As I was still processing my uncle’s loaded statement and thinking about the casualties in the Black Church’s war against structural inequality and institutionalized racism, my mind began to think of my friends who’d become disinterested in church because of the unnecessary politics. I thought about the stories many have shared with me about being abused and manipulated by church leadership. Then it hit me. Not only has the Church disengaged itself from being a weapon in spiritual warfare, it has created a new set of challenges that now makes it a weapon to be fought against in spiritual warfare.
We call it “church hurt”. Preachers include it in sermons and discuss it in Bible studies. Scholars have included it in books on healing and overcoming pain. However, church hurt does not nearly get as much discussion as necessary. It is sometimes impossible to conceive that the place where you are supposed to see the best of people is where you actually see the worst. Those who fight against it are ostracized. In essence, in the church, there is the battle between good and evil.
And as my uncle said, there are always casualties.
The Church has failed itself. Unaccountable and pious leadership, irresponsible spending, an inability to transition from tradition and a failure to meet the needs of membership have been some of the key contributors to some of the problems the Church has faced. It is not the problems itself but the reluctance to identify and find solutions to them that cause the fatalities in this particular war. The casualties are found in three categories.
Physical Death
In the Scriptures, any time there was a battle (physical or spiritual) there was a death. In war, they are called “necessary casualties”; sometimes people have to die in order for the mission to be accomplished. It is the same in the realm of the Spirit. On one hand, salvation could not have been possible without a death. We are grateful for that necessary casualty. But what about those deaths we didn’t realize were integral to the manifestation of God’s purpose and plan? So many find refuge in Isaiah 6 because of its description of the majesty of God. They can quote the first verse with ease: “In the year King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.” Has anyone ever stopped to find out who King Uzziah was? His story begins in II Chronicles when, at the age of 16, he became the king of Israel after his father was killed. Though he helped restore Israel to its former glory, Uzziah later got arrogant. He asserted himself higher than God in worship and disobeyed the laws set forth. When the elders confronted him, Uzziah remained firm in his defiance. God afflicted Uzziah with leprosy as a consequence and he spent the rest of his life in seclusion; his son served as king in his absence. While Uzziah was “away”, he was still king and Israel was under the submission of a king who violated God’s command and refused to accept his responsibility. When he died, it was as if Israel was freed again. In order for Israel to begin to “see” God in the way they had before, Uzziah had to be removed from the situation and death was the only option.
Though not documented, I know many churches that have experienced a “freedom” or sorts after a death in their congregation. It may have been a member who bucked against new ideas at every step or tormented leadership and other members. It may have been a pastor who ruled the church with an iron fist with little to no compassion for the sheep he was entrusted. It may have been a faithful and dedicated member, whose death caused leadership and the congregation to reflect and reevaluate. Additionally, down through the years, stories were told of those who “grieved themselves to death” behind a hurt they experienced in the Church. Sadly, extreme hurt like this is not uncommon in Black Churches. Regardless of the circumstances, when war has to be waged against God’s house so that it can be set in order, the consequences may include the loss of physical life.
Spiritual Death
Possibly more detrimental than physical death is a spiritual one. Ultimately, the end of life is a decision no longer in the hands of the individual. Spiritual death can be likened to a form of suicide, as the individual chooses to starve their spiritual beings because of a hurt experienced in the Church. Scriptures admonishes us to study to show ourselves approved, commune together with fellow saints and crave spiritual food as babies crave milk; but a person who has experienced church hurt can do anything from stopping church attendance to abandoning the faith altogether. For instance, the largest demographic missing in the Black Church is African-American men. While this trend has been studied, most Black men attribute their absence from church to an incident or series of negative interactions they or someone closed to them faced. Spiritual death is one of the greatest threats to the development of future generations of ministry leaders and lay workers.
It is important to know that while everyone may not experience spiritual death and become a casualty of spiritual warfare, many suffer with great spiritual fatigue. It is important to note that this fatigue is not as extreme as a spiritual death because those affected may still attend and work diligently in church and do all necessary to affirm their faith outside of their congregational commitments. It is also important to state that spiritual fatigue may not even be a result of church hurt. Victims of spiritual fatigue are simply those who’ve grown weary of consistently doing “right” with no sight of a reward. They are those who have tired in the midst of the manifestation of God’s work in their life. Honestly, it’s not difficult to do. Whether it’s a professional, personal or spiritual goal set, if it seems that it will take an eternity to accomplish, it is easy to give up and become frustrated. Churches that do not provide constant support in this area, through preaching, teaching and other assistance, perpetuate fatigue. If spiritual fatigue is ignored, it can easily lead to spiritual death.
Church Flight
As we look at the battle against the Church, casualties we cannot afford to ignore are those who leave one church and seek membership elsewhere because the problems encountered and hurt experienced there were too great. In his 1990 study, “Explaining the Church Member Rate”, Bainbridge found that social bond theory was the greatest indicator of why a member would join and remain with a congregation. When people form strong bonds within a congregation, they are likely to stay there and be integral and committed to the work of that church. However, a severely negative encounter can cause one to abandon that commitment. Church flight makes it extremely difficult to assess church growth and the impact the faith has on nonbelievers. Also, this abandonment causes the gifts necessary for the growth and development to be stripped.
How does it feel to have the place where you’re supposed to lay your burdens become where you pick up more of them? What do you do when the person you worship God with is the one who wounds you? The Church has allowed itself in many ways to become a sanctuary where more are hurt than healed. If The Church desires to become a weapon that we fight principalities with and not a weapon that we fight against, it must take the necessary steps to rid itself of the demonic forces that is causing it to kill itself.
©CMB, 2010 (08.04)
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