Religious Point Of View
The Future Of The Church
By Rev.
Miles T. Crawford, Jr.
Not so very long ago, many of the high-ranking
clergymen in the Catholic Church were summoned to the Vatican in Rome, Italy to
meet with the Pope concerning the improper conduct of some of their
priests. I was privileged shortly
afterward to be in a discussion with a group of
They
went on to say, in so many words, that if the Church continues to tolerate such
lewd conduct and continues to “look the
other way” while increasing numbers of its leaders engage in sexual
immorality, it will begin to lose members as well as its financial
contributions. I agreed with most of the
opinions expressed. I feel it must be
stated that there is a difference between sexual misbehavior (behavior between
two consenting adults, i.e. a fully mature man and a fully mature woman) and
criminal sexual behavior (behavior between a fully mature adult and a minor
person, i.e. a six year old child). I
confess that while the opinions expressed by that group contained some elements
of truth, the conclusion fell noticeably short, in my judgment, of addressing
the subject of “The Future of the Church.”
I am
in full agreement that all of us who label ourselves as Church Leaders have the
responsibility to those whom we serve to practice high standards of morality,
common decency and ethical conduct.
Whether we are Catholic or Protestant, we ought to “clean up our act.” Whether
we are Bishops, Pastors, Preachers, Ministers, Evangelists, Deacons, Teachers or
any other kind of leader in the Christian Community, we ought to “straighten up and fly right.” No matter
what our title may be, when we accept the role of leadership in the Church and
agree to lead, instruct and direct God’s people, we owe it to God and to His
children to live in a decent and respectable manner.
So, it
goes without my saying it, that the image of the Church is tarnished to no mean
extent when its leaders fail to live up to their calling. On the other hand, that Holy Agency, that
Divine Organism, the Ecclesiastical Body which Jesus Christ established and
referred to as the Church, is not resting upon such a shaky foundation that its
future is contingent upon the sexual improprieties of a few of its spokesmen. While the church is made up of Sinners, it
will not die because of sin. While all
of us who make up the church have our individual weaknesses, the Church,
itself, will remain strong.
Jesus
Christ, Himself, addressed the subject of
“The Future of the Church” on the very same occasion when He established
the Church. After listening to Simon
Peter’s confession, in which he said, “Thou
art the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” He used the occasion to
announce his “Building Program.” He
said, “Upon this Rock (this rock being Peter’s confession, and not Peter,
himself), I will build My Church,” and in the same breath, He went on to talk
about The Future of the Church. He said,
“The Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.” He did not say that the gates of Hell would
not wage a continuing war against the Church.
He did not say that the Gates of Hell would not throw all of its weight
against the Church. He did not say that
the gates of Hell would not conduct an “all out” effort to destroy the
Church. He did not say that at all. But He did say that the Gates of Hell (the
destructive powers of death) would not prevail.
That
says something to me about The Future of the Church. That says something to me about the strength
and stability and the duration of the Church.
That says to me that when the last battle has been fought, and when all
the dust has been cleared away, the Church will still be standing. The devil and all of his demons will have
been cast in that lake of fire. Jesus
will be standing in the Winner’s Circle and all of those saints who make up the
Church -- not the First Baptist by the gas station or the Second Congregational
at the end of the meadow -- but The Church Triumphant, the fellowship of the
Glorified, The Mystical Body…the chosen seed of Israel’s race, the ransomed
from the fall…will hail Him who saves us by His Grace and Crown Him Lord of
All.
The
Future of the Church is Bright. The sole
business of the Church is “soul business.”
The Church has a bright future. Aspirin will do for a headache, but it takes
a Divine Word for heartache. The Church
deals with loneliness and shattered relationships and broken dreams. The Church keeps on reassuring us that
“There is a Balm in Gilead
To make the wounded whole—
There is a Balm in Gilead—
To heal the sin-sick soul.”
The Future of The Church is Bright!