God has placed us in. Other times, as we repeatedly see in the life of Jesus himself, it also comes with a great risk. The risks that I have seen over the last few months include: temporarily closing the doors of the church, prayerfully marching in the name of justice, leveraging our online influence to speak up for what is right, risking the strength of the economy in order to appropriately love our neighbours during a global pandemic … I could go on and on.

It’s time for us, as Christians, to step into these risks to follow the Spirit into the uncomfortable, into the unknown, and into necessary dialogue with others about this current climate. As the body of Christ, we carry this compelling antidote to all of the issues: race, sex, rights, freedoms, and more.

A Unique Opportunity

I understand that this moment of American self-examination can cause anxiety; it can make us feel concerned for the future, and can suck every glimpse of hope out of us. It will take courage and obedience to the call and passion that God has placed in us to face up to these moments. If we play our part correctly in becoming the people that God redeemed us to be, we will leave the aroma of Christ within the fabric of this great nation. When the narrative of this time of tumult is recorded, the story of renewal through Christ will be at its core. And through his renewal, we can truly become “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Jesus died to raise up a new, united humanity that would go out into the world and tear down the walls of hostility between humans, expose our real Enemy, and change the world with true lasting acts of reconciliation. And that reconciliation begins with us, friends.

So, where you stand depends on where you sit. My challenge to you is this: Where are you sitting today?

“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:18–21).

“We repeat the mistake continuously in this country of trying to address our racial animus and the violence it fosters as though it were a virus that occasionally attacks our social body, rather than seeing the truth: that racial animus is a constituting reality of our social body.”

—Willie James Jennings, Theologian “Overcoming Racial Faith.”

Did Jesus really rebuke James and John, two of his disciples, for their blatant bigoted behavior (Luke 9:52-56)? Did the Apostle Paul rebuke Peter, the very disciple whom Jesus gave the “keys of the church,” for hindering Gospel change to the ethnic status quo (Galatians 2:11-14)? So we see that even Peter, James, and John—the pillars of the early Church, and among the most “anointed” men in church history—needed correction to address their blind spots.

I write this article as one blowing a trumpet, but not to make music or even a call to arms. I write as one sounding the shofar. I write as the blast of the ram’s horns of old that brought down the mighty walls of Jericho. Indeed, in today’s racially-turbulent climate, our society has some age-old walls that need toppling. The “American Church” (meaning the Church as it originated with the European colonizers and extending to this present day) has some of these same old walls. To fully understand the implications of Ahmaud Arbery’s cold-blooded murder by two white men in Georgia, we as the Church must first reconcile with the Church’s seeming indifference to racial inequalities.

A Modern Parable

If a picture is worth a thousand words and a story is worth a thousand images, perhaps a modern-day parable will be helpful (but as a spoiler-alert, you will need to see Christ and the Bible in every word and action of this parable). Let us begin with a sweet, sage elderly white brother in the faith, and he’s sharing with a bright and eager, young black brother. He’s expositing the Scriptures—but wait!—upon closer examination, he’s actually expositing the Scriptures on the real Old-Testament economy of indentured servitude, which condemns (not justifies) American slavery and its blasphemous atrocities. He explains how the Bible declared such horrors to be a capital offense, from “men-stealing”—kidnapping, buying and selling human life (Exodus 21:16)—to the torture and murder of blacks and natives. He explains how God forbade the Israelites from entering into the capture and sale of human life, contrasting the Philistines and Phoenicians of their day.

The elder tells the younger that, for love’s sake, he’d rather him hear such a correct exegesis from him as a white man. Because by doing so, he is redeeming truth from century-old lies. Further, he is demonstrating (faith without works being dead) how as Christians, God commands us to put ourselves in others’ shoes (Leviticus 19:34)— experientially, culturally, and even racially—to “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15) while always going the “extra mile.” (Matthew 5:41) He tells him that biblical Christianity is hardly for the lazy in heart, but that when it comes to this day’s race issues and evils of the past, the Church has been more than just lazy. He tells him, “Failure to acknowledge and learn from the past creates blind spots in the present—and the thing about a blind spot is that you don’t even realize you have one.”

