Orthodoxy without Orthopraxy is Hypocrisy

Essays on
the social gospel

Can we teach an authentic Christian gospel without living an authentic Christian life? In theological terms must not orthodoxy (right teaching) include orthopraxy (right living)? In Matthew 25:1-13 Jesus encouraged us to DO something, to buy oil for our lamps rather than just sit around waiting for a heavenly oil delivery. What does it mean to buy this spiritual oil? Jesus divided what Christians DO (orthopraxy) into two areas: loving God and loving our neighbor. In practice, love for God is incomplete without love for neighbor. Acts of piety like weekly worship and daily prayers are one way to actively love God. Acts of mercy like feeding the poor are one way to actively love our neighbors. Can right teaching and right practice be separated? Jesus told the Pharisees that their orthodoxy without orthopraxy was hypocrisy (Matthew 23:1-12).

Binding & Loosing

St Paul vs
St Peter

What did Jesus mean when he gave Peter (Matthew 16:13-20) and the other disciples authority to bind and loose (Matthew 18:18)? The historical phrase binding and loosing referred to interpreting the Scriptures, not binding demons or changing the teachings of Jesus. It did not mean to add a Christian Talmud of do’s and don’ts to Jesus’ teachings or create spiritual dynasties that shut out others from the kingdom of heaven. Let’s look at Jesus’ own final instructions to those same disciples. In Matthew 28:20 he specifically told them to teach what he taught. So their authority to bind and loose did not exceed that. There was no authority to bind heavy and grievous burdens on the Church (Matthew 23:3-5). They could however, educate others how Jesus teachings applied in different cultural contexts and at different times.

Call no Man on Earth Father

What about those who were abused by a father and find it difficult or even offensive to think of God as such? What about priests who do not deserve the title father? What did Jesus mean to call no man on earth father (Matthew 23:9)? Abraham (James 2:21) and Paul (1 Corinthians 4:15) were titled father. We should honor father and mother, but none compare to God as Father. Rather than reject God as Father, we ought to learn from Him what all human fathers ought to have been. Biblical imagery is not ours to change or abolish at whim. God wants us to understand Him as our Father, not abusive us as some on earth have been, but as a wonderful Father and origin of eternal life through Christ in the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20).

Can those in Succession be Wrong

The Apostolic Succession:
In the First Two
Centuries of the Church

What is succession? It theorizes an unbroken line since the days of the Apostles. Some Baptists believe that there has always been a Christian group that practiced immersion style baptism. For seventh day churches it is the theory that there is an unbroken line of Christians who kept the seventh day Sabbath. For others it is the theory of apostolic succession, an unbroken line of ordinations from the early church. We don’t have to believe these theories, but let’s assume that one or the other is correct for the moment. Is there any guarantee in the Bible that someone in one of these successions would teach infallibly? Can those in succession be wrong? In Matthew 23:1-12 Jesus said that the scribes and Pharisees succeeded Moses and sat in his seat of authority. He also said that they were wrong.

Christianity is not a Harsh Religion

Christless Christianity:
The Alternative Gospel of
the American Church

Some teachers of Christianity require members to adhere to strict man-made rules about clothing, obligatory rituals, religious titles, ban certain foods or drinks, ban dancing, cars with any color other than black, ownership of a television or radio and other burdensome obligations. That was the kind of religion that Judeans had under the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23:1-12). All this gives outsiders the impression that Christianity must be a harsh religion. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is our interpretations of the Bible that are often harsh, not Christianity. The religion taught by Jesus Christ, when rightly interpreted is free and generous. The faith taught by the founder of Christianity frees us from heavy, cumbersome loads. It is a religion of humility where the greatest among us are not those with grandiose titles but those who serve.

Pure Religion is Living the Gospel

Living the Gospel

A misunderstanding is that the Gospel is not about religion. But that contradicts the definition in James 1:26-28. Pure religion is living the Gospel not just preaching it. It takes the Gospel seriously by loving our most vulnerable neighbors in very practical terms. Most people think that religion is the heavy burden of tradition, rituals, special clothing and holy-sounding titles. It is that “religion” that people react against when they claim that Christianity is not a religion. Let’s not be swayed by popular definitions that contradict the Bible. James’ definition of pure religion is the opposite of the religion of the Pharisees (Matthew 23:1-12). Pure religion puts the Gospel into action by relieving people of burdens. The most religious among us are not those who love rituals, but those who humble themselves and live the Gospel by serving.

Release from Heavy Burdens

Jesus on Leadership

When we read how the scribes and Pharisees burdened the people, do we then leave it as a warning for church leaders and not the rest of us (Matthew 23:1-12)? Is that fair? Could the truth be that what we see in the scribes and Pharisees is true for every human being? Our humanity brings the burden of sin. Jesus encouraged us to come to him if we are heavily laden (Matthew 11:28-30). His ministry is to give rest to those who are burdened. He will give rest to our souls. There is no rest in gossip, slander and politics. There is no rest in all the promises of infomercials on television. There is no rest in false gospels. There is rest in Jesus. He invites us to join him in a ministry of release from heavy burdens.

