 | The Reverend Doctor Cathy Northrup was born in Ft. Meade, MD, and was raised in a variety of places in the United State and Germany, as her father was in Counter Intelligence with the Army. She graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN, with a double major in English and Religion. She graduated from Georgetown Law Center in Washington, DC, and practiced law with the Federal Reserve Board for a number of years before attending Union Theological Seminaryin Richmond, VA. She graduated from Union, and served several churches in North and South Carolina, at the same time obtaining her Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ. Dr. Northrup is currently the Pastor/Head of Staff of First Presbyterian Church, Wichita, KS. She is married and has two black Labrador dogs who were rescued from abusive situations. You can contact Dr. Northrup at cnorthrup@firstpresbywichita.org or by phone at (316) 263-0248, ext. 26. |
Religion
2007-05-01 10:29:00
How can one best explain, it’s a mortal and not the Church?
There are a lot of good members of the clergy, and there are a few ‘bad apples’ among them. Why is it that, when a member of the clergy of one faith does something wrong, some people immediately condemn the faith of the offender? How can one best explain that the infraction was committed by a mortal, and not the Church of the cleric?
Christians understand that all human beings are sinners. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. This certainly includes members of the clergy and all those in positions of leadership in the church.
Often when people refer to a sin by a church leader, the sin is a “warm sin,” that is, a sin associated with the “sins of the flesh” like adultery. Or, the sin has to do with money, that is, a church leader uses church funds improperly or outright steals money. These kinds of sins are pretty visible sins and are easily condemned. This is to say it can be easy for others to say, “I have not committed adultery or taken money that is mine, so I have a right to judge those who do!”
Further, those who are suspicious of church leaders seem to like to see them fall, pointing out their sins, saying in a way, “See? I told you so!”
Church leaders are also subject to other sins as well, sins that perhaps aren’t so “warm” or “fleshy” or “visible.” Many church leaders are guilty of pride or arrogance, just as many church leaders in Jesus’ day were. These sins are perhaps less visible, and people are less willing to name them. One reason is that people like their leaders to be confident, and there can be a fine line between confidence and pride.
Also, it is harder to condemn the sins you see in yourself in others.
It is perhaps true that in some cases church leaders are in fact especially susceptible to sin. Most work very hard and can rationalize their sin, saying, “I work hard, I’m a good person, I’m not always appreciated, I DESERVE this little sin!” Or, church leaders can find themselves put on a pedestal they do not want to be on, and their sin is almost a kind of “cry for help.”
It is probably true as well, however, that church leaders do bear a kind of special responsibility to seek not to sin for they are, whether they like it or not, role models and examples for many in their churches.
Do we question our whole system of justice when a lawyer breaks the law? Do we question our medicine when chemotherapy doesn’t work for a doctor? So in the same way, we should recognize that when a church leader sins, this does not negate the faith or doctrine in which the leader stands. It means rather that the person is a sinner, and one could say that the sin actually proves the point that we all are sinners! It may also mean the person is experiencing unhealthy pressure from themselves or others, and does not have a healthy way to deal with that. Hopefully, these kinds of situations can be addressed before they result in sin. Once the sin has occurred, however, it must be dealt with. The Biblical method of gentle confrontation and accountability, and increasing confrontation should the sinner deny the sin, is the preferable way to deal with the sin. In the Presbyterian Church (USA), church leaders are specifically subject to The Rules of Discipline.
These rules are to be exercised as a dispensation of mercy and not of wrath. The goal is to restore the sinner, not to condemn them.