Perverting the Gospel

But wait—this elderly brother is hardly finished. Because not only does he want the young man to interpret Scripture adeptly, but he also wants him to adeptly apply Scripture to all of American Church history. “Let God be true and every man a liar,” he reverently quotes from the book of Romans. So he moves on to share another grave error of the American Church in regards to race: When sharing Christ with the Native-Americans (or, First Nation’s people), the Church gave natives an “accursed and perverted” Galatians-based Gospel (Galatians 1:6-7). The only difference was that instead of teaching the heresy of “Christ and circumcision,” they taught natives the heresy of “Christ and whiteness.” I.e., that true Christian sanctification and spiritual growth looked like becoming a white person in worldview, customs, and culture. Thus, long hair, drums, regalia, and native languages—ironically, even the very Navajo language that was later used by our government to “save the day” against Japan during World War II—was automatically considered pagan.

The elderly brother impresses upon the young brother the importance of sharing these truths. Because despite the assertions of some that “the past is the past” or “that was then, this is now,” the fact remains that countless blacks and natives (and even some whites) still reject the Church because of these major misrepresentations of Christ and His kingdom. He says that “if the Church doesn’t try to reconcile and repair these gross failings from the past, and doesn’t take the time to listen and learn moving forward, we will always continue operating from a position of blind ‘whiteness.’”

Concluding their fellowship, the two brothers hug and pray together. The young brother thanks the elderly brother for his love, time, and especially his humility, promising that he’ll never forget how much he saw the face of Jesus in his heart and example. The elderly brother gives all the credit to the Scriptures, knowing that sharing such things is necessary. He also recognizes that he is still very much a student himself when it comes to navigating race issues (even though he’s been on many missions trips to Africa and has multiracial grandkids). That being said, before they part, the elder asks the young brother how he can do better when it comes to dealing with race in America—both for his own personal growth as well as the growth of the local Church where he serves on leadership.

Agents of Change

“Well, since you asked…,” the young brother smiles and begins. “I would say that if the mainstream Church, and especially its church leadership, truly want to progress in racial awareness, it must make engaged-listening a lifestyle, not just something you occasionally do. Simply having that one deep race conversation you had last year, or reading that one good book, or watching that one piercing documentary about race isn’t enough. It requires being taught on an ongoing basis because most people would be embarrassed to realize how little they know about real American history. It also requires asking lots of hard questions—and even asking oneself lots of hard questions.”

With that, the elder brother nods in grateful agreement. Finally, both men walk away, more equipped than ever to be “salty” agents of change in today’s volatile, racial climate. Soli Deo Gloria, as this type of honest, humble, and loving interaction fulfills one of the last requests of a sweat-and-blood-soaked Savior in a garden as He prayed for the “oneness” of His beloved Church (John 17:20-22).

A Major Disparity

Now, at this point, if I were to ask the readers—by a showing of hands—how many feel that the interaction in this parable must become a vital reality across the American Church, there would no doubt be myriads of raised hands. Conversely, if I were to ask if any felt that, while the parable might be touching, its subject isn’t an urgent action item (of comparable priority to preaching the Gospel, theological accuracy, or teaching the full counsel of God), the raised hands would be innumerous. But alas, therein lies the heart of the problem! While there would be countless hands raised for both questions, sadly, the overwhelming majority of “vital reality” hands would be from the minority folks, and the vast majority of “not an urgent action item” hands would be from the white folks.

