EDITORIAL: Catholics, Kerry & church discipline_61404
Posted: 6/11/04
EDITORIAL:
Catholics, Kerry & church discipline
Pity Catholics in this election year. They're divided over whether politicians who support abortion rights and/or gay marriage should receive Communion (what most Baptists call the Lord's Supper). And for Catholics, it's not just a ceremony tacked onto the end of worship service once a quarter. Taking Communion is understood as central to being Catholic–and obtaining salvation.
If a bishop were to deny the “body and blood of Christ” to John Kerry due to his support for abortion rights, the results would reverberate spiritually and politically. Imagine the anguish of rejection by your own church. Imagine the fallout if Catholic voters feared a similar fate for supporting a fallen candidate.
Such censure does not await George Bush. One reason is because he agrees with the Catholic hierarchy on those issues. Another is because he's beyond their reach. Protestants don't believe the Roman Catholic Church can dispense or withhold God's grace. So, while the Catholic bishops' implied support may be politically comforting, the threat of their disapproval (he does counter their teaching on capital punishment) is not spiritually daunting.
Beyond politics, the Catholic/Kerry issue raises a question not discussed much anymore: What about church discipline?
Some observers claim the Roman Catholic Church has no business casting judgments on politicians' positions. Similarly, many people today insist a congregation does not have the right to judge its members' behavior, or certainly not to take public action regarding that behavior.
But that's not what Jesus said. He provided a four-part plan for disciplining a sinner (Matthew 18). “Reprove him in private,” counsel with him in the company of two or three believers, take him before the entire church and, if he remains unrepentant, “let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax gatherer.”
In generations past, church discipline–often known as “churching”–gained a horrible reputation. At least to outsiders, it appeared harsh and unfeeling, bent on vengeance and retribution. It seemed more about law than grace, more about judgment than redemption.
But if we accept the broad counsel of Jesus' teaching, we would do well to return to some form of accountability to the fellowship of faith.
To begin, we must look at Jesus' purpose–to redeem the sinner and return the person to fellowship. Jesus said the one without sin should throw the first stone of punishment (John 8). None of us is sinless, so we must approach each other humbly, with pure hearts. And then he said an unrepentant sinner should “be to you as a Gentile and a tax gatherer.” Imagine how a Jew in Jesus' day would feel if he were treated like that. He would want desperately to rejoin the family, to feel accepted again. Jesus' way does not seek humiliation; it provides “tough love” incentive for repenting and returning home.
Let's be honest. Huge business scandals revolve around church folks. Our divorce rates and incidents of extramarital affairs are virtually identical to society's. Other moral and ethical lapses abound, even if they don't make the evening news.
We need accountability and discipline in our churches. In an age of lawsuits and media hype, churchwide trials aren't the way. But our churches should emphasize caring, intentional small-group accountability, nurture and discipline.
–Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com