December 5, 2004: Where 40,000 Churches Went Wrong

The Second Sunday of Advent



Here in our church this past Wednesday evening, we hosted a candlelight vigil and prayer service to commemorate World AIDS Day. It was a beautiful and touching service in which we remembered loved ones and strangers who succumbed to this dreadful disease and in which we prayed that a cure could be found and this scourge brought to an end.

I sat in a pew with Father Scanlon next to me—the priest from the Episcopal Church downtown. Behind me sat two other pastors, a husband and wife team, from another church in town… and there were several other preachers and ministers present—plus, of course, a large group of lay people.

I thought: isn’t it funny? Here we are—all Christian people… all believers and followers of Jesus Christ—yet from different churches. How did this come to be?

I can’t quote you a source, but the “factoid” that sticks in my head is that there are something like 40,000 different denominations, branches and sects of Christianity. If you open up the Danville Yellow Pages, right after “Chinese Food” and “Chiropractors,” you’ll find three single-spaced pages of Christian churches and congregations… and that’s just in our little community! You can imagine what the world-wide picture looks like.

Again I ask: how did this come to be?

We might seek an answer by casting our eyes back to John the Baptist, the precursor of the Lord, featured in St. Matthew’s gospel today.

John sounds like a bit of a kook to our ears—and actually people of his own day considered him rather much. He dressed differently, lived differently, acted differently, and spoke differently from regular, mainstream folks. Yet, to be sure, he had a following.

One thing about John: he wasn’t afraid to speak the truth, whatever the consequences. We all know that ultimately, that proved to be his undoing. He offended Herod and his divorcee wife. Herodias—Mrs. Herod—was cunning and manipulative enough to see to it that John’s head was put on a platter. How she must have gloated… but you wonder where she’s spending eternity.

In the Gospel today, John said something quite unsettling to the Jews who came around to hear him speak: “God can raise up children to Abraham from these very stones!” What he meant was that no matter how good we may think our religious structures, institutions and traditions are, God doesn’t need them. God, you see, is concerned with our beliefs and our actions of faith, not the structures of our faith.

That’s exactly why when Isaiah, in the first reading, speaks about the ideal Jewish king, he stresses not the kingship itself, but the environment of peace and justice that the king will bring about: “Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, but he shall judge the poor with justice.” Then he illustrates what he means with beautiful symbolism: the wolf will be a guest of the lamb… the calf will browse with the lion… and so on.

Jesus Christ, of course, comes with the same message. After all, God is God—the same in very ancient times, in Christ’s time, in our time, and for ever. But we don’t listen.

The prophet Isaiah, Jesus Christ, St. Paul… they all utter beautiful words of peace and unity… but look at us who call ourselves Christians! Our division into hundreds and thousands of denominations is embarrassing. Isn’t it a sign that we put our emphasis more on “which church we belong to” over the one true faith that is supposed to unite us.

But again it’s appropriate to ask, “Why?”

I daresay we have good intentions, but we are very human—plagued by very human weakness and concupiscence. We are seduced into making ourselves the center of the universe. If someone offends me, I cut him off. If it’s a priest, I find another parish. If it’s a bishop, maybe I’ll just skip over to another diocese—or better yet, simply stop giving him any financial support! If it’s a teaching I disagree with, well, maybe I’ll join another church… and if I can’t find one that fits the bill, then I can start my own. How do you think we arrived at 40,000 different denominations?

Is that why Christ came at Christmas—to start 40,000 churches like so many McDonald’s franchises? I don’t think so. He wouldn’t have teed off so many powerful people and gone to His death if His aim was to please and satisfy all of mankind.

No, I believe that John the Baptist had it right. He may have been offensive at times, but he fearlessly spoke and did the truth, come what may. Yes indeed… almost always, the road to sainthood is quite bumpy.

During this time of Advent as we strive to stir up our hearts to welcome our Newborn King and live according to His Way, wouldn’t we do well to think about this: is it possible that we’re more committed to our own narrow vision than to Jesus and the people He loves?

Please, God… deepen our faith and brighten our path.



Today’s Readings:
Isaiah 11, 1–10
Psalm 72
Romans 15, 4–9
Matthew 3, 1–12