This disparity explains why much of the mainstream Church is silent from its pulpits (and innumerable published books) when it comes to race and modern-day injustices. Whether this silence is the result of passivity, procrastination, indifference, or neglect, the silence of the Church perpetuates the age-old status quo—and its age-old walls. It leads to the continued bolstering of the “racial architecture” of the American Church, as described by theologian Willie James Jennings, in his article, “Overcoming Racial Faith.” In the article, Jennings discusses what he refers to as a “Principality of Whiteness” in the Church, and defines it as, “Whiteness [that] instigates patterns of thinking and ways of being that invite multiple people(s) to imagine their worlds through white bodies.” He shares how this “principality” is the subconscious ideal in the American Church, going all the way back to its Renaissance-inspired inception. And to this day, it is this idea that makes the final decision on what it means to be ethnically diverse, what it means to be racially sensitive, and even what it means to have multiracial-expression at a church conference. As a result, this “Principality of Whiteness” continues to leave scores of voiceless, heavy-hearted Christian minorities feeling neglected by the mainstream Christian status quo. Is it any wonder that The New York Times recently wrote a story on the growing number of disgruntled African-Americans joining the “exodus” from the mainstream American Church? This is also hardly a “good witness” to the onlooking world.

A Racial Architecture

When we say the American Church has inherited a racial architecture, this is precisely the way “leaven” (or yeast) works—quietly working beneath the surface and ever “rising” as if without permission. From slaves being required to pledge that they would never seek their personal freedom as a condition to being water baptized, to one of America’s greatest evangelists, George Whitefield, personally owning slaves, to Billy Graham preaching to segregated audiences without a word about it from the pulpit. Most Christians don’t know the atrocious witness of these facts because they’re never mentioned or researched, and they’re never redressed with the healing “balm of Gilead.” The Church continues to act as if it’s just another “normal day” in the American saga.

Saying that the American Church has a racial architecture is not an insult. Rather, it’s an observation based on an objective view of the past to furnish an informed, unbiased view of the present. For in the words of sociologist Dr. Robin DiAngelo in her book White Fragility, “White people in North America live in a society that is deeply separate and unequal by race, and white people are the beneficiaries of that separation and inequality. As a result, we are insulated from racial stress.”

Historic Leadership

The Church was pivotal in the creation of many systems that form the backbone of our American culture: from educational, health care, and social services; the Church has led the way for centuries. At present, however, on matters of racial inequities, the Church has not been leading. In fact, rather than dissecting and confronting America’s race issues and its accompanying present-day systemic ills and injustices (i.e., institutional racism), the Church seems to run from them. Issues such as employment discrimination and wage inequalities, educational discrimination, biased laws and policing practices, mass incarceration, the “school to prison pipeline,” historical omissions, media bias, and more, continue to exist.

Today’s American Church needs a real “Reformation” of its Gospel position and practice on race and inequality. And I’m not talking about a “social Gospel.” Instead, I am talking about the “Jude 3,” old-school faith that was once delivered to the saints. I am talking about the very marrow of Ephesians 2. Most of all, the same beauty and brawn which Jesus proclaimed from scrolls of Isaiah in that Capernaum synagogue at the beginning of His public ministry. More so, along with this needed reformation, we also need white brothers and sisters to start emerging with prophetic voices on this topic—one that’s been ignored long enough (to our own hurt).

Finding A Prophetic Voice

Imagine if the Church’s minority brothers and sisters didn’t even need to publish articles on the next unjust killing of a minority person, because a white brother or sister already responded. And not just a response from a place of sincere empathy, but one that prophetically challenged and enjoined the Body of Christ—and the onlooking world—so powerfully, that a minority brother or sister could rejoice and exclaim, “Wow, it’s like the words were taken right from my mouth!” You see, I believe that type of blessed scenario would encapsulate the very kind of love Jesus was referring to when He shared how the world would know that we are His true followers (John 13:35).

• • •

Loaded Phrases

In 21st century America, we have acquired a new batch of “loaded phrases.” While it may come as a surprise to some, many are the names of deceased, unarmed black people: Staten Island’s “Eric Garner” (e.g., “I can’t breathe”); Cleveland’s twelve-year-old “Tamir Rice” (e.g., toy gun in the park); Miami Gardens’ “Trayvon Martin”; Dallas’ “Botham Jean” (e.g., the “mistaken apartment”); Baltimore’s “Freddie Gray”; Texas’ “Sandra Bland”, and others. Then, of course, there is “Ahmaud Arbery.”

