When I left the institutional church I was overtaken by an unexpected feeling of freedom and well-being. Puzzled at first, I finally decided that it could have risen from the fact that I was no longer under the authority of some self-appointed hierarchy of religious pretenders. I recognized their fake world of ordinations, appointments, and degrees for what it was, a fabricated framework of in-authentic pontifications contrived from a few unholy and exegetic extrapolations. It was an un-sanctified pyramid scheme built from the top down on anti-humility and anti-servanthood, by anti-Christ-like power lords, a sort of decree issued from ivory towers by self-inflated scholars, bishops, chancellors and presidents.
Why do we not get the picture? Jesus clearly banned religious hierarchy the night that he washed the disciples' feet. "You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant.... "(Matt 20:25-26)
This is ridiculous!
When one exits the system, he removes himself from the pseudo-authority that parades itself with some sort of self-proclaimed "God-ordained" but imaginary anointing.
When one exits the system, he removes himself from the pseudo-authority that parades itself with some sort of self-proclaimed "God-ordained" but imaginary anointing.
To the outsider, we are all priests - to one another and to the Lord; all the parts of the Body are answerable directly to the Head which is Christ. (Eph 4:15) No believer has authority over another. We are all stones being built up into a spiritual house. (I Pet 2:5)
The foundation of real spiritual authority forever continues to be humble servanthood like that of Christ, and it is bestowed first upon God's favorite humans, the poor, the weak, and the least of these. It is demonstrated by random acts of love and kindness and mercy every day, and it starts as a grassroots thing, originating in the ditches of everyday humanity and growing upward from there. Hear me: real spiritual authority never starts at the top and works its way down by means of some corporate chain-of-command. That would be exactly what Jesus said should not happen. (Matt 20:25-26) Again, the church has turned Jesus on his head, becoming everything that he decried in the pharisees who paraded around in fancy attire so others could bow to them.
I am loving the living in a world of outsiders, unpowerful folks who do not tell others what to do or how to live. None of us is infallible, none perfect, none lording it over others. It's the world that Jesus was hoping for. It's redemptive, it's pure, it's counter-religious. Jesus would love it here; it's the kingdom of God on earth that he prayed for. (Matt 6:10)
It is authentic, and it is right, and I love it here.
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Now a reminder to pastors and leaders who are still in the institution:
Your spiritual authority is not bestowed upon you by some council or bishop who presides from the next level above you, and it never flows from your submission to the powers-that-be in your denomination or church. It springs from the bottom up as you submit yourself to the Lord and serve the people in humility, never lording it over another human being from a position of man-made power. Your church authorities are appointed or elected by other human beings and their power is not God-ordained at all. Don't confuse spiritual authority with institutional authority. It is a mistake to assume that you are suddenly and automatically endowed with spiritual authority when you are appointed to a position in the church. That is just unholy crap!
Mind you, an organization needs to be organized, and a top-down, pyramidal system is fine for that. It works well in the world of the corporation, the military, the schools, and even in religious institutions, but it is not sacred, holy, or ordained by God. To spiritualized it, building a submission-to-authority doctrine out of it by proof-texting scripture is heresy and is anti-Christ. Let me say it again:
The doctrine of a scriptural, God-ordained, top-down, pyramid-shaped hierarchy in the church is heresy and should be de-bunked.
The clergy-laity split is one more divisive boundary that needs to be erased (see my previous post: Erasing the Boundaries).
Your spiritual authority is not bestowed upon you by some council or bishop who presides from the next level above you, and it never flows from your submission to the powers-that-be in your denomination or church. It springs from the bottom up as you submit yourself to the Lord and serve the people in humility, never lording it over another human being from a position of man-made power. Your church authorities are appointed or elected by other human beings and their power is not God-ordained at all. Don't confuse spiritual authority with institutional authority. It is a mistake to assume that you are suddenly and automatically endowed with spiritual authority when you are appointed to a position in the church. That is just unholy crap!
Mind you, an organization needs to be organized, and a top-down, pyramidal system is fine for that. It works well in the world of the corporation, the military, the schools, and even in religious institutions, but it is not sacred, holy, or ordained by God. To spiritualized it, building a submission-to-authority doctrine out of it by proof-texting scripture is heresy and is anti-Christ. Let me say it again:
The doctrine of a scriptural, God-ordained, top-down, pyramid-shaped hierarchy in the church is heresy and should be de-bunked.
The clergy-laity split is one more divisive boundary that needs to be erased (see my previous post: Erasing the Boundaries).
The first shall be last, and the last shall be first. (Matt 19:30) Keep that in mind for a great career in service to the masses. And have fun!
(This is part 2 of my 5-year review of my life since being exiled from the church in 2009. To read part 1, scroll down to the next post or click here.)
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