I’ve had the opportunity as a pastor to talk with a
number of people that no longer go to church.
Sometimes they are confused, frustrated, disappointed and even angry. and
as a result just stop attending.
Often, there are good reasons. Churches can certainly disappoint. In the
past 2,000 years there have been plenty of occasions that point to the obvious
conclusion that often the leaders, those we call pastor, Bishops and even
Popes, have acted in a way that was contrary to their spiritual calling.
I can understand when people get disappointed with
leadership. I’m frustrated too and know that we all suffer when one church leader stumbles and falls. That is why, particularly in the
church, we have to be careful to have the integrity, the internal conviction, that all of our actions and all of our intentions are in keeping with our
calling.
What I don’t understand is when people decide to leave the church because they disagree with the essential moral
teaching. I've had the experience of talking with people that state, "the church isn't going to tell me how to live my life". Well, If any one institution has
moral authority it is the church. Moral
authority is based on principles, values and the essential truths that are truly
independent of personal conviction or opinion. Sometimes, it's just more convenient for people that are under conviction to feign indignation or a pseudo spirituality and decide to separate themselves from the truth. When the church for example says “adultery is wrong” or “honor your
mother and father”, a person may choose to leave the church because they feel
under condemnation and prefer to live in the darkness. However, leaving the church because they
believe the church doesn’t have the moral authority to declare sin as sin is
rebellion against God.
Jesus had moral authority. It was said that the people were
amazed at his teaching, “because he taught them as one who had authority, not
as the teachers of the law.” (Mark 1:22)
The teachings of Jesus addressed not only the written rules
and obvious customs and traditions that were common at the time but also the
timeless moral principles for all generations.
Today, we may choose to believe that modern thinking has revised the Ten
Commandments or that moral principles can be adapted and completely ignored
without consequences. However, the moral
authority that has been given to the church remains.
