From the Pastor's Study
From the Pastor’s Study
Mother and Teacher
Feb 16, 2022
It has been nearly 1700 years since Christianity in the West went from being a persecuted religion to becoming the favoured religion. Under Emperor Constantine, who had a vision of a cross before he went into a battle, Christianity gained prominence in Europe, parts of Asia and Northern Africa. For the first 700 years the church was united, centered in Rome and led by the Bishop of Rome, who we now know as the Pope.
Much has changed over the centuries. About 1000 years ago, the one church divided into two branches, the East and the West, the eastern church becoming known as the Orthodox Church and the western church as the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church experienced more division 500 years ago as the Reformation took hold in northern Europe. Today, instead of there being just one united church there are tens of thousands of different denominations all working separately from each other. The splintering continues.
For centuries, the Christian church, even in its splintered form, held a position of great power in the west. Europe was predominantly Christian, and all decisions were made with the oversight and blessing of the church. In the southern part of Europe the Roman Catholic Church influenced political decisions while in the northern countries the various Protestant churches exerted their influence on every sphere of life. While this did create a pseudo-Christian society, we lament that much was done in the name of Jesus Christ that was completely against the teachings of Scripture. Some of own spiritual ancestors, the Reformers, allowed people who disagreed with them to be burned at the stake and encouraged the drowning of those who were rebaptized. Further, political decisions, while disguised as being of a Christian nature, were, in fact, completely contrary to what Jesus taught. Lands were conquered and people were made slaves all in the name of Jesus. As a powerful force among the power structures of the west, the church committed some grievous sins. Still and all, Christianity had a strong and positive influence on the development of western culture.
In the past century or so that has changed rapidly. Today, in the West, the church has virtually no voice, and decision makers do not consider what Scripture might have to say to their situations. The church has lost its voice and the church has lost its power.
In the early 1960s, recognizing that the voice of the church was becoming muted, the Roman Catholic Church made a very significant strategic decision. Having lost its ability to influence political, social, and economic life, the leaders of the RCC asked themselves what God’s calling was for the church. They concluded that the church still had opportunity to be very influential, but in an entirely different way. The leaders of the RCC said that the church, in order to be God’s voice to the world, needed to change its focus and begin to act as a mother and a teacher.
In the 1960s the role of a mother was quite defined: mothers were seen as nurturers who had great influence over their children in the home. Mothers prepared meals, bought and mended the clothes, bandaged skinned knees, and ensured that their children were well-cared for. Teachers, in their role, not only taught children math and English and science, but also were role models for the children in their classroom, mentoring the children under their care so that they could grow into well-rounded individuals.
The pope of that time encouraged the leaders of local congregations to take seriously the church’s role as mother and teacher. The church, he said, is called to nurture its members and those in the larger community by providing spiritual and physical care for all, and it is to teach both those inside the church and outside the ways of the Lord.
There is wisdom in what the pope said. For all the centuries that the church in the west held a dominate position, it tended to impose its will on the people. That can no longer be. It must be said, however, that although the church cannot be governor and ruler, it’s influence on the world can be much stronger. For this reason alone, instead of lamenting the loss of governing influence, we can rejoice that a new way to impact the world is being emphasized.
I am reflecting on this because of something that I read recently about the Protestant branch of the Christian church in the west, especially its conversative evangelical wing. Evangelicals are becoming rather militant as they seek to regain the power that the church has lost. We are not used to having no influence in the normal powerful ways. Many branches of evangelicalism are seeking to regain an authoritative voice by demanding positions of influence among the power structures of our world. They want to return to the old ways.
In this, the rather vocal branches of evangelicalism might be better served to silence themselves and listen to the Roman Catholics. Without question, the church will never regain its position of influence and power that it once held, and while we may lament that, we do not need to be dismayed. If we take upon ourselves the roles of mother and teacher, how much greater our influence can be. After all, isn’t it true that our mothers and teachers had far more influence on us than our Prime Ministers and governors?
Pastor Gary
