Well, I think I stepped in it Sunday. I said in my sermon that the church is not a democracy. It just came rolling out. I could feel everyone tense up in the room as I finished the thought with, “It’s just not in the Bible!” It was one of those moments where it momentarily becomes hard to breathe because all the oxygen was sucked out of the room because everyone gasped at one time.
I was talking about the fact that Jesus calls us to make disciples, not decisions, and how we are ineffectively organized to make disciples because we are so meticulously organized, through a plethora of boards and committees, to make decisions. Administration is top-heavy, ministry is almost non-existent. And where it does exist it is inverted and self-focused. I was talking about how I dislike this time of year, with the dreaded charge conference looming, and how we do the “names-beside-titles” routine every year.
The concept of democracy did not originate with Americans, but we have indeed latched onto it. Democracy is of ancient (pagan) Greek origin and it means “rule of the people.” People gathered into local assemblies to debate and vote on issues relative to the town. The Greek word εκκλησια (ekklesia, church) was unfortunately used in Greek translations to express what Jesus described when he said he would gather his people together (Matt. 16:18) to invade the gates of Hades. In the Greek (western) mind εκκλησια conjures up notions of gathering to discuss and vote; in the Hebrew frame of reference, from which Jesus speaks, the gathering is for organizing, preparing, and initiating war. A hierarchy of officers and chain of command is established. The mustered militia does not vote on these things. It follows designated leadership into battle. I have a really hard time believing that Jesus suddenly went pagan on the disciples.
There are two biblical references to an attempt to take a vote on action in Scripture. In Numbers chapter 14 the Israelites became anxious when they heard the promised land was full of giants too great to conquer. So they said to each other, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt” (v. 4). They took a vote to remove leadership appointed by God. Apparently it was a majority vote. But God did not ratify it. God was so angry that he wanted to destroy the entire nation and start over with Moses. Moses interceded for them, and God said he would preserve the nation but let the people who voted “no” die in the wilderness over a 40-year penalty for disobedience. Not a happy day. The kingdom was delayed 40 years because of a congregational vote.
In the Gospels Pilate stands the beaten Jesus before the people gathered at the Praetorium. He takes a democratic vote. “Do you want me to release Jesus or Barabbas?” The people, worked into a frenzy by the overactive priests and elders, vote for Pilate to release the insurrectionist Barabbas and to crucify the true Messiah, the Son of God. Democracy prevailed.
The problem with Greek-style democracy is that we get the impression that we can vote and by majority vote tell our authorities what and how to do. Many times we get the impression that we can vote to tell our authorities to do what we should be doing, and to wait on us hand and foot.
Another serious problem with democracy becomes obvious from the biblical examples. Simple democracy lends itself to government by those who vote from emotional reaction instead of informed thought and reason. Too often, we look to avoid controversy and satisfy the least mature so they won’t create more disturbance. Sometimes they simply outvote us. As with both the Israelites in the wilderness and the people in Pilate’s courtyard, the reactive emotion governs the day. The fact is that democracy is a short step away from mobocracy, or rule by mob. Is this what we want in the church?
But the major problem with Greek-style democracy is the simple fact that it is totally foreign to biblical thought and practice. The two times it appears it is presented to teach us from the negative consequences of applying it. We can call meetings to discuss and vote or we can do God’s work but I’m afraid we can’t do both.
We must remember that it is Jesus’ church, not our church. We must allow him to direct us, through divinely appointed authorities, into the mission of the church. We are still gathering to organize, prepare, and initate war against the strongholds of the devil. What we do at church is what they do in military briefings. We train, equip, encourage, give mission orders, and mobilize.
But there is a sense in which the church is democratic. We are the kingdom of priests each involved in ministry. Everyone needs to help lead worship. Everyone needs to be involved in outreach and witness, deployed to take down the defenses of Hades and transform lives for the kingdom. We don’t pay the preacher to do that! Hebrew democracy means we are all part of the militia, all part of the effort of making disciples.
