Bullies in the Church

I am particularly bad at tolerating some peculiarities in people.  It is a shameful confession to make.  By now I ought to be the poster adult for patience, and kindness, and understanding.  But alas no, I am a very slow study.  When people whine, or repeat themselves, or tell a story the same way Billy used to wander in Family Circle, it requires unceasing prayer to keep me from saying any of the things I think.  I worry that one day the filters that keep me from being ostracized, or locked up in the jacket with the real long sleeves, will be gone and in the middle of Walmart it will all roll out of my head.  Oh Lord, save me from such a moment.

Mostly, I am able to keep my lip zipped.  I know this is the highest and best, so I strive for at least silence if I cannot keep my mind nice.  However, I have no ability to withhold my thoughts when it comes to bullies.  I can not tolerate bullying for any reason under the sun.  If I see it, I am going to respond to it, even if doing so is clearly a really stupid thing to do.  I can't help it!  The injustice rolls over me in such a wave, I could no more ignore bullying than go immediately to the moon.  I have done all manner of dangerous things in response to a bully, including chasing one down the streets in Pittsburgh, or running my car right smack dab into a mob that was beating the snot out of a young man, or yelling at the drunk to move his car, when he was blocking the rest of us so his friends could get out.  These were all dopey things, but I am confident that if I were to come upon this again, I would probably react in the same way. 

Okay, I might not.  Now that I am a mature Christian, I probably wouldn't say to the man, with the car blocking my lane,  "listen, loser, move it or gather it up in an envelope and mail it home".   I see now that this is unkind and not helpful.  I might now say something like, "Sir, could you please move your car so that we might all have the opportunity to bless one another by offering hospitality?", which I suspect would be responded to in the same manner the first sentence was.  Maybe with more hostility, though.  I think that man believed I might put his car in an envelope and mail it home.  At the time, I thought so too.

The church is just filled to over flowing with bullies.  They are in all shapes and sizes, all ages and stages.  They hint they will be unable to support a program, or a pastor, or a person if they do not get what they want.  They are sometimes vague and gentle, sometimes loud and rude, sometimes covert, sometimes overt.  The bottom line is they force their own way by using whatever power base at their disposal and they succeed.  The church falls down like a house of cards, because they fear the consequences of what might happen if they don't.  This is so bad for the church, and so bad for the bullies.  Worse, it is so unfaithful.

So what to do, what to do, what to do.  I am sure that there has to be a happy place between me bullying bullies, and others letting the bullies win.  I know I am in the wrong, I know others are in the wrong.  So dear ones, how do we find that place where we can be faithful together?  If we are ever going to find the way, the time is now.  The world needs us to be the kind of people who truly can love everyone and stand up and do what Jesus asked us to do.  Bullies need to know that they will find love in the church, but not power.  People who cave have to know that they will find love in the church and the power of the Holy Spirit that will enable them to stand.  We will all win, when we remember that winning in the Kingdom is less about triumphing and more about surrendering. 

Losing your life to find it, loving others, and staying at peace as far as it depends on us is really hard work.  I wouldn't recommend it at all if it weren't for this:  Jesus said so.  That must mean something vitally important.  So, my sisters and brothers in the faith, let us stand together, and sacrifice together, and speak the truth in real love not pretend spirituality.  Let us hope that God will make us a means of grace that changes the hearts of those bullies in the church, and the hurting in the world.  More than 2000 years later, we stand with a great host of witnesses shouting encouragement.  If I can do it, anyone can.