I remember cringing through my Medieval History course at my public college. It was my first glance at the history of the church through a Secular University textbook and lecture. Every class that discussed the church's past made me wonder what everyone else was thinking. Were they thinking, "Yeah, those Christians were pretty messed up." Or, "That's why I don't want anything to do with Church." It was the only class I remember feeling like I was walking on eggshells when I wanted to ask questions because although I didn't mind standing for what I believed, the history of what I believed seemed almost, well, unbelievable.
Years later, I have now completed a course in the history of the church for my ministry class. This class gave a fair view of the good, the bad, and even the ugly of church history. It covered the initial spreading of the Gospel at Pentecost to the abuse of power from popes, kings, and even monks. The history of the church may be messy but at the end of the day what blows my mind is that no matter how humans have failed, God's Word cannot be stopped. In every period of the churches history there have been those individuals that raged against the machine. Those people who knew the gospel for themselves that I believe kept the truth of God's World alive. I think that aspect is key. Yes, the history is messy but there is something that proves to me that the Word of God is powerful! You see that Christianity experienced some of it's greatest strides once the Bible was mass printed in a language common people could understand. Reformers like John Wycliffe, John Hus, and Martin Luther stood up against church corruption and humanistic theology. These reformers looked at the Bible for themselves and the Holy Spirit showed them that what was going on didn't line up with God's original intentions for His children. Because of these few good men, Christianity has come to be a relationship based religion rather than a belief people carry around in their back pockets available for use when needed.
It leads me to wonder who will be the reformers of our time. In America, we certainly don't face any terrible religious injustices. We are not forced by the government to believe in a particular way and our church and state are "separate". However what I see on the horizon in my generation are people who are starting to discount the Word of God and trade it for seeking spirituality however they can get it. Sort of a new-age feel to what people believe. God is everywhere, in everything, and is everyone (whatever that means). People sit in corners of coffee houses and "discuss" what they "think" about theology, dogma, and God. They share, discuss, and even debate about all kinds of topics of faith. But at their core, these are people's opinions. As you can see from the history of the church, when you step away from the Word of God and following what it says, you get people leading with false doctrine such as the idea of indulgences. Opinions don't set drug addicts free. Opinions don't raise the dead or heal the sick. Opinions are a lazy religion that lead to a powerless future church.
But if the history of the church can be so messed up and yet survive with the reformers who step up, it makes me wonder if I can make a difference. Can I be a reformer? As I write children's ministry curriculum it makes me ask myself, how can I encourage the kids that are growing up now to realize the power and importance of the Bible? How can I communicate the unlimited wisdom and power from God's living Word? But as long as I'm in the Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to teach and encourage me, I know that I can make a difference. And although I probably won't end up in church history textbook like Martin Luther, I'm going to do my very best rage against the machine of scriptural apathy. I'm going to use what I have to make a difference for the future of our faith.
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