Jesus called us to make disciples, not decisions. So let’s make one last decision. Let’s decide to make disciples. Together.
I was talking about the fact that Jesus calls us to make disciples, not decisions, and how we are ineffectively organized to make disciples because we are so meticulously organized, through a plethora of boards and committees, to make decisions. Administration is top-heavy, ministry is almost non-existent. And where it does exist it is inverted and self-focused. I was talking about how I dislike this time of year, with the dreaded charge conference looming, and how we do the “names-beside-titles” routine every year.
The concept of democracy did not originate with Americans, but we have indeed latched onto it. Democracy is of ancient (pagan) Greek origin and it means “rule of the people.” People gathered into local assemblies to debate and vote on issues relative to the town. The Greek word εκκλησια (ekklesia, church) was unfortunately used in Greek translations to express what Jesus described when he said he would gather his people together (Matt. 16:18) to invade the gates of Hades. In the Greek (western) mind εκκλησια conjures up notions of gathering to discuss and vote; in the Hebrew frame of reference, from which Jesus speaks, the gathering is for organizing, preparing, and initiating war. A hierarchy of officers and chain of command is established. The mustered militia does not vote on these things. It follows designated leadership into battle. I have a really hard time believing that Jesus suddenly went pagan on the disciples.
There are two biblical references to an attempt to take a vote on action in Scripture. In Numbers chapter 14 the Israelites became anxious when they heard the promised land was full of giants too great to conquer. So they said to each other, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt” (v. 4). They took a vote to remove leadership appointed by God. Apparently it was a majority vote. But God did not ratify it. God was so angry that he wanted to destroy the entire nation and start over with Moses. Moses interceded for them, and God said he would preserve the nation but let the people who voted “no” die in the wilderness over a 40-year penalty for disobedience. Not a happy day. The kingdom was delayed 40 years because of a congregational vote.
In the Gospels Pilate stands the beaten Jesus before the people gathered at the Praetorium. He takes a democratic vote. “Do you want me to release Jesus or Barabbas?” The people, worked into a frenzy by the overactive priests and elders, vote for Pilate to release the insurrectionist Barabbas and to crucify the true Messiah, the Son of God. Democracy prevailed.
The problem with Greek-style democracy is that we get the impression that we can vote and by majority vote tell our authorities what and how to do. Many times we get the impression that we can vote to tell our authorities to do what we should be doing, and to wait on us hand and foot.
Another serious problem with democracy becomes obvious from the biblical examples. Simple democracy lends itself to government by those who vote from emotional reaction instead of informed thought and reason. Too often, we look to avoid controversy and satisfy the least mature so they won’t create more disturbance. Sometimes they simply outvote us. As with both the Israelites in the wilderness and the people in Pilate’s courtyard, the reactive emotion governs the day. The fact is that democracy is a short step away from mobocracy, or rule by mob. Is this what we want in the church?
But the major problem with Greek-style democracy is the simple fact that it is totally foreign to biblical thought and practice. The two times it appears it is presented to teach us from the negative consequences of applying it. We can call meetings to discuss and vote or we can do God’s work but I’m afraid we can’t do both.
We must remember that it is Jesus’ church, not our church. We must allow him to direct us, through divinely appointed authorities, into the mission of the church. We are still gathering to organize, prepare, and initate war against the strongholds of the devil. What we do at church is what they do in military briefings. We train, equip, encourage, give mission orders, and mobilize.
But there is a sense in which the church is democratic. We are the kingdom of priests each involved in ministry. Everyone needs to help lead worship. Everyone needs to be involved in outreach and witness, deployed to take down the defenses of Hades and transform lives for the kingdom. We don’t pay the preacher to do that! Hebrew democracy means we are all part of the militia, all part of the effort of making disciples.
Jesus called us to make disciples, not decisions. So let’s make one last decision. Let’s decide to make disciples. Together.
No comments:
Post a Comment