Friday, March 6, 2009

What is the Role of a Pastor, anyway?



"I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done - by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit." - Romans 15:18

"It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation." - Romans 15:20

"Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand." - Romans 15:21

Two very important points for preachers to take from Romans 15:19-21. There are signs and miracles to be done. Even Christ Himself performed some dog & pony tricks to get people believing. Although the point of the miraculous healings and feedings was not their own end, no one would listen to Him if He just ran around talking, right?

In the OC I have seen too many pastors sitting preaching to the choir so to speak, like standup comedians, while so few sacrifice their own comfort to go gonzo in places like China, North Korea, Pakistan and Iran. (Incidentally it has not escaped my attention that the most atheist governments are also the most categorically inhumane to both people and animals.)

I do not wish to speak against men of God. In fact, many churches are doing good works for their communities and Christian organizations are often the first on the scene during disasters and times of need.

But having been to a lot of churches I can't help seeing how Pharisaic the leadership roles have become. There is great corruption of God's Truth by so-called Men of God. I have seen too many pastors who are weak, snivelling cowards whose faith is compromised by their fear. They want to live comfortably. They want to live happily with their wives and children, administering salve to other snivelling "Christians" whose greatest struggles are fighting their desire to screw with the neighbor's wife/son/daughter/dog, or trying to squeeze some joy from their crackerbox-cubicle lives, or whatever other pathetic 21st-century American malaise they can dream up.

Where are the miracles, where are the true Men of God whose very handkerchiefs will heal the sick?

In my BSF study of the Levitic priesthood I am seeing the progression from Aaron (chosen by God to intercede and to demonstrate the insufficiency of a faulty, mortal human mediator between God and man) - to Melchizedek, totally not from the Levitic line but chosen by God as a precursor to the new covenant of Grace over Law in Christ (I'm still not really clear on who this Melchizedek was exactly) - and finally to Christ, the last priest necessary, a Forever Priest who would never die and who could eternally act as an intercessor between God and man for man's mortal failings.

"The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless" - Hebrews 7:18

So, are pastors just wrong altogether? I already think Bishops and Popes and Cardinals are ridiculous. Aren't pastors similarly silly? After Christ there is no religious leader greater than his followers. He said it Himself and demonstrated it by washing His disciples' feet, then going to die for everyone.

Aren't we all Disciples ordained to follow after Christ if we accept His Sovereignty? And isn't it each of our roles to study Scripture, test it against other doctrines, see which is true by firsthand scrutiny and experiencing what happens in our lives as we ponder, compare and seek with open minds?

So, if a pastor has any true role for which he should be supported, it is to spend all his time becoming an expert not only on the Biblical Scriptures but also in weighing them against opposing religions, to see what proves true and consistently correct.

I have yet to see a pastor doing a series addressing the most common challenges from Atheists, Buddhists, Muslims, etc. Why do churches never invite them for an open panel discussion with analysis and prayer that Truth be revealed? Are we so scared our God will not come through?

George Carlin went on stage and asked God to strike him dead with lightning if He exists. Why didn't God do this? Did He want George to keep on living for another 40 years to give him a chance to acknowledge the truth before he died and went to Hell? Did George even go to Hell? Surely Christians have asked this same question and more, of God. I know I have.

Why don't pastors pick a question a week from an Atheist forum or even from within the church itself, and address it? That might incite me to go to church.

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