Imperfect Spirituality

Churches are not perfect.  And that lack of perfection, of course, hinders our ability to show Christ to the world.  I've often said that most people in our community have no problems with Jesus, it’s the church that bothers them – the hypocrisy that is all too visible in Jesus’ imperfect followers.  My standard answer to those who decry the hypocrisy of Christians is to say that the church always has room for one more.  After all, Christians have not cornered the market on hypocrisy.  How many people in business, in politics, in the marketplace, say one thing yet do another?

But this criticism of the church by outsiders gives me hope that at least those who are not following Jesus are at least paying attention.  If I’m talking about you, then I applaud your ability to see the disconnect between who Jesus is and the failings of church people to be like him.  At least you are seeing the uniqueness of Jesus and that’s a good place to begin in discovering who he really is.

The truth is that followers of Jesus never get it quite right.  This was true with his early disciples, arguing about which one was the greatest among them, wanting places of honor, not grasping the servant heart of Jesus.  Still, what they did get right was that they kept following him.  And, after all, that is what it means to be a disciple --- to be a follower.

Sure, there are plenty of followers who are straggling along at the rear of the pack, getting off the trail sometimes because they barely see Jesus up ahead.  Still, somehow they dust themselves off when they fall, and get back at it, or as I like to think, Jesus picks them up and points them again in the right direction.  These are not sterling examples of Christian discipleship but they are following, and that really is all that Jesus asks.

And then, you have to admit, there are those who seem to follow so closely, who are right on Jesus’ heels, that it is as if we see the heart of Jesus shining in them.  There are the saints recognized around the world, like Mother Theresa.  But there are saints who live in your neighborhood --- the woman who picks flowers and visits the sick every week, the retired man who instead of playing golf every day, spends time at the Christian ministry sorting clothes, or shelving food supplies.  You know who they are.  These folks may not be perfect, but they are further along in living the servant life than most of us.

Yea, given the uniqueness of Jesus, it is hard to explain how some of his followers can be so shabby.  But it is equally hard to explain why there are so many shining lights of goodness out there, and why wouldn’t we want to be like them? 

By the way, part of the appeal of Jesus is that he measures perfection not by any objective standards of moral behavior.  Rather, he measures perfection by our ability to show mercy, as he shows not only to those shabby followers, but perhaps also to those who have never even made the effort.  That’s why church is always a mixed bag collection of people.  We are all following sloppily, and in need of mercy which Jesus offers in abundance.  Come join us.  

Holier than I

I just read a chapter in Brian McLaren’s book, Naked Spirituality, in which he implied that appearing “holier than thou,” was not the worst problem of hypocrisy.  The real problem is appearing “holier than I.”  In other words, when we make ourselves out to be more spiritual than we actually are we are walking down a shadowy path that will do damage to our psyche, and harm to others as well.  Of course, we do this all the time, and not just in the religious realm.

When we look down our noses on someone else’s sense of style (“so tacky”), or lack of intelligence (“so stupid”), or political opinion (“idiots!”), we are elevating ourselves above them.  And very likely, we are making ourselves “holier” – more stylish, smarter, or more astute – than we actually are.  The roots of bullying are in this pretension.  Hypocrisy may have nothing to do with religion.  It is rooted, however, in the limitations of our humanity and our insecurities about who we are, which is certainly a problem with spiritual dimensions.

I am guilty, however, in the religious realm.  How many times I have made a judgment about someone else’s faith, “How can they believe that stuff?”  As if my own beliefs are somehow the standard of purity and orthodoxy.  Seems like we could all stand not just a dose but a steady diet of humility.

The Benedictine Rule has at its very heart, the spiritual discipline of humility.  Humility is not attained by effort, but by self-denial.  Such a practice is counter-cultural in a subversive way, without calling attention to itself, like yeast that leavens the whole loaf by disappearing into the dough. I am reminded of the joke, “It’s hard to be humble when you’re as great as I am.”  We’re living in a time, a culture, of celebrity - American Idols, bully politicians, and look-at-me-ism.  I suspect all of it is an overcompensation for our insecurities and anxieties.  And hypocrisy and pretense runs amok.

As I write this blog I am wondering about my own pretense, as if I have something important enough to say that the whole world (or my loyal half-dozen readers) should read.  I pray God may forgive my own hypocrisy.  Forgive my tendency to appear more holy than I really am.  And may I have the perseverance to continue walking in the path of humility until I am made what God would have me to be.