Failing Pastor’s Response to Church Buildings and Jesus Statues Being Attacked

Statue Toppling is a thing again.

Iconoclasm is the official name for it, and it’s been around a long time. There is nothing new under the big ol’ sun.

It actually started with people who took the Ten Commandments seriously. “Thou shalt not make any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath.”

It actually reads pretty clear.

But people like images. We like walking by sight. God knew we’d place too much value on our statues. I think He knew they were just one more physical thing we’d fight about.

My opinion about Confederate generals or topplings of Winston Churchill statues does not matter at all. I think it’s highly silly. Inanimate objects should not cause you consternation. They can’t do anything.

They have mouths but they cannot speak, eyes but they cannot see, ears but they cannot hear. You toss one end of the log into the fire to warm yourself, and with the other end you carve an image you worship.

Allegedly, a leader of Black Lives Matter has called for people to destroy statues, stained glass windows, or murals in churches that depict Jesus looking too white.

As a Christian I’m supposed to be outraged. I heard at least one Christian say “I’ll attack anyone who threatens damage to my church building.” Sounds like Jesus to me.

The New Testament tells us to let go of the things of this earth. The Spiritual is way more important than the physical.

The world thinks buildings and statues are important, that’s why they go after them. They wouldn’t go after them if they thought they were irrelevant. This gives you a glimpse into their worldly values.

Christians, people not conformed to the world, should never have put so much value on such things to begin with. When Christians act with outrage over their stuff being destroyed, it just shows we value the same things the world does.

Imagine if Christianity actually had been letting go of the things of the earth and not seeking to set up our own earthly kingdoms. The world would have nothing to attack.

Except actual Christians, of course. Think it not strange . . .

I’m not all that concerned with churches being destroyed and statues being toppled. We weren’t supposed to be focused on those things anyway. The actual Church will be just fine.

A little bit of opposition never hurt the Church. That whole tribulation works patience, experience, and hope thing.

Let go of the earthly stuff. Let this response from the world get you to cut ties. To live your faith in such a way that there’s nothing physical they can do to thwart your faith. Cut your church’s ties to physical things. It’s sucking up way too much of our resources anyway.

I know, we won’t be as respectable. We will look silly to the world. We won’t be able to pretend to be CEO’s of massive campuses anymore. You’ll look like a failing pastor. But I bet the whole church would be better off.