A Lordship Problem?
Wow, there is so much to chew on from this week’s reading Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America by Russel Moore. I am a little fired up so I apologize in advance for any leakage of pain and passion. Not only did this book spark something deep within, but I am sitting with my husband watching the Michigan/Michigan State football game and. . . . . Well, my team is trailing slightly.
As I was reading, my mind rehashed a recent occurrence in my faith community that happened during the Covid-19 pandemic. In some respects, it may have been viewed like a good vomit, cleansing, or baptism, but in other respects, it was experienced as a betrayal. Maybe betrayal trauma? (Thank you Tammy Dunahoo for naming that). Some people did not want to wear masks, even if it meant saving the life of a fellow follower from contracting COVID-19. So they left because they didn’t want to wear a mask.
Services were live-streamed and a variety of creative opportunities for engagement were offered to help people connect in a time of isolation when the world was on lockdown. When places of worship were reopening their physical doors, our church welcomed congregants back but continued to wear masks. Our church encouraged the wearing of masks to protect the health and safety of our vulnerable loved ones. People left. Young and old. There was an underlying attitude of “You are not going to tell me what to do”. Maybe leaking a little hyper-individualism?
There is a problem or maybe it is more like a wicked problem or a wickedness problem. However you define the problem, I wonder if there is a Lordship problem. Is Jesus king? When Jesus is Lord of a person’s life, is it not the goal/purpose to submit to His authority. We believe who He says He is and He fulfills His promises. We love Him and trust that He is in control. We love others as He first loved us and gave himself up for us. . . even if it means wearing a mask to save the life of a loved one. Moore quoted poet and novelist Wendell Berry when he spoke to a group of concerned environmental activists as saying, “The great problems call for many small solutions.” [1] Moore goes on to say, “Genuine revival in the church comes, one by one, soul by soul; the temple built stone by stone.” [2] This is a good reminder to “stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls”. [3]
This attitude of the heart, disregarding the authority of scripture and the Lordship of Christ, was not only prevalent during Covid but as author Russell Moore shares data from political scientist Daniel Williams, “Their politics haven’t changed (except becoming more extreme) and their sense of religious identity hasn’t changed either. The data show that they are liberalizing, to be sure, but only on the specific sins they want to commit – especially when it comes to premarital sex.” [4] Ouch! Could it be that in there lies a wickedness problem. . . picking and choosing what sins are okay to commit? If it is true that genuine revival in the church comes, one by one, soul by soul, then it seems to me that the call to action, then and now, is repentance. To wake up and realign our lives with the movement of God in our time for all time. “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” [5] It seems like there is a sin problem and the solution to the problem may call for many small solutions, person by person. . . perhaps God is calling the church (myself and everyone who bears the identity of Christian or follower of The Way) to repent of the specific sins we choose to commit, justify, or excuse away and live in the freedom that is found through repentance, denying self, taking up His cross and fully-following Him. Believing AND living as Jesus is Lord of our lives, in ALL things.
In a recent blog post titled “Reclaiming Sin: Have We Thrown the Baby out with the Bathwater?”, Dr. Jason Clark states, “For Christians, it is impossible to understate the centrality of Sin—yours and mine—and its consequences and that the only remedy is found in Christ. So why do we hardly ever talk about sin anymore?” [6] YES!!! It is almost as if we see naming our sin, confessing it to others, and repenting of it as a catalyst towards trauma instead of healing. As Moore states, “Maybe when we’re lost enough, we can re-find the Way. Maybe only when we lose our religion will we again be amazed by grace.” [7]
[1] Russell Moore. Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America, (New York: Penguin Random House), 21
[2] Ibid, 21.
[3] Jeremiah 6:16
[4] Moore, 38.
[5] Ephesians 5:14
[6] Jason Swan Clark. Reclaiming Sin: Have We Thrown the Baby Out with the Bathwater? Re-understanding Sin, and Its Role in Our Spiritual Journey. Accessed October 26, 2024, https://www.spex.so/p/reclaiming-sin-have-we-thrown-the?utm_campaign=email-half-post&r=3emo3i&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
[7] Moore, 254.
