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Needless to say, the comment has raised quite a few hackles
and generated a few more comments in response. Joan Campbell,
general secretary of the National Council of Churches, said,
"Karl Marx said something like that. I don't think he wants to
be associated with him."(1) Russ Verney, the national chairman of
the Reform Party, of which Jesse is the highest elected official,
called on the Governor to quit the organization saying, "You have
brought shame to yourself and disgrace to the members of the
Reform Party." Other politicians lined up to jump on Jesse.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert said he was "shocked and chagrined."
Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott said, "Can you believe a
governor of a state in America would say such an insensitive,
bigoted thing?" Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian
Coalition, said flatly that Jesse was "off his rocker."(2)
Some folks took the statement with a grain of salt. "We
realize that Governor Ventura is undergoing a learning process
during his first term in office," said the Catholic Archdiocese
in St. Paul, Minnesota charitably (Jesse's own territory).
Indeed, our flamboyant friend himself predicted that religious
groups would forgive him, since, after all, we are in the
forgiveness business.(3)
For his part, the Governor has done a bit of backing and
filling. On ABC's "20/20" Friday night, in an interview with
Barbara Walters, he noted he should have said SOME organized
religion - the religious right - is a sham, because they are
always sticking their nose in other people's business. On NBC's
"Meet the Press" last Sunday, he was asked if he thought priests,
nuns, ministers and rabbis could be considered weak-minded
people. He responded, "No, I don't, not necessarily." Gee,
thanks, Jess. Then he added, "And being weak-minded is not
necessarily a detriment. It just means that you have a weakness
and, therefore, you go to organized religion to help strengthen
yourself...And for those people, it's OK." Okee dokee. Keep
digging, pal. Keep digging.
By the way, Ventura added that he considers himself a
Christian and believes Jesus Christ is the Savior. But he also
said, "I don't believe necessarily that I need a church to go to.
My religious beliefs can be by a lake, they can be on a hill,
they can be in the solitude of my own office." Interesting.
Now you know and I know that Jesse Ventura is not the only
one in America who feels that way. He IS in a small minority
about relegating religion only to those with weak minds. For
what it's worth, we are far and away the MOST religious of all
the technically advanced nations. One Gallup poll after another
shows that 95% of Americans, give or take a point or two, believe
in God, 90 percent pray, 85 percent believe that the Ten
Commandments are still valid for today (even though half of those
who agree with that cannot name even five of them). Almost 70%
of us are members of a church or synagogue, even though
attendance is not what it should be. And this is nothing new -
in 1835, the French sociologist Alexis de Tocqueville wrote,
"there is no country in the world where the Christian religion
retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in
America."(4) Centuries ago the Psalmist wrote, "The fool says in
his heart, 'There is no God.'"(5) America may be foolish in many
ways, including the Governor, but not that one.
The other part of Jesse's explanation, that which suggests
faith is equally well served "by a lake...on a hill...[or] in the
solitude of my own office," is shared by many. Who needs
organized religion? After all, organized religion - the church -
is hardly Simon pure. The Crusades, the Inquisition, witch
hunts. Jesse says look at Northern Ireland - they are not
fighting over potatoes! Years ago, the great English preacher,
Leslie Weatherhead, wrote, "Frankly, I often wonder why so many
people do go to church. Christianity must have a marvelous
inherent power, or the churches would have killed it long ago."(6)
Hmm.
There ARE lots of reasons to stay away from church. For the
most part, it is not very entertaining: preachers can be pretty
boring; the music is not exactly Top 40; it takes time out of one
of the few chances during the week when folks can just sit back
and relax; there is every likelihood that you will be asked to
take on some chore if you show up; and worst of all, they figure
you should actually pay money for the privilege. The NERVE of an
outfit like that!
A mother wrote in Readers' Digest that she once asked her
young son what was the highest number he had ever counted to.
"537."
She asked, "Why did you stop there?"
He answered, "Church was over." Hmm.
Some people think they are too good for church. They look
at the folks who DO come from week to week and see petty,
back-biting gossips; they see business people who worship every
Sunday but whose ethics on Monday are no different from those who
never darken the door; they read and hear of the excesses of the
televangelists. They put all this together and then claim that
the church is just a bunch of hypocrites...and they do not want
to be accused of being the same thing by joining in with them,
thank you!
At the other end of the spectrum are those who think they
are not good ENOUGH for the church. They have gotten the message
that unless they meet a certain social standard, unless they wear
certain kinds of clothes, unless they drive certain kinds of
cars, unless they live in a certain kind of home, unless they
make a certain amount of money, we do not want them. If they
have ever had any kind of marital difficulties or problems with
the law, or, heaven forbid, they should be gay, we would prefer
they stay away. And for that matter, if they are ALREADY a
member of the fellowship and some problem comes to light, we
would just as soon throw them out. It has been said, "The church
is the only organization in history that shoots its wounded."
Churches sometimes can be exceedingly cold, and that is sad.
Jesse's challenge comes thundering once more: "Organized
religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people who need
strength in numbers." I will grant the church is NOT all that it
ought to be. But, apologies to the Governor, it is tremendously
MORE than any other organization has ever been.
Millions of lives have been changed by the message preached
and taught in the church through the years. People have been
challenged to reach new heights in their relationships to both
God and neighbor. Christian missionaries have gone to the far
reaches of the globe sharing the Gospel as they healed the sick,
taught people how to read and write, brought new and better tools
for the improvement of life. In our own nation, how many great
institutions of learning were founded by the church? How many
hospitals bear names like "Good Samaritan," "Baptist,"
"Methodist," "Presbyterian?" How many day care centers and soup
kitchens are operated by churches? How many millions have been
and are being raised for disaster relief even today? How many
hours of private counseling have been sought? To whom do people
finally come when they realize the bankruptcy of their lives
before a holy and righteous God? There is no question that more
could have been and can be done, that there have been occasional
horrible aberrations, but no other organization anywhere at
anytime has done NEARLY as much as the church! Jesse, you're
WRONG!
