Where Do We Go From Here?
By: Michelle Wuesthoff
Tags: Christianity, Religion, Metoo, Spirituality, Donald Trump

Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; no city or house divided against itself will stand. Matthew 12:25

Recently, I wrote an article about the impact of Christians supporting President Trump, and in response, one reader suggested I should next address where I thought the Church should go from here. After I stopped laughing at the notion of somehow being qualified to do that, I thought, well, who IS qualified?

Nobody, I guess — except maybe someone who deeply cares about the state of the American church and doesn’t really stand to profit or lose anything by just speaking the truth as he or she sees it.

Well, I’m compassionate, passionate, a peacemaker, and not afraid to speak what I believe. I’m a lifelong follower of Jesus and have spent the majority of my life in the evangelical church — until recently. I’m a survivor of sexual, spiritual, and emotional abuse, and I’ve eventually emerged from it happier and healthier, thanks to many years of really good therapy and the grace of God. I’ve studied theology, psychology, education, and leadership — all of which have helped to make me an insightful student of people and what makes them tick. And that being said, here I am, throwing my proverbial hat into the ring.

Let’s Break it Down

The state of the American Christian church is a hot mess right now. Maybe it always has been, behind closed doors, but the dysfunction is so widespread, deep-rooted, and unchecked, that it’s leaking out all over the place and has become a very public spectacle. I’m not pointing fingers here — I count myself as part of this family, even if I’m a bit of a black sheep at the moment.

We, as a people and the body of Christ in America, are well on our way to becoming a house divided.

Abuses of power and privilege, sexual exploitation, and spiritual manipulation are driving people out of the church in droves. Some abandon their faith altogether. Many will never step foot in a church again. More still will stay and suffer in silence, for fear of rejection and blame, while their spirits crumble under the weight of what they’ve experienced.

The high-profile role of the (mostly evangelical) church in Trump’s presidency, along with its unflagging support of him regardless of his behavior, has largely discredited the Christian faith with its hypocrisy. Additionally, it has also caused a deep rift to emerge within the body of Christ itself, dividing American believers into pro- and anti-Trump camps.

And as the tension and pressure rise from within and outside the walls of our churches, something has to give. A house divided against itself cannot stand.

Another reader expressed to me her doubt that the American church could ever bounce back from all of this. Even though I understand where she’s coming from, I have to say I disagree. I think we can, and I’m going to attempt to outline it here.

The Way Forward

1. Collectively, individually, we must repent. And mean it.

No one should be more aware of their own sinfulness than a follower of Jesus. And as such, we have to know that we get far more wrong than we get right. That’s you, me, every person in the pews, the pastor and elders, the local church, denomination, faith leaders and influencers, and the body of Christ as a whole. “The ground is level at the Cross,” as the saying goes. There’s a beautiful confessional that is part of the Lutheran and Episcopal liturgy that has been on my mind as of late:

Heavenly Father, we confess that we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed by what we have done, and what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole hearts; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your Name.

As individuals, local fellowships, and denominations, we must take these words to heart — knees and faces to the ground in abject sorrow.

We are in bondage.

We have sinned (and keep on sinning, every day.)

We are helpless to break out of the patterns we’ve created.

We have abused people physically, emotionally, spiritually, and sexually — within our own houses of worship. We have victim-blamed and victim-shamed. We have looked the other way and turned a deaf ear to the cries of our own people.

We have raised up leaders who abuse their position and power, and we’ve protected them at the expense of the less powerful. We’ve created idols of ourselves and of others who bear our own image.

We’ve allowed patriotism and nationalism and constitutional rights to become conflated with the tenets of our faith.

We have allowed division within the walls of our local fellowships and within the American expression of the body of Christ. We have drawn lines between “us” and “them” within our own family.

Individually and corporately, we have lost compassion for our fellow man; for those who don’t look like us, act like us, or believe like us. Our words and actions demonstrate our unspoken belief that we are superior to and more valuable than those outside our circles. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.

Knowingly or unknowingly, we’ve played games with judgement and grace — deciding who is deserving and who is not, and under what circumstances they should receive it. We are not equitable, compassionate, or godly in expressing either one. We have embodied self-righteousness.

Ecumenical services of repentance need to sweep our nation — both coordinated and spontaneous — much in the way we hold candlelight vigils when tragedies occur. Communities of faith coming together, united in the common purpose of mourning how far we have fallen from the ways of our Savior.

People used to wear sackcloth and cover themselves in ashes to express their extreme grief before the Lord; we need to find some expression of this for our modern times.

2. Individually and as churches, we need to actively separate the American expression of Christianity from American politics.

