Why I Continue To Go There (revisit the situation)

For all of those who ask, “Why do you continue to go there? It’s in the past. We can’t change the past.”…

The answer: The pain. I can’t get away from the pain. The pain of knowing that untruths have been told and they have severely wounded many people. The pain of knowing that some people “at the top” in this church know the truth and no one is willing to address it with the congregation. I hear church members repeating the explanations they’ve been told regarding the actions of the individuals responsible for the forced resignations of our ministers. Many of the explanations are not accurate. In some cases, they are simply untrue…a rewriting of history to cover the real story and appease those asking. Maybe I will eventually move on and not “continue to go there”, but, at this point, almost every day someone approaches me in town and tells me that they still have no idea what happened inside the church. I run into them at the grocery store, the hospital, the school and the drug store. They ask if I’m still attending the church. When I say I’m not, they proceed to tell me that they still have no idea what actually happened. They say they have asked church members they respect and not been given a straight answer. They say things like, “Well, I asked, but I didn’t get an answer…and I don’t want to be nosey.” How have we made educated adults feel so unsure of themselves in the church that they feel they are being nosey if they ask questions about what is happening in the church in which they hold a membership?  It’s handy when we can make the church members feel that difficult church business is really none of their business. That way no one will ask questions and no one will be held accountable for anything. Brilliant. But not Biblical.

I will “continue to go there” until someone is brave enough to stand up and tell the truth to the congregation…or until God takes the pain and conviction from me. I’m sure the church leadership is hoping for the latter.

 

“What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.”  Ephesians 4:25 (The Message)