About the Author
Cathy Glei
Cathy Glei serves as an instructional leader and pastor with over 27 years in education and ministry. She is dedicated to discipling others as they grow in their relationship with God, others and the world. Cathy has facilitated numerous professional development sessions, trainings, and workshops in both education and ministry. Passionate about supporting others in uncovering the Creator's design within them, Cathy lives in Michigan with her husband, Steve, and their eight-year-old Springer Spaniel, Otis. Cathy is a mother of three daughters and "Gooma" (grandma) to two adorable grandsons (emphasis on adorable 😊). She enjoys listening and exchanging laughter and stories with others, hanging out with friends, both old and new, as well as being outdoors, enjoying activities such as cycling, camping, hiking, and kayaking.4 responses to “A Lordship Problem?”
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Cathy,
As I am reading your post, I so appreciate how you brought up the attitudes of division that put all of us on edge during the Pandemic. You are right in how the darkness of our hearts was already there but now we are couching it all in Christianity. I am curious how you see revival in your church? Do you know of others who are broken for their own responses? Or are you still seeing others blaming everyone else? Thank you for your vulnerable post.
Hi Cathy,
You wrote, Moore quoted poet and novelist Wendell Berry when he spoke to a group of concerned environmental activists as saying, “The great problems call for many small solutions.”
I love that. It reminds me of Cascades: How to Create a Movement that Drives Transformational Change, Greg Sartell.
At the advance someone asked, “where does the change come from?” and I answered it comes from us. WE are the changers, we will cause the ripples via our NPOs that are intended to change the church and the world.
If the church needs changing, the seeds for the changes are within us.
Shalom…
Cathy, this morning I listened to a podcast while on a walk in the woods with our dog. The podcast was an interview with an Abraham Kuyper scholar, which reminded me of Kuyper’s often quoted statement: “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over ALL, does not cry, ‘Mine!'” Now, I know that the early 20th century Prime Minister of the Netherlands probably meant something more like “Christ is Lord over every sphere” (like, in the concept of sphere sovereignty), but your post about Lordship resonated. As Christians, there can’t be any compartment or domain of life that isn’t subject to the reign of Christ. Our Christian lives are lived “coram Deo” before God everywhere, at all times. We don’t get to pick which sins we’ll commit and which we’ll avoid.
It’s funny, your post also made me wish that Tom Holland’s book Dominion was one we posted on before this week’s Losing My Religion post. Holland would have argued that the very fact that we are having the conversation put forward by Moore’s thesis…is one that has its roots in a Christian past, culturally speaking.
Great post, Cathy!
Cathy, thanks for writing about losing folks during Covid because of mask-wearing. I think many of us are still bearing that trauma (I don’t know that it’s a trauma for me but it certainly was hurtful). While I could understand those who didn’t want to wear a mask – they are hard to breathe in, they smudged my makeup, I couldn’t see people’s smiles, or hear them well, etc. what is more important is that they could be life-saving for the immune suppressed or others who are vulnerable! I certainly seemed to me that the way of love was to put the vulnerable over my own comfort. Whew. Apparently, I’m still carrying some anger about that.
Our church building was closed for two years. TWO YEARS! And though there were many times out of fear and frustration I thought we should open, in the end, I can see the value in keeping our doors closed. The only population for which I might question this our teenagers. I do think they perhaps suffered the most in the closing down of most of their social outlets – and I have a young adult now who shows the effects of this.
Anyway, I am also thinking about your quoting of Jason’s comment, “For Christians, it is impossible to understate the centrality of Sin—yours and mine—and its consequences and that the only remedy is found in Christ. So why do we hardly ever talk about sin anymore?” What is interesting to me about this is that in my tradition, each Sunday in our liturgy we have a call to confession, a corporate prayer of confession, and an assurance of God’s grace. We practice confessing sin each Sunday together. And, at the same time, we don’t like talking about sin, especially personal sin. We are generally okay talking about corporate sin – such as the sin of greed, or not being good stewards of the environment, etc. but we are probably not going to admit to much personal sin (unless it’s done in jest or in a way that we can laugh at how we all struggle with “that” kind of sin).
Anyway, I don’t have any answers to any of this but your blog post did get me thinking about things. Thank you!