You see, “Ahmaud Arbery,” being a loaded phrase explains why two people can be talking about his murder, but have two totally different ideas of what constitutes a “fruitful discussion” about it. It explains why his murder can make someone so unspeakably irate about why people need to know what Arbery was doing in that new construction home before he was killed: as if there is any justification for two armed civilians stalking an unarmed man for four minutes before shooting him dead! The reality is, it doesn’t matter what he was doing— nothing granted those men the right to be judge, jury, and executioner. “Ahmaud Arbery,” being a loaded phrase is why it grieves minority Christians when they have to explain to other Christians that there is a real, biblical place for righteous, un-sinful anger (Ephesian 4:26)—the very anger Jesus exemplified when necessary (Mark 3:5).

Revisiting the Past

“Arbery,” being a loaded phrase, is why I suddenly find myself forced to reflect on the times when my own hands have been placed on the hood of a police car, strictly due to racial profiling. This is why I am forced to reflect on the racism I have faced throughout my life. It causes me to revisit the racist backlash I once received from both classmates and the administration at my predominantly-white prep school when I was one of the first people of color (if not the first) in the school’s long and cherished history to be admitted into an Ivy-League university.

Picturing those white men plotting against Arbery even makes me reflect on “Old Man Chauncey,” the white slave master who raped and impregnated one of my native great-grandmothers who was his indentured servant—only for his own son to later on rape the offspring from that first rape (yes, his very own “half-sister.”) To this day, the main road that cuts through my family’s North Carolina community is called “Chauncey Town Road.”

Arbery makes me revisit my own father’s life growing up as a poor farm boy in the South, attending substandard, “separate but equal” Jim Crow schools until he moved North for college. As the valedictorian of his class, my Dad’s dream was to be a nuclear physicist; that is, until he wrote his “A+” paper on the subject in high school. His efforts resulted in an “F”. When he asked his white science teacher why, the teacher told him, “I gave you an ‘F’ because a person of color has no business wanting to be a nuclear physicist.”

“Arbery,” being a loaded phrase, is why minorities begin “unloading” (seemingly all over again) their own racist experiences; countless day-to-day stories like mine, and countless generational histories like mine that society continues to turn a blind eye toward. All of this combined is why Christian minorities are growing more frustrated with the mainstream Church’s deafening silence (e.g., the aforementioned New York Times article).

Against the Grain

Personally, I believe that I am called to the “mainstream” Church because, despite these issues, we are still one in Christ. And we have been called to “endeavor” for true unity at all costs (Ephesians 4:2; Psalm 133). However, I remain keenly aware that when I wear my native regalia to other churches or conferences, or when I wear my most comfortable “urban” clothing (Timberland boots, a hoodie, and a black skully hat) I am “going against the grain.” But the questions that we should ask are, “What is the grain?” And “Who made the grain?” And “Why is everything still seemingly subjected to the grain?”

I even recall a time when I observed a white teacher at a Christian school use a horrendously racist statement toward a minority student. When I gently urged the man who ran the school, a fellow (albeit white) pastor, to challenge her about her remark, he responded that I was “out of place.” But what about the student? What did Jesus say about causing any of his children to stumble in the faith? Again, why is everything still seemingly subjected to “the grain?”

Seeking Racial Understanding

Here is something to consider: If the mainstream Protestant Church took all the effort it puts into studying leadership skills and growth models, Sunday school curriculums, and eschatology, and put 50% of said effort into researching Gospel love, repentance, and redemption with regard to race—we might actually begin to look like the Church in the book of Acts. Or what if the Church started taking even 50% of the budget that it puts into its Resurrection Sunday services and men’s and women’s conferences and putting it into “Gospel and Race” symposiums and workshops? Or if the Church began including America’s neglected minority-based, low-income neighborhoods and native reservations among their church mission trips—with mandatory cultural workshops beforehand (instead of always traveling to every other corner of the planet)? Who knows? Our blood-soiled land might see the type of revival everyone has been praying for.