And by that, I mean we must deliberately and permanently separate political affiliation and positions on policies from our identity as followers of Jesus. We’ve allowed our American identity and culture to shape our version of Christianity. There is nothing inherently more godly about being a Republican or a Democrat. Our amendment rights are not biblical in nature nor in any way God-ordained. Though I do believe God has indeed blessed America, the belief in “American Exceptionalism,” “Manifest Destiny,” or that we are somehow a “second Israel” is not remotely biblical.

In order to unlearn these things we have absorbed or been taught, we need to learn how to study Scripture outside of our own cultural context. Pastors and leaders need to model and teach this skill from the pulpit and in their daily faith walk.

3. We need to make our churches safe places for the lost, the broken, the searching, and those who are growing in their faith (that should cover all of us!)

Planet Fitness promotes its gyms as being “Judgement Free Zones.”

Stay with me through this analogy.

It’s a gym — full of equipment and tools and trainers available for anyone to use to get healthy. That’s why you go to Planet Fitness. Maybe you’re in need of a little toning or strength-training or cardio to improve your endurance. Maybe you need to maintain your already-fit body. Or maybe you are 20, 50, 100+ pounds overweight and nothing is working for you. In every case, Planet Fitness says this gym’s for you — you come here to get healthy and we won’t judge where you’re at or how fast you’re progressing. Just come, do what you came for, and treat everyone else how you want to be treated. Everybody (every body) belongs because everyone is here for a common purpose.

Friends, if a gym can do this, why can’t the body of Christ?

Churches exist for primarily two reasons:

A. To worship the Lord

B. To learn how to know Him better

I’m not at all suggesting it’s easy to run a church. But there are smart, innovative people out there who can help facilitate those two goals in a way that is accessible, judgement-free, and enables people to encounter the Lord personally. Yes, people will still screw up and get hurt or offended or push boundaries and buttons. Go back to point #1.

4. Dismantle the power structures that keep our leaders on a pedestal and above reproach. Accountability. Accountability. Accountability.

Christian leaders should be servant leaders if they are to exemplify Christ. First to get their hands dirty. Last to be served. Held to at least the same standard (if not higher) than those they lead. The Fruits of the Spirit should be evident and recognizable in their lives — other than preaching or teaching, how else do they bear witness to the Gospel? This is not just an issue in American churches, of course, but we are not exempt from the need to reexamine, restructure, and repent. There are many good people who can lead in this way. If a fellowship needs to clean house and start from scratch, so be it. Every one of us needs a good reset at least once in our lives, a chance to start fresh and do things differently. We shouldn’t fear that same process in our houses of worship.

5. Face and own our fears and biases about those who are different from us, learn how to love them like Christ, and then get out there and do it. Or…here’s a thought…invite them in.

This topic needs to be taught not only from our pulpits, but in classroom format to equip believers to spread the actual Good News — the news that God is for them, He loves them, and wants them to share eternity with Him. The only way people will understand what that even means is through our words and actions and how those two things line up. Sharing the Gospel is not an event. It is a way of life. Day in, day out, in public and in private.

How you speak to the person at the grocery store matters.

Your conduct behind the wheel matters.

What you write on Facebook matters.

How you label a person and describe them — what you say to them and about them when they’re not present — it all matters.

Every one of us that professes to be a follower of Jesus carries the Holy Spirit within us. We can either allow Him to manifest Himself through us, or we can block that from happening with our un-Christlike behavior.

What if we invited people into our churches as they are — even if we don’t agree with their lifestyle?

What if we held ‘forums’ at our places of worship, where we could listen to the stories of people in our community, hear what’s on their hearts, what their needs are? What if we just listened and offered a meal, a hug, a blessing…with no strings attached?

What if we worried less about “defending the faith” and more about demonstrating love towards one another?

Tempering Passion with Humility

I’ll be the first to admit I need this right now. I can become deeply passionate and convicted about what I believe, and risk sounding arrogant. The truth is, I’m not any sort of expert or big-name leader, or anybody with a recognizable name, for that matter.

There was a time I wanted all of that, but I no longer do.

Right now, I’m somewhere between just wanting to live a small, quiet life serving God the best I know how, and knowing that because I do have some insight, a knack for writing, and a platform from which to speak, I might actually make some sort of difference by making my voice heard.

I do not think any of the things I’ve outlined are easy, quick solutions to a problem that has been brewing for many years. All the same, I am convinced that we can do something.

We can do better.

We can show each other, our nation, and the world that Christ-followers know we are also imperfect and can be wrong on many fronts. We can demonstrate humility, repentance, and the willingness to listen, learn, and change. We can choose to hit the reset button — by God’s mercy and grace — and show the world how to rebuild a house once divided, on the solid Rock on which it should stand.