Holier Than Thou

I work in a church. I don't know if I could say I work for a church, because I'm not sure how many people in this church actually want me there. I do high school ministry, and they like me, respect me, and are growing under my leadership. But they aren't the movers and shakers when it comes to church finances, so of course have little say.

Almost every conversation I've had with adults here has been discouraging. They want more numbers of students, as if that's the most important thing. Or they want Bible quizzing. Or they want me to fix their son/daughter. Or they want me to teach some fundamentalist doctrine. The one thing they like is that I have our students reading through the Bible this year, though my reason for it is far different than the reason they like it.

Last weekend I spoke at our church "believers service." After my message, which was on mercy, the feedback I received was negative because I made reference to James Bond movies. I was told that James Bond has no place when discussing the Bible. The truth is, I'm way too honest to work with most adults. If I ever take the insane plunge and begin leading a congregation, I know that I'll have to make it very clear that Bible-thumping fundamentalists will not like me. If you are holier than thou, if you are too good for all the other believers around you, why burden us with your holiness? Go away, be perfect somewhere else, so the rest of us can continue working out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Peace,
Matt

Currently Reading: Holy Baptism by Karl Rahner, and Covering Islam by Edward Said. Said's book is fascinating as he disects the media's coverage of the Iran hostage crisis in 1979. It's crazy to read a book that is over 25 years old, yet still relevant to much of the current relationship between the Middle East and the U.S. Maybe a bit pathetic too.