However, addressing these things will come with a price. You may do so at the risk of losing your popularity, or not being invited to speak at certain churches or conferences. Are we willing to make that sacrifice? It’s time we start asking ourselves what it looks like to be a true disciple of Jesus when it comes to the Gospel and race matters. Isn’t thinking and acting more like Jesus what this is all about? Ultimately, there really is only one voice from God on this matter, as the Holy Spirit never contradicts Himself.

Conclusion

Ahmaud Arbery’s tragic death should not be glossed over by the Church. We must remember that we have been given “the two greatest commandments” by our Lord: to love the Lord our God and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Based on Christ’s further teaching, Ahmaud Arbery’s mother is our “neighbor.” His father is our “neighbor.” His close friends and family and community are our “neighbors.” When these tragedies happen, we need to care about people—not just doctrinal positions, as that is the very Pharisee-ism that Jesus found repugnant. We need to ask God to give us tears. We need to weep alongside a sonless mother, weep alongside a bereaved family. We need to weep for a calloused nation that not only permits institutional racism but also profits from it in many sectors. Let us care enough to speak out against injustice and begin educating those who look to us, the Church, for answers. It’s what God has called us to do. It’s what the Bible spells out clearly.

Honestly, this would be the same type of biblical relevance that made this once anti-Christian, militant-minded, hyper-racially-charged agnostic finally bow my heart to the wisdom of Scripture and the soul-saving Gospel of Christ. Let’s not waste this chance to be used by God for change.

• • •

Afterword

As I write this article, I am surrounded by a pile of books on my desk that I have either read, critiqued, reread, or am working through reading: “White Fragility,” by Robin DiAngelo (lecture by author on YouTube); “Lies My Teacher Told Me,” by James Loewen; “The New Jim Crow”, by Michelle Alexander; “The Color of Law,” by Richard Rothstein (lecture by author on YouTube); “The Christian Imagination: Theology And Origins of Race,” by Willie James Jennings; “Let Justice Roll Down,” by John Perkins; “Mañana: Christian Theology From A Hispanic Perspective,” by Justo Gonzalez; “Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian,” by John Piper.

As I write this article, I am also surrounded by many close brothers and sisters—white, black, Hispanic, and native—who have listened to my heart, added to this article their insightful feedback, and prayed for me along the way. They have also prayed for those who would read this piece. So let us begin the conversation. I make myself available for discussion, along with the leadership of Calvary Global Network—a multiracial band of men who have started discussing such topics. A group who listens to one another, who sighs together, and who prays together into the midnight hours.

On Labor Day, my wife Karen and I hosted a BBQ in our condo complex, and some of our neighbors joined the fun. One couple has been married 59 years. They met in Memphis and were high school sweethearts. His sister used to hang out with Elvis, as his career began to skyrocket. The wife talked about what it was like watching Elvis become famous. I asked, “What was Memphis like growing up?” And she talked about small schools, white clapboard churches, warm nights on patio swings and the like. Then I gently asked, “What was it like to live in the South in those days?” She paused and replied, “We were so unreasonable! Black people in the back of a bus, separate schools, drinking fountains, dining … We were so unreasonable!”

To be a reasonable person means to be fair, sensible, just and having sound judgment.

Are you reasonable?

The Christian faith, unlike any other worldview, philosophy or religion is reasoned and reasonable. Thus, a Biblical worldview can withstand critical analysis. Therefore, God invites us to think, “Come now, let us reason together says the Lord” (Isaiah 1:18). And we are called to love God with all of our mind (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Matthew 22:37-39). Thus, followers of Christ should be reasonable since Jesus is reasonable.

