Throughout my career as a preacher, I have been careful not to criticize other ministers. Even though there are many disagreements, and I have encountered ministers whose work does not inspire respect on my part, I have tried to avoid voicing my criticism. There is already too much dissension and disagreement in this world and I feel like my role in the world should be to seek common ground, support other people of faith and promote the unity of the church.

Additionally, it is simply true that there are many different expressions of faith. Not everyone interprets the Bible in the same way. We look at things from different points of view. It is clear from reading the Old Testament that there is a fundamental struggle within the document itself between those who associate faith with consolidation of power, wealth and might such as Solomon and other royalists; and those who find the core of the faith to be love, justice and service. The prophets openly criticize the actions of the very government whose praise is sung in some of the historical books. Similarly, the New Testament points to divisions and disagreements in the early church. Ours is an expansive faith and the people who follow our faith are complex and diverse.

It would be wrong for me to assume that the way I see things is the only way that things can be seen.

So I am careful with my criticism and try to use my limited authority as pastor and preacher of a congregation to build up, not tear down.

Even as I do so, I understand that there are others who do not show the same restraint. There is a Christian school in our town that has, as part of its curriculum, a text that refers to my church as “apostate.” Apostasy is usually reserved for an open renunciation of a particular religious belief or principle. The meaning, in this text, however, is slightly different. It means those who claim the title of Christian, but do not share the specific beliefs of the authors of the book. They are quick to criticize recognized Christian groups as having “fallen away” from the “true” faith. In the view of the authors of the book, my church was once Christian but is no longer so because of the beliefs of some of its members.

There is a Christian organization in my town of which I am no longer a member because I chose to stand with others who were being excluded from the group. The organization adopted a creed as a test of faith, stating that those who didn’t believe the creed were not welcome. I actually have no problems with the creed they chose, but I have a problem with abusing a creed to make it a badge of exclusivity, and I have a problem with excluding recognized and historical faith groups because they choose not to embrace a particular creed.

So we don’t all stand together. And there are those whose expressions of faith are different than mine.

The problem with my silence in regards to others, however, is that silence doesn’t garner public attention the way that vitriol does. I have been reading studies about those who claim that they are not religious in our society. It is common for people to label themselves as “spiritual, but not religious,” meaning that they reject the institutions of faith, but claim some religious beliefs. What is becoming clear as I seek to understand these people, is that the public perception of the church from the outside is vastly different from the church I know and love. Many see the church as hateful, angry, exclusionary, and fearful. They see us as anti-science, fearful of those whose lifestyles are different from ours, judgmental of those we deem to be different, and violent in our rhetoric and behavior. Their perceptions are not without a basis in the behavior of some religious people. My experience, however, stands in stark contrast to this perception. I have found love to be the core of the gospel, justice and mercy to be values that are essential to Christianity, and openness and acceptance to be central to the practices of my church.

Why do others see the church so differently than I experience it?

Part of it has to do with the theology of some who preach. There is plenty of intolerance preached from pulpits. There is plenty of violence and anger is some sermons. I don’t attend worship in other churches very often, and I have heard preachers speak of God’s hatred of sinners, of harsh punitive judgment, and of an angry God that is so quick to reek vengeance that he is willing to kill his own sinless son for the sins of others. I tend to think of this as simply bad theology - often coming from the corners of the church that do not uphold an educated clergy. Sacrificial theology is, from my point of view, a product of an immature faith and a partial reading of scripture. The antidote to such is education and study. “Read the scriptures. Read the entire Bible,” I say. Look deeper and you will find that in the Christian faith God is not distinct from Jesus - God is not the harsh judge raining punishment on those who have made mistakes. God is the source of forgiveness, and even willing to endure pain - the pain of the cross - to fully share the human experience and to demonstrate that death is not the end. From my reading of the faith the cross is not the violent expression of a violent god who demands violence and retribution. It is, rather, an act of sacrificial love of the God of forgiveness who seeks the deepest possible relationship with humans. The cross isn’t about demanding death - it is about overcoming death.

I could go on for hours about my theology and how it contrasts with what some preachers say. I don’t need to attack the faith - or the preaching - of others. What is needed, however, is a proclamation of a wider and more mature theology in the public sphere.

While silence is often a deeply valuable expression of faith, there are occasions when silence isn’t all that is asked of those of us called to leadership in the church.

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