Is the church on drugs?

Several months ago I started reading the blog articles of Tullian Tchividjian, a preacher from Florida. He serves at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale.  I read more of his writings after I learned he is a grandson of Billy Graham.   One of his articles quotes Robert Capon, who he describes as the author of some of the most mind-blowing articles on the subject of grace.   Here is the quote:

 

I think good preachers should be like bad kids. They ought to be naughty enough to tiptoe up on dozing congregations, steal their bottles of religion pills…and flush them all down the drain. The church, by and large, has drugged itself into thinking that proper human behavior is the key to its relationship with God. What preachers need to do is force it to go cold turkey with nothing but the word of the cross–and then be brave enough to stick around while [the congregation] goes through the inevitable withdrawal symptoms.

But preachers can’t be that naughty or brave unless they’re free from their own need for the dope of acceptance. And they wont be free of their need until they can trust the God who has already accepted them, in advance and dead as door-nails, in Jesus. Ergo, the absolute indispensability of trust in Jesus’ passion. Unless the faith of preachers is in that alone-and not in any other person, ecclesiastical institution, theological system, moral prescription, or master recipe for human loveliness–they will be of very little use in the pulpit.

So what do you think?  Is your bottle of religion pills missing? Have we been guilty of "drugging" ourselves into thinking proper human behavior is the key to a relationship with God?

First of all, the writer isn't proposing misbehavior or a license for us to start charting our own course for life. Being in a relationship with God calls for us to lead holy lives, continually loving God and loving everyone else, too.  But even as Christians, we know we fail, we slip up, we sin. So we throw ourselves before God, depending on his mercy and grace. 

As for Mr. Capon's analysis of those who occupy our pulpits, his language indicates they, too, can be motivated by the narcotic of their acceptance, and that plays into their actions and their teaching. He further wants us to know unless our preachers come to depend on God through their love and trust in Him, "they will be of very little use in the pulpit."  A big part of me likes that line about the preacher's dependence should not be "in any other person, ecclesiastical institution, theological system, moral prescription, or master recipe for human loveliness."

Robert Capon has hit the nail on the head when he directs our churches and our pulpit's leaders to place themselves under the banner of the cross of Jesus, and the grace of our Heavenly Father.  And may we all be freed from those religion pills, and from the dope of acceptance.  Only then can we be really free to be in an intimate relationship with the One who made us.

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