The term “reasoned” is related but distinct. We see this term regularly applied to Paul’s ministry. For example, Paul reasoned with Jews in the synagogue at Thessalonica (Acts 17:2). The Greek term translated “reasoned” is dialegomai. It is not too difficult to see the connection to our English word “dialogue.” Dialogue seems like a benign friendly conversation. Nevertheless, dialegomai, as it related to Paul, wasn’t simple dialogue. The term in Paul’s context related to the practice of listening to another’s worldview and then refuting that view point-by-point to persuade them of the correctness of your view. This style of reasoning can be very effective in contrasting the gospel and Christian worldview with other beliefs. On the other hand, this style of dialogue may not be reasonable when discussing countless issues that are important to God.

People are passionate about many issues. And they may discover that others have a polar opposite perspective. Unfortunately, there are too many people who claim to be followers of Christ who are unreasonable as they enter into these conversations. It misrepresents Christ when we are rude, proud, dismissive, condescending, unloving, unfair and unjust. We should be able to dialogue and share perspectives with gentleness, respect, humility and compassion. Jesus displays compassions without compromise and so should those who claim to be His followers.

We need spaces to share and exchange our views regarding: racism, sexual harassment, gender discrimination, sexual sin – hetero and homo, gender identification, LGBT discrimination, the triumphs and tragedies of government, the idea that Jesus didn’t come to save America (nationalism) but Americans, and Nigerians, and Koreans – both North and South. We need safe places to talk about politics whether you’re liberal, conservative, apolitical, communist, socialist or undecided. We need to have places to discuss what can we do to help the homeless, the widows, the orphans, the fosters and the refugees. We need safe places to talk about how the local church tends to treat as lepers those who have had an abortion or have been divorced. We need to be encouraged that it is okay to talk about gluttony, over-indulging in alcohol or drugs. We need to experience the hope that problems that appear polarizing and likely to stir passions can be discussed in a reasonable way by people seeking to be reasonable.

I dream of God’s people gathering together and sharing their values, perspectives, and seeking to learn from one another, and listen to one another. I imagine people discovering how to be more reasonable as they learn God’s Word and heart on each of those issues and more. The Church, God’s people not the building, should be the most likely to create that space. But it requires reasonable people. And alas, they seem to be on the endangered species list. We need people willing to listen with a desire to hear and understand and empathize, not simply to listen to plan a rebuttal. We must learn how to respond in the Spirit and not react in the flesh.

What I often see on social media is ranting and so unreasonable.

Yes, a rant on social media will stir your constituents to like your content, but it is generally unlikely to exchange ideas, change values or change culture in a God-honoring way. Typically, it is not loving nor reasonable. Generally, social media is not the ideal platform for a healthy reasonable exchange. Similarly, a Sunday morning worship gathering is less than ideal. It is a passive learning environment, characterized by a primary speaker(s) and many passive listeners who are actively rehearsing their rebuttal silently in their heads as they tune in or out, while the speaker seeks to share his or her take on these complicated matters. The speaker may earnestly try to be reasonable, as in fair, sensible, just and having sound judgment. Even if the speaker studied the Scriptures, and the issue was researched and approached from varied perspectives, it is unlikely to be truly reasonable. The speaker cannot remove their own bias and prejudice, and competing views are not heard or considered. I’m not suggesting that we do away with sound Biblical teaching, because it is necessary. I am stating that I believe that it is inadequate for a reasonable dialogue and exchange of ideas and values.

If you are a reasonable person, who is interested in discussing these and other similar issues, with other reasonable people who may have very different views from you, I have an idea I’d like to share …

I’d love to see small groups meet in neighborhoods in coffee houses, homes, apartments, condos, parks, Mars Hill, etc. I’d love for people to share with one another what they believe, and what they think that God says about the issue and why. These gatherings would not be the debate club, nor the exchange of two opposing commentators seeking to mock their opponent, but reasonable people engaged in dialogue as disciples of Christ. People who recognize that to truly love God supremely and to love their neighbor as themselves requires engaging the most polarizing issues in a reasonable way. And, I’d love to invite group leaders to stand on the platform on Sunday morning and share about the messy, glorious experience and invite more people on a reasonable journey.

