The Church’s double-standard?

It’s been a startling trend in the community of believers. A dangerous trend.

As I mentioned before, I was required to read The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer for my course. Now some people have concerns about Bonhoeffer’s theology as a whole because of some questions about his stance on Scripture and salvation in particular. However, he has some great things to say in this book.

In the very first chapter, he starts talking about monasteries. At a time when the visible church was becoming more worldly, some rebelled and tried to live a life of discipleship. Of course, many of these early monasteries were actually missionary training centres. Famous places such as Iona became sending agencies for missionaries. (Saint) Patrick set up centres all over Ireland, training missionaries and sending them out to proclaim the Gospel.

But then, something began to happen. Bonhoeffer writes: Monasticism was represented as an individual achievement which the mass of the laity could not be expected to emulate. By thus limiting the application of the commandments of Jesus to a restricted group of specialists, the Church evolved the fatal conception of the double standard – a maximum and minimum standard of Christian obedience.

Sound like anything Jesus had to deal with? Yes, the Pharisees had a lot in common with double standard concept. They created a whole host of man-made laws that were supposed to represent spirituality. They were the religious specialists – not everyone could hope to be that spiritual. By just being there they actually served as an excuse for everyone else – a standard so high that not everyone need bother trying to attain it (Matt 23:4). Instead, the Pharisees were leaders of the pack.

Did they come to mind, or did something more modern? As missionaries, we’ve seen hints of this attitude. The attitude that missionaries are the super-holy ones who are doing the dirty (yet very spiritual) work for everyone else. As long as our church is sending a little money to the missionaries, we’re doing our part. Of course, not everyone can be expected to take their spiritual life that far.

What a lie! Jesus never called a few missionaries or pastors to be the ones to be disciples. He called everyone! If you’re under the misconception, let me set you right – missionaries are not better disciples than everyone else. We are all called to leave all for Christ – to take up our cross and follow Him.

Are we creating in our minds a set of impossible (man-made) standards that must be perfectly obeyed before you can be considered a disciple? Are pastors and teachers and missionaries leaving the impression that they are super-Christians? Are they setting up a set of man-made standards as requirements for discipleship? Are we leaving the impression that there are “minimum and maximum” requirements for discipleship? God forbid!

We are all called to be disciples. Period. There are no spiritual “classes”. Just because some go as missionaries to another culture does not release everyone else from their responsibility to Jesus, and it does not release us all from our responsibility to reach the world for Christ. It also doesn’t automatically make the missionary a spiritual giant. Please, let us pray for one another, support one another and love one another. And let’s be accountable to the One who counts – Jesus Christ.

Bonhoeffer leaves us with one more thought, about Martin Luther. Luther was himself a monk, hoping to achieve a spirituality and the favour of God. But his biggest challenge was still ahead. “The renunciation he made when he became a monk was child’s play compared with that which he had to make when he returned to the world”.

When we leave behind our comfortable ideas of what spirituality is, and take the risk to follow Christ in this world (as all believers must do), that’s when the real challenge and adventure begins. We leave behind our comparisons with others, the accomplishments of others, and even our own accomplishments and spirituality, and we look to Jesus and begin to walk in His footsteps. We don’t know where He will lead, or what He will ask of us. We just trust Him. And that is discipleship.

What do you think? Do we have a double standard today? Stop by and leave your comments!