I write that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the ground and pillar of truth. (1 Tim 3v15)
Since the Great Renaissance, the role of the church in the modern world has been under fierce contestation. Many in the Western world today consider it an anachronistic institution that is out of touch with modern realities. This is ironic considering how eminently indebted Western civilisation is to the church. This flawed narrative wouldn’t be so tragic if the message had not been so deeply internalised by the church1 itself.
This idea has been so pervasive that the ascent of modernity has consistently coincided with the withdrawal of the church from the marketplace of ideas, often with devastating consequences. Along with this withdrawal has been a tragic departure of the light of moral clarity and truth, which the church is uniquely positioned to proclaim and model. This has left a dark shadow over a contemporary culture that cannot but disintegrate under the weight of moral relativism.
The reality is that the church is as essential to the destiny of the nations as it has ever been. Perhaps, given the ubiquitous moral malaise and consequent drift of the nations, it might be argued that its role is more crucial in these times than ever before.
Despite its marginalisation, self-inflicted or otherwise, the church can draw encouragement that its role is ultimately not defined by vacillating whims of the ages but rather its divinely instituted status as the “ground and pillar of truth”.
It is the church alone that carries the divine mandate to “disciple” and to teach the nations. While the marriage of the institutional church and political governance has been shown to be historically problematic, the church’s responsibility as a prophetic voice, moral conscience and developer of leaders should never be disputed or ceded.
The source of the church’s authority is divine and its mandate includes faithfully and fearlessly proclaiming the word of God to the nations - a simple act of incalculable power. The divine authority of the bible is evidenced by its unrivalled ability to diagnose the human condition as well as its unparalleled remedy for its ills. Any reading of scripture will confirm its uncanny ability to pierce the heart as far as “the division of soul and spirit,” “judging the thoughts and intentions of the heart”, always with incisive precision.
The human heart might perhaps be considered as what most profoundly defines our humanity. Technological and scientific advancement of modern man can never be disputed, but these gains have failed to relieve the human heart of the dilemmas that have afflicted it from time immemorial. It is in the human heart that love, peace and self-control reside, as do such vices as hatred, greed, selfishness and pride.
These vices are directly attributable for much of the tragedies in the catalogue of human history, including the prejudice, pride, hatred and bitterness that have proven such obstinate obstacles in the quest for genuine reconciliation in post-apartheid South Africa.
The South African constitution has received countless reviews over the years. While this might be so, its glaring failure to precipitate desperately needed moral renewal has ironically starkly exposed the limitations of political institutions and laws. Countless examples can be cited, but for our purposes, I will only highlight its failure to effectively advance the quest for true national reconciliation despite the loftiness of its ideals.
The reason is simple, institutions and laws, as critical as they are in the effective functioning of nations, are ill equipped to deal what lies at the centre of most of national problems – the ineradicable corruption of the human heart. The gospel message is the perfect and unique cure for this intrinsic problem as it promises a new heart for the believer, and with it a fundamental transformation of values and motivations.
The church alone has been given stewardship of the gospel message, which therefore secures its indispensability in the quest for morally sound and therefore sustainable civilisations. Thus even with the vexing issue of ethnic reconciliation, our nation continues to battle in vain because at its core are problematic heart attitudes, for which laws, even good laws, are a powerless antidote. The church therefore has an unrivalled role to play even in this critical issue.
Humanism and its proponents might purport undying commitment to the idea of equality2. The problem with this claim is that it leaves the fundamental question jarringly unanswered: “says who?”
If a man bestows equality, this same man, to have such authority, must necessarily be “more equal than others”, which is, of course, a fundament contradiction. Indeed, it’s not inconceivable that the same man might one day change his mind. Also, lest we forget, the universal acceptance, in theory at least, of the principle of equality of people is a fairly recent phenomenon in human history.
The message entrusted to the church on the other hand advocates the inherent equality of all people, based on the premise that all mankind is created in the image of God. Thus man carries a dignity that is not based on any of the observable measures commonly used to judge the worth of people such as, colour, ethnicity, education, personality, gender, intelligence, athletic prowess and physical beauty. Human dignity is therefore fundamental and independent of prevailing sociological ideas - because no man bestows it, no man can take it away.
It is clear of course that the moral authority of the church and its effectual influence in society will depend on its ability to authenticate its claims by embodying the message it propagates. The word must become flesh. It is imperative that the world not merely hears the church’s message; it must see it being demonstrated.
It should be highlighted that authenticity is not synonymous with perfection. The reality is that the message is still carried in “jars of clay”, vessels that are marred by the humbling imprints of imperfection. Nevertheless, history provides indisputable evidence that when the church does not distinguish between, “Greek and Jew, circumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman”, society soon takes notice and the world is “turned upside-down.”
1 The use of the word church is in its broader meaning, which includes both the institutional church that consists of its governing structure and ministries as well as the essential church, which encapsulates all redeemed people of God.
2 I refer exclusively to the principle of equality in inherent worth or the principle of ontological equality, which makes room for differentiated functions and expressions as outlined in scripture.