Regardless of our philosophical viewpoints, I think almost everyone would agree. We live in very interesting times. We are in the midst of one of the most highly contested presidential elections we have ever seen. While some are passionately committed to a particular candidate, others have resigned themselves, determined that no possibilities give us any real hope of changing the downward direction of our nation. Added to this, we have just lost one of our Supreme Court justices, creating an even more complicated scenario for American politics. It seems our natural reaction to these things is despair. This hopelessness often produces a constant flow of complaint about the present condition and fear for what lies ahead. I am reminded of the words of Charles Spurgeon who wrote:

“Ill weeds grow swiftly. Covetousness, discontent, and murmuring are as natural to man as thorns are to the soil. We need not sow thistles and brambles; they come up naturally enough, because they are indigenous to earth: and so, we need not teach men to complain; they complain fast enough without any education. But the precious things of the earth must be cultivated.”

It is natural to complain about the economy, politics, and the moral state of our nation. But the Bible places an expectation upon the child of God.

That we would go beyond the natural and do things that will actually bring about positive change in the world we live in.

“You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.” Exodus 22:28

Under the Old Testament law, God made it illegal for the people to curse their rulers. This was not because the rulers would always prove to be faultless, nor did it mean that they were above the law, or that their actions could not be questioned. In fact, God always puts a higher standard on rulers than He does on the rest of the people. James even warns those who are teachers. They will be under a stricter judgment than others. This law was designed to point out the folly of complaining about those who are in charge. Instead of grousing about our leaders, the laws, or the direction the nation is heading, the Bible gives us far more productive ways to handle poor leadership and a declining culture. God instructs us to pray for our leadership and to infiltrate the culture with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Our nation allows each of us an equal voice in the selection of our leaders. We exercise that voice at the ballot box. Yet, we have a means far more effective than our vote. It is our prayer closet.

As believers, we bear a responsibility to vote but an even greater responsibility to pray for our leadership.

In Israel’s history, God allowed certain kings to reign, because they represented the wickedness of the people. At other times, God expressed His mercy by raising up a leader, who would bring about significant change, that resulted in wide spread revival for the nation. Paul explained the motivation behind praying for our leadership: God desires all men everywhere to be saved. We should be faithfully praying for leaders who would create an environment that allows for the furtherance of the kingdom.

Regardless of who sits on earthly thrones, the responsibility of the church does not change. The church was birthed in very heated political times. Israel sat under Roman dominance, and immorality was rampant throughout the empire. The early church did not look to Caesar as the answer to life’s problems. They looked to the Lord. They did not wait for legislation to make ministry easier or more accepted, nor did they become sidetracked from the mission in hand. Instead, they took seriously the great commission, and believed that no matter what happened in Rome, the world needed to hear about Jesus. Their message was not political but biblical. They believed that the hope for their world was the cross, and they proclaimed it boldly to the farthest reaches of the globe. As things heated up politically, the church became more devoted to prayer and the proclamation of the Gospel to the whole world.

I wonder what would happen if we took half the time we spent complaining about the condition of our nation and invested that in prayer and in seeking effective ways to bring the Gospel message to others.

In a perfect world we would not need to govern people in the earthly sense, because everyone would behave just as they should. Obviously, the same would be true in the church. However, the church is full of sinners, redeemed sinners, but sinful people nonetheless. Yes, we have a new heart and a new position in Christ, yet we still sin every day we are on this earth. Pastors and leaders are not even exempt from this plight. The great reformer, Martin Luther, is known for often using the Latin phrase, “simul justus et peccator”, which means that we in the church are simultaneously both saint and sinner. With this in mind, we need a plan to help us flawed saints to function properly in community with one another. Proper church governance is a necessity in order to hold men and women accountable to God and to each other.

