The Misplaced Arrogance of Mainline/Progressive Christian Institutions
As Progressive and/or Mainline Christians we often criticize Evangelical and more conservative Christians for their hypocrisy. We point out again and again how conservative Christians either often fail outright to care for the marginalized and poor or they do so with some other ulterior motive in mind: such as a desire to gain more political power.
And let me be clear, I am not saying we shouldn’t critique more conservative Christians especially when their theological and political beliefs actively cause harm. But the reality is that Progressive Christians, aren’t exactly perfect. How many Mainline Christian organizations pride themselves on being progressive: they claim to care about racial justice, they will have pages upon page on their website talking about how they seek to bring healing and justice to a hurting world and yet when one actually spends time with the organization/congregation, one realizes that there is a disconnect between the reality and how the organization presents itself.
On the surface, they appear to be doing the good work of the sheep: visiting the imprisoned, clothing the naked, and providing drink and food for the hungry and thirsty. And I don’t want to deny the good works they are doing but when one pokes a little bit deeper, one sees how quickly things fall apart.
They preach about providing spaces of hospitality and compassion, yet they foster an environment of disrespect and hostility. They talk about working with God to co-create a world of justice and equality, but a core part of justice and equality requires accountability, and in these spaces, one finds that accountability is nothing more than a buzzword. In practice, individuals are allowed to cause harm and those who are harmed have no recourse but to remove themselves from toxic situations.
Or they may ride on the coattails of a denomination that preaches economic justice and yet they sit on a multi-million-dollar endowment and pay their workers at best minimum wage. Apparently, economic justice is for the corporations and the government, but not for the Church. And here’s the thing: I’m not talking about a specific organization. If I talked to my family and friends: they would each name a different organization or church that I could be referring to and they would be correct. (I’m sure some may believe they are the sole subject of this post and be offended. My response is best captured by this Taylor Swift and Carly Simon video. )
Progressive Christian nonprofits and Churches are collapsing and many want to name every reason under the sun but themselves: they blame the decline of their congregations and the aging of the population, they point to the economic downturn, or they groan over the fact that people have more options in which to spend their time and money and congregations and religious nonprofits are competing with each other and with sports, with work, with entertainment etc.
But here’s the thing, while there is truth in all of those reasons: the heart of the matter is that Progressive and/or Mainline Christian institutions are in practice, not much better than their Evangelical counterparts. And more and more people are recognizing that because the church is no longer the only game in town to gain purpose and meaning, they do not have to put up with an institution that is increasingly failing so many people.
A lot of Mainline and/or Progressive institutions think that not being Evangelical is enough to attract people disillusioned withChristianity. They claim, “look we aren’t the same. We offer an alternative.” And in theory they do: they say the right things: they have beautiful statements regarding racial justice, they promote a theology that is queer affirming, and they take an expansive view of the Bible, but when one gets involved with their congregation or nonprofit it becomes obviously fairly quickly that perhaps the sheep are in fact really goats.
They don’t preach an eternal hell, but they foster an environment that is a living hell for their members/workers. They preach beautiful sermons about caring for the poor and marginalized, but the poor and marginalized always seem to be outside of their walls. They never seem to be within, which means one of two things: they aren’t actually as hospitable as they like to think they are or two, they are reducing the poor and marginalized within their congregation and nonprofit to silence. Obviously, no one goes into nonprofit or church work to be rich, but if those dedicating their time and labor are destitute while the congregation is still relatively wealthy, then that’s an issue.
Those who are leaving Mainline and Progressive Christian institutions may be turning to the Evangelical Church, but more often they are simply leaving and walking out because Mainline and Progressive Christian institutions are marred by the same dysfunction and hypocrisy they claim is the purview of conservative institutions, but Mainline and Progressive institutions offer very little in return. At least in Evangelical circles, one could argue that one gets a variety of benefits: eternal salvation (allegedly), a sense of purpose, a ready-made community. But Mainline and Progressive Christian institutions don’t offer the same sense of purpose and community, not anymore.
Mainline and Progressive Christian congregations and nonprofits view Matthew 25:31-46 as vindication and proof that they are “better” than their conservative and Evangelical counterparts. They assume they are the sheep who will be praised by God while their Evangelical counterparts are the goats to be held accountable for their inaction. But that arrogance doesn’t match the lived experience of too many people who have been wounded by these so-called enlightened institutions.
Image: a woman with her hands entwined in prayer. Text: Mainline and Progressive Christian congregations and nonprofits...assume they are the sheep who will be praised by God... But that arrogance doesn’t match the lived experience of too many people who have been wounded by these so called enlightened institutions