I read this over at Cappy Capitalism yesterday. The Captain, who is the son of a preacher man, is one of my favourite misanthropes. Because he does not pull punches. He’s honest — to the point of getting thrown out of bars. But this is what he said about preachers… He’s talking about a youth worker who was his tenant, who is named Rev’d Ryan.
I thought he was because he got his degree in youth ministry, and so I naturally assumed he was a pastor. But as I found out later, that was nothing more than yet another college-education scam perpetrated upon the youth to support an academian scheme, but this time of a religious variety. His degree was utterly worthless.
But his moral character and caliber was not.
If you were to ask me, and in all honesty, he is BY FAR a better man than I will ever be. He is honest, he is pure, he is noble, and he is righteous in the truest sense…matter of fact if you just took me and multiplied me by a -1 you would mathematically get Reverend Ryan. I don’t think the boy has ever committed a sin in his life. He is virtuous and upstanding and I am, frankly, surprised such a man exists in a modern day environment today which is so hostile to such virtue.
Ironically, this results in a paradox.
For while this is one of the most pure, innocent, virtuous and noble men I know, he cannot become a pastor because he doesn’t have the right credentials.
But I know men who have become pastors.
And I know men who did jump through the hoops.
And for the most part, most of them come nowhere near the caliber and quality of man as my former tenant.
THough I don’t harp on it much, one of the most worthless degrees you can get is “religious studies.” I don’t harp on it because it is presumed you do not enter such a study in the hopes of riches, but out of charity, altruism and selflessness.
But that cannot be further from the truth for many religious studies majors.
For like journalism, management, even economics, “religious studies” grants the major an air of authority. Jounralists always seek truth. Business management majors always seek optimization an production. And economists always seek efficiency and progress. However, in pursuing such lofty endeavors, those studies are nearly-guaranteed to be corrupted by lesser souls using the lofty position of the study to wield power and control over others for their own selfish gain by abusing its moral position. And “religious studies” is the most loftiest (and consequently, corruptible) of all because it presumably is the authority of morals and decency.
Such a discipline attracts two types, both the most opposite you could ever imagine.
Pure, virtuous, and noble saints like Reverend Ryan
and
worthless, lazy, (but worse) power-hungry scum who wish to abuse a religion as a means to advance themselves without work, effort or rigor.
Unfortunately experience has told me most pastors (as well as most practitioners) are not of the Reverend Ryan caliber. They are in it for themselves, in it because it’s an easy subject, in it for the power immediately granted to them, in it for the business, and in it because they lack the intellectual power and capability to determine their own morality and virtue and thus rely on a religion to spell it out for them.
Now, my local church is lead by Barry. Barry is the third minister (note change in words: i’m not American and I’m reformed: Minister means servant). The main chap works full time. Barry runs a commercial photography business. And Jono is the coordinator for Servants. Three. Good. Men. Three men who would agree that there are some in the church who want to be there for power and position, and the church has a problem with limiting and weeding these people.
I’d add that one of the reasons I returned to the Presbyterians is that I had seen pastor-worship in the “non denominational” churches and I wanted some rigor and discipline and accountability. The Reformed ain’t perfect here, But we at least know it is a problem.
Now onto Jesus, and some theology.
20:41Then he said to them, “How can they say that the Messiah is David’s son? 42For David himself says in the book of Psalms,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
43 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
44David thus calls him Lord; so how can he be his son?”45In the hearing of all the people he said to the disciples, 46“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets. 47They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
21:1He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; 2he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 3He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; 4for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”
I like how the incidents contrast each other here. You have the scribes dressed in their scholarly robes and saying pious things… while exploiting widows, and then you have a widow showing true piety.
You need to be able to unpack language. The language of religion can be a language of power, or it can be a call for service. You can choose to grasp at the brass ring of power and hoard your status — or you can give it away. Choose the latter. I’m not called to be a church leader or elder: I am not qualified — the criteria are in Titus and I don’t meet any of them. But those who do want this are not wanting to do an ignoble thing. But anything can be turned into a road to perdition, and I have seen pastors guide congregations down that gentle road, by avoiding confrontation, challenge and soothing the conscience back to sleep.