But beside all that, there is an even MORE important reason
to stand up for the church: God's Word tells us to. Listen again
to what we heard in our New Testament lesson: "Let us consider
how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting
to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one
another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
I wish the NRSV translators had chosen some other word than
"provoke" - there is already enough of the wrong kind of
provocation in churches. A better rendering might be "to spur
one another on...to love and good deeds." We gather together to
remind each other what God has done for us in Jesus Christ; we
have our attention called to the things that need doing in our
world - hurricane relief, feeding programs, medical care,
spiritual development - things in which we can make a difference;
we challenge ourselves to make the improvements in our own lives
that we know would be pleasing to God.
To those who complain about the hypocrites in the church, we
say IT IS TRUE! There ARE hypocrites...along with all sorts of
other miserable sinners. But then, that is why we are here -
because we KNOW we need help. We need to be spurred on. Jesus
said, "I have come to call, not the righteous, but sinners."(7)
Saints-in-the-making, perhaps, but not yet. We need the spurs.
We are not to "neglect to meet together, as is the habit of
some." None of this "by a lake...on a hill...[or] in the
solitude of my own office," Lone Ranger approach. There is the
classic story of the fellow who, despite being deaf as a post,
showed up for worship every week, hot or cold, wet or dry,
faithful as can be. A friend asked him why, since he could not
hear anything being said or sung in the service. His response:
"I just want the world to know whose side I'm on." Good for him.
The world NEEDS that kind of witness.
Scripture says we can use our weekly gathering together for
"encouraging one another." Life can be tough. There are times
when we feel like giving up. We NEED the fellowship of caring
people to get us through difficult moments. What Jesse says
about "strength in numbers" IS true.
In years past, people turned to the church for that
fellowship, but today, less and less are doing so. Despite those
polls that consistently show Americans as exceedingly religious,
recent statistics on the number of unchurched people in this
nation make us the fifth largest mission field in the world.
Folks still need help, but they are not looking for it in the
church.
This is no trivial matter. Listen to this. In my files I
have a survey of 1,093 high school seniors taken ten years ago by
an international public relations corporation which concerned how
far these youngsters would stretch ethical standards to get ahead
in the business world. When asked if they would be willing to
face six months probation on an illegal deal in which they made
$10-million, 59% responded "Definitely yes" or "maybe;" 36% would
plagiarize to pass a certification test; 67% said they would
inflate their business expense reports; 50% of the students said
they would exaggerate on an insurance damage report; 66% said
they would lie to achieve a business objective.(8) That was ten
years ago. What do you think the results would be today? If the
mainline church, the church that provided the moral compass for
this nation during our first 200 years, continues to decline as
it has over the past generation, who will shape our nation's
values as we move into the 21st century? Jesse? I shudder to
think.
Finally, come together...church - organized religion...
because "the Day [is] approaching." For almost 2,000 years the
church has been waiting for the Lord's return. In every
generation since his ascension, many have been convinced that the
last days are just around the corner, and ours is no exception
(and even more so this year with the approach of Y2K). But, when
you think about it, whether the second coming is near or not,
your meeting and my meeting with Jesus Christ IS. Our faith is
firm that when a Christian dies, we go to be with our Lord. That
means the time is short under any circumstance. And that means
we need preparation...the preparation we get in meeting together
from week to week.
Two little boys were walking down the street and turned in
the driveway toward one lad's home. On the porch was the boy's
grandmother - it was a nice day, and she was sitting in a rocking
chair reading the Bible. The one lad asked the other, "What's
your grandmother doing?"
The boy responded, "I think she's cramming for finals."
I realize that I have been preaching to the converted this
morning. You do not agree with Jesse Ventura. After all, YOU
ARE HERE. You know that history offers no parallel to the
church. The Governor's comment gives us an opportunity to remind ourselves how important it is.
There is no question that what goes on in parliaments
and legislatures, in Congress halls and Senate chambers, is
always of importance to humanity. But when the world is out of
joint, when people's minds are muddled and their hearts are
failing them for fear, then the thing of supreme importance is
the living church, with all of her sanctuaries of worship and her
avenues of service, where men and women come to have their faith
strengthened, their thoughts clarified, their ideas uplifted,
their convictions born, and their characters created. You see
the church has introduced the world to a vision of perfection.
The church has introduced the world to Jesus Christ.
Earlier we mentioned the French sociologist Alexis de
Tocqueville who came to these shores almost 170 years ago to
study this fledgling democracy. Listen to him again: "I sought
for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious
harbours and ample rivers and it was not there. Not until I went
into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with
righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and
power."(9)
"Organized religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded
people who need strength in numbers." Really? No. This is the
LORD'S church, the Lord's WORK, it is the Lord's WORD that calls
us to fellowship. Our future...as individuals, as a nation, as a
world...depends on it. Jesse, you're wrong!
Amen? Amen!
1. http://christianity.about.com/culture/religion/christianity/library/weekly/mcurrent.htm 2. http://cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/10/01/reform.ventura.ap/index.html 3. Matt Bai, "Now He's the Man to See," Newsweek, 10/11/99, p. 37 4. Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy In America, (1835) Chapter XVII: Principal Causes
Which Tend to Maintain the Democratic Republic in the United States,
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/DETOC/religion/ch1_17.htm 5. Psalm 14:1 6. Leslie Weatherhead, The Christian Agnostic, (Nashville: Abingdon, 1965), p. 163 7. Matthew 9:13b 8. Newsweek, 10/30/89, p. 10 9. Pastor's Professional Research Service
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