God is our mighty defender, right? Yet, today, I feel the need to defend Him.
Of course, God doesn’t need defending by mere humans. The actual defense of our faith is being a witness of his love to those who watch us.
In the summer of 1960, I attended a church service with my friends from a different denomination. It was just before we entered our teen years, and there was much bickering regarding the upcoming Presidential election.
Since preteens pay little attention to the happenings outside their orbit, I learned little about politics. When the minister began his sermon, he became almost enraged.
He roared, “As Christians, I must say we cannot vote for the Catholic John Kennedy!”
When my pals and I walked into the bright sunshine after the service, I asked one of them, “Isn’t the Catholic religion Christian?”
“Yes, but they are wrong!” My friends responded.
That day in 1960, hypocrisy hit me like a ton of bricks. Love thy neighbor was out the window, Christians gathering in harmony, tossed away, being the world’s light, darkened. All because of politics and bias.
A few short years later, I attended my church during the days of racial unrest. Hearing news of folks torching historic black churches and not allowing Christians of color to worship in predominantly white sanctuaries was more than shameful. Plus, there seemed to be little condemnation from religious leaders. I thought for sure God would set fire to all of us by the time it ended if it ever would.
Thank God He sent Martin Luther King to be a peaceful negotiator and leader to rescue all of us.
It is now 2024, and for the first time in 80 years, church membership has fallen below 50%.*
The problem is the same as it was centuries before and during the turbulent 1960s: hypocrisy, judgmental thinking, and many saying, “God is missing in the church.” And now it is worse.
Today, congregations are splitting over doctrine, personal ideologies, infighting, and who has the right to do this or that. Politics has entered the Evangelical movement, which appears more interested in swaying people toward candidates instead of turning them toward God.
It seems a belief in the word conservative or liberal has more credence than the word Godly. We can become quite nasty when it involves politics and then proclaim, “It’s okay to do so.”
And we wonder why church attendance is at an all-time low. Why is division at an all-time high among all Americans?
I recall that Sunday in the Tennessee church, thinking that any minute Jesus would walk down the aisle and smack that preacher silly, or lightning would smoke up the sanctuary!
They say no sin is greater than the other. I believe that to be true, but I also know God gave every one of us a mission, and it is clear as a bell: “Love one another.”
We are all hypocritical regarding many things, but there is no excuse for our behavior prompting pews to empty when Jesus gave His life to fill them.
It had been a while since I heard from Sheri.** She lived far away but became a pal through my columns. The phone rang, and I was amazed and delighted to discover it was my friend.
She needed to talk to someone because she felt isolated and alone. Always a churchgoer and strong Christian, she began, “Lynn, I don’t feel comfortable in my church anymore. I don’t attend.”
I totally understood. The political environment and infighting over conservative or liberal persuasions have thrown people out of pews nationwide. And nothing makes it okay to do so.
When Christians use disparaging remarks, applaud hatred, turn from those in need, and worship idols or money, we divert people away from God. We put an exclamation point to the complaint, “God is missing in the church!”
It must end. Christ’s words must rise above all else, or he will walk down the aisles of every cross-bearing building in our land and slap us all silly.
Jesus came to us to save us from ourselves. The church has one mission based on one doctrine as commanded by Christ: “Go therefore and teach all nations.”
As believers, our first priority is to bring people into the arms of God’s love and understanding. Churches preach the gospel to save souls, teach God’s power, and use it to enlighten the world.
Faith and love of God take work. Christians should always use their faith to steer others toward a loving, omnipresent, merciful Lord. If our spirit shines a light into the darkness, it may be the only way others will find their way home.
Let’s lay hypocrisy down and grab a flashlight.
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Lynn Walker Gendusa is a Georgia author and columnist. Her latest book is “Southern Comfort: Stories of Family, Friendship, Fiery Trials, and Faith.” She can be reached at www.lynngendusa.com. For more of her inspirational stories, click here.
*Church Trak: 2024
** Name changed