We are the Pharisees

Holier Than Thou:
When Faith
Becomes Toxic

Do we love to read the Bible? Do we pray? Do we love to live according to the teachings of the Bible? So did the scribes and Pharisees. If Jesus were here on earth today, would he address his criticisms of the scribes and Pharisees to us (Matthew 23:1-12)? I believe that he would. What can we learn from his penetrating assessment? Do we practice what we preach? Do we unburden people and release them from heavy loads? Do we believe that clothing is unimportant? Do we take the less important seats and offer others the better seats? If we have a title, do we not demand it or allow others to treat us the same as everyone else? Do we emphasize that we are all taught by Jesus and have God as our Father? Are we humble servants?

Bad Church Leadership

Healing Spiritual Abuse:
How to Break Free from
Bad Church Experience

How might church leaders learn from Jesus’ criticism of the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23:1-12? Bad church leadership is no different than bad Jewish leadership. The Protestant Reformation was a protest against bad leadership, but it did not solve the problem, nor did it prevent Protestant churches from also having bad leadership. Bad church leadership is hypocritical. It places heavy and cumbersome loads on peoples’ shoulders. It crushes people with unbearable religious demands. Instead of teaching God’s word as food, it loads people down like pack animals with the rules and traditions of mere men. Bad church leadership focuses more on distinctive clothing, titles and public adulation than on saving and helping people. What kind of leadership does Christ expect of leaders in the Christian community? The greatest among us are those who humbly serve and relieve burdens.

Bad Leadership Everywhere

The Dictator's
Handbook

The examples of bad leadership in Matthew 23:1-12 are not exclusive to the Church. Self-centered leadership that places heavy burdens on others is everywhere. When a bank CEO takes a quarter billion dollar bonus, a bailout from the government but asks employees to sacrifice bonuses and pay raises, that is bad leadership. When a congressional leader asks the poor to pay higher taxes than the wealthy, that is bad leadership. When the medical community demands high titles, earns among the highest incomes in our society, charges Americans twice as much as the rest of the world, yet cannot provide health care for the poor and cannot guarantee insurance coverage for every need, that is bad leadership. Bad leadership is all around us. The Church is called in the midst of all this to provide good leadership individually and collectively.

Bad Leadership Characteristics

Bad Leadership

Two main characteristics of bad leadership from Matthew 23:1-12 are that it is burdensome and self-centered. When leadership places heavy, cumbersome loads on people’s shoulders, that is bad leadership. It crushes people with unbearable demands. Instead of making life a joy, bad leaders seem to take pleasure in watching people stagger under heavy loads without lifting a finger to help. Bad leadership is also self-centered. It focuses on its own self instead of those it is called to serve. Bad leaders love to get dressed up in clothing that emphasizes their position. Bad leaders love the places of honor instead of the places of service. Instead of focusing on those they are called to help, bad leaders love to be greeted with their titles and be noticed in public. We are called to selflessly release people from their burdens.

Religious Titles

Recovering from
Religious Abuse:
11 Steps to
Spiritual Freedom

In Matthew 23:1-12 Jesus appeared to ban religious titles like Rabbi and Father. Is that true? The Gospels refer to Abraham several times as Father Abraham and Paul referred to himself as a Father in the faith. There is no contradiction here. Let’s understand that Jesus often employed what we call hyperbole, an exaggeration to make a point. In comparison to God then, no man is our father and in comparison to Jesus, we have no other teacher or rabbi, and we ought not idolize any such teacher. Jesus was condemning those who love religious titles for the purpose of self-aggrandizement and adulation. On the other hand, he recognized certain believers as spiritual fathers of the faithful. The issue here is not to create a new rule banning titles, but showing the proper honor to whom honor is due.

Burdensome & Biblical

Healing Spiritual Abuse:
How to Break Free from
Bad Church Experience

The other day I drove past a number of Bible churches and asked myself what it could mean. It could mean that the Bible is taught. But don’t all churches teach the Bible? They do. Sometimes it seems as if Christians who cry the loudest about believing the Bible are the most oppressive and burdensome. How could that be? Yet sometimes all churches, which claim to teach the Bible add cumbersome loads, heavy burdens, bundles of rules, unbearable religious demands over and above what the Bible teaches. Jesus said that his burden would be light (Matthew 11:28-30) and later contrasted that with the heavy burden of those in his day who taught the Bible (Matthew 23:1-12). Teaching the Bible does not guarantee less burden. In the hands of hypocrites who love power, it can be a greater burden.

Burdensome & Overbearing Leadership

12 Steps for the
Recovering Pharisee

How should we approach burdensome and overbearing church leadership? In Matthew 23:1-12 Jesus addressed that in the religious leadership of his day. The scribes and Pharisees sat in seats of authority which had descended from Moses. Jesus encouraged his hearers to follow what they said when they cited the Bible, but not their interpretations which were fatally flawed. Why? Because their interpretations and applications of the scriptures tied up heavy burdens upon people and they used their positions not for service but for show and prestige. The Pharisees began with good intentions, to return Israel to covenant faithfulness so that they could be blessed and freed from oppressive Roman domination. This is a warning to all who would lead churches — that Pharisaic tendency exists in all of us to turn the freedom of God’s way into a heavy burden.