We know that the Holy Spirit birthed the church: as believers, we are now redeemed men and women under the “Head” who is Christ (Ephesians 1:22, Colossians 1:18). According to Ephesians 4, Jesus also equips people through dispensing spiritual ‘gifts’ to His church. Within God’s various giftings, He has provided leaders to serve His church. They are to lead under His guidance and by His Spirit as they use the spiritual gifts that He has graciously provided. However, (and this is very important) God has set these leaders in the ‘body of Christ’ to be part of an accountable whole. Let’s remember that church leaders are gifted people sharing the Gospel, yet they themselves are still growing in the likeness of Christ.

Since God has given spiritual gifts to His church for the purpose of governing (while at the same time there is the persistent problem of sin) how must we organize to carry out His mission on earth? Well, God has made it abundantly clear: we are to function as a body (1Corinthians 12:20). How then does a body function? A body functions as a set of equal and necessary parts all connected to the head, the command center for the body. No body part is any greater than any other as the Apostle Paul so eloquently elaborates. When one part of the body is valued or looked at as greater than the rest, it gets unhealthy. Only Christ Himself, the preeminent Head, is greater.

Keeping this very important fact in mind, let me share three essential points to consider when selecting a style of church governance. These are general guidelines not intended to get into the ‘nitty-gritty’, but to emphasize that we have some clear non-negotiable guidelines that apply no matter what governance model a church adopts.

Is the model Biblical?

God appoints leaders to the church to protect the integrity of the Gospel (Acts 15), and to build up His people in the Word of God (Acts 6:1-7). There are many profound examples of leaders in both the Old and New Testaments of Scripture. For example, Moses, Joshua, David, Jehoshaphat, and Esther (among many others) were leaders appointed by God in the Old Testament. Christ Himself also appointed and empowered apostles, by the Holy Spirit, to be leaders in the New Testament. Of course, Jesus was undeniably the greatest leader who ever lived, so ultimately we want to follow His leadership model. Hermeneutics 101 is interpreting the whole of Scripture with Scripture itself. We call this maintaining the unity of Scripture. Therefore it makes sense to apply this principle to the formation of our ecclesiology. It’s helpful to glean from all the men and women God used throughout Scripture as leaders of His church, but especially Jesus.

In the New Testament, we are given clear structural guidelines for what governance should look like in the church. In Acts 6:1-6, Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5, and Acts 20:17 we see that leaders need to be “appointed” to oversee or “govern” the church. In 1 Peter 5:1-4, 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:6-9 we also see the character traits that must accompany the overseers. Please take time to read these passages, they exemplify what the Apostles require in the lives of those who would govern under Christ’s authority.

Is the model spiritual?

By spiritual I mean, there a spiritual purpose. Spiritual oversight of the church is necessary, but also spiritual oversight of the governing members. The purpose of church governance biblically is to help keep the church in a spiritually pure place – a place in which Christ is supremely exalted. Whenever sinful human agendas cloud the true purpose of the church, a spiritually minded governing body should graciously, yet firmly, steer people back towards the glory of Christ. When adopting a governance model, questions should be asked about what safeguards should be in place in order to maintain the spiritual focus of the leaders and the flock they are shepherding.

Is the model sustainable?

As the gospel goes out from the church, the Lord adds to the church, and in many cases multiplies the church. The church is then continually reproduced in other communities, cultures, and contexts. In a church’s history there is always a founding group of oversight, but as time goes on and people are added, will the founders’ model endure to the next generation? Will the model work in other cultures and in missions? These are good questions to ask. For example, certain corporate models of organization familiar to the American church, do not work well in other ethnic contexts. Overseas missionaries will tell you that what works in America does not always work well in the country they serve in. Therefore it is important that the guidelines laid out in Scripture are appropriately contextualized to each unique culture where Jesus is building His church. This requires much prayer and sensitivity wherever you may be serving in the Lord’s Kingdom. Christ does not want to see the church’s advancement crippled under the weight of man made tradition. Ultimately, if a church governing body seeks to continually maintain its biblical integrity and remains humble in exalting Christ alone, it will be impossible for the Gospel to be marginalized, no matter what culture we serve in.