When God Leaves the Building

In most churches where I've been, I have perceived that God was there. However, occasionally I have sensed that God just was not present. What would make God leave a house of worship? In Matthew 23:37-39 Jesus predicted Jerusalem's house would be abandoned. Yet, God did not leave too soon, or lightly. Jesus as God with us spoke of Jerusalem in endearing terms. How often he had wanted to gather her children and protect them, as a hen gathers her chicks.

But, Jerusalem was "heir to a tragic tradition wherein God's messengers were persecuted and killed."* As a result, the House of God would become abandoned. Are there conditions upon which God would return? Would those be similar conditions whereby he would return to a church that he had left? For I tell you this, you won't ever see me again until you say, "Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD!" That's what Jesus said.

* Hagner, D. A. (2002). Vol. 33B: Word Biblical Commentary : Matthew 14-28. Word Biblical Commentary (680). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.

A City Judged

The old saying that you are either for us or against us is frequently a false dichotomy. Often there are other options like neutrality. In cases where there are genuinely only two options, it is not a false dilemma but a truism. In eternity, there will be no neutral choice between good and evil, no loving both forever. That’s why Jesus could say, he that is not against us is for us in Luke 9:50, but when George Bush said, you’re either with us or against us in 2001, emotionally it was powerful, but logically it was a false dichotomy.

With that thought in mind, perhaps we can better understand Jesus’ condemnation of a whole city. Jerusalem had harbored those who murdered the prophets, without punishing them, and would soon condone the crucifixion of the Son of God. Jerusalem’s corporate failure to respond to God would be the cause of her punishment. “You were not willing.” That’s what Jesus said.

Disasters of Hypocrisy #7

It was not just ancient Israelites who killed the Old Testament prophets. It was not just the Jews and Romans who victimized early Christians. It was not just the Catholic Church which consented to the murder of martyrs. It has also been Protestants who persecuted Catholics and Orthodox who still mistreat Protestants. We cannot point a finger without pointing it at our own sins. Despite our protests, are we any different?

Rather than identifying with the evils of Christian history, are we like the Pharisees who deceived themselves that they were different? Rather than confess our sins, do we live in denial? In Matthew 23:29-36 Jesus condemned religious leaders who would become involved not only his own crucifixion, but also the martyrdom of his followers. If it is possible for very dedicated and devout people to kill and crucify, scourge, and persecute God’s prophets, what about us? How have we treated the prophets, wise men and scribes sent by Jesus?

Disasters of Hypocrisy #6

Whitewashing a wall has taken on color in recent years. One original purpose of whitewash was to cover up structural defects. Similarly, Jesus accused the Pharisees in Matthew 23:27-28 of being like whitewashed tombs – clean looking on the outside, but full of bones and unclean dead bodies on the inside. Outside they gave people the appearance of keeping the law, but in reality, their fastidiousness with the letter of the law, made them lawbreakers, because they broke the spirit of the law.

It is part of our society to put on a brave face. But, in reality we can be dying on the inside. I have been to churches where if you wore a sad face you were sharply criticized for not "smiling in God's house." The idea must be that Christians never suffer and must therefore always be smiling. That is of course not reality. A whitewashed pretentiousness is not what God wants at all. That's what Jesus said.

Disasters of Hypocrisy #5

Image is important to churches. We want to be well thought of in the community and that can be a good thing. However, there is a far more important factor that can be neglected if we focus on outward appearance. Our inner spiritual lives suffer when doing church things becomes too burdensome and time-consuming.

Usually it is the wonderfully dedicated who are most prone to burn out, because they spend the most time in helping do the busy work that churches require. That can be building maintenance, music practice, flower arranging, and involvement in community charities with no end in sight. God's business can easily become big business with its incessant demands on time, talent and treasure.

The inside, family and spiritual lives suffer under overly demanding church responsibilities. This was also a problem for the Pharisees in Matthew 23:25-26. First clean the inside of the cup, so that its outside may be clean as well. That's what Jesus said.

Disasters of Hypocrisy #4

A waitress once remarked to us that the worst customers of the week in her restaurant, the ones that complained the most and tipped the least, were the Sunday-after-church people. We are focused on doing religious stuff but easily forget that true religion is to love our neighbor. We strain out an unclean gnat but miss the bigger picture, the unclean camel.

This is as bad as the Pharisees who were exceptionally fastidious in tithing of minutia such as mint, dill and cumin, but neglected weightier matters. Jesus complimented them for tithing, a requirement under the law, but condemned them for neglecting justice, mercy and faithfulness.

Perhaps counting mint leaves for an offering is not our focus, but we can easily be overly concerned with religious trivia of other sorts – worship methods, insignificant traditions, icons that are not painted just right, liturgical minutiae and so on. Let's not forget important things like justice, mercy and faithfulness. That's what Jesus said.