Now, concerning the (seed) sown on rocky ground: it is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, but it does not take root. It is temporary. When trial or persecution comes because of the word, it causes that one to stumble immediately (Matt 13:20-21)

I wonder whether it is more accurate to describe the church today as shrinking or to appeal to the old distinction between the “visible” and the “invisible” church invoked frequently during the Reformation. Then, it referred to the supposed distinction between the members of an institutional church, which may include some who have not truly taken up the cross of discipleship, on the one hand, and the totality of those who have done so. In a series of recent conversations, pastors and members of churches have raised the subject of the limited character of the commitment to the radical call of Christ that many, if not most, church members demonstrate.

Matthew’s Gospel, in particular, offers a number of texts, some troubling, that anticipate situations in which the distinction between apparent believers and true believers may apply.  In Matt 7:22-23, Jesus contrasts the fates of those who openly profess faith in Christ but do not do Christ’s teachings with their opposites. In a close parallel (Matthew 25:30-46), Jesus further specifies what it means to “do” as he teaches:  namely, to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to welcome strangers, and to visit the sick and those in prison.  The Parable of the Sower cited above (Matt 13), which has always posed a problem for my Baptist belief in the “perseverance of the saints” (can the faith that saves begin its work only to fail?), compares the faith of some to seed sown in shallow soil.  It sprouts, but does not take root (lit. “there is no root in him”).

I do not intend or desire to pronounce judgment on the validity of anyone’s faith. At the same time, however, Jesus frequently urged his followers to beware of those who are not what they would have one to believe (i.e. “wolves in sheep’s clothing,” Matt 7:15). Consequently, while I cannot know anyone in the way that God, who is their Judge, knows them, I can observe that many of those sitting in the pews of American churches blame the hungry, the thirsty, and the naked for their plight rather than seeking to help them. Many American Christians understand the phrase “God Bless America” to mean that God has privileged and will continue to privilege Americans over others, often with the implication that God does so because we have earned it, rather than blessing American Christians to be a source of blessing, the salt and light of the world. Similarly, the purpose of the church is not primarily to “meet the needs” of its individual members. Surely, the body of Christ must care for its members, but it does must do so in great part so that the body of Christ in the world can bring to the world healing and solace; redemption and reconciliation; and hope, peace, and love.

Outsiders see the church as a social entity comprised of like-minded, like-race, individuals who value the maintenance of the status quo, the entertainment quality of worship services, and the attainment of middle class security.  Nothing in this vision of church bespeaks the radical change Jesus brings to human lives. Nothing in it announces the call to Christ-like servanthood. Nothing in it points beyond the egocentrism of modern consumer culture.

Just after Jesus proclaimed the foundation of the church upon the rock of faith like Peter’s, he explained further that such faith would require a believer to “take up her cross and follow [Jesus],” to forfeit his life in order to save it (Mark 8:34-35). Are today’s church rolls populated with the names of people who have turned their faith outward toward helping, healing, and making disciples?

In sum, I wonder how many of the people who burgeoned in mid-20^th century churches passed Jesus’ test of fruit-bearing.  It may be that the church today is experiencing the pruning away of unfruitful branches that Jesus described to his disciples in the last days of his life (John 15:5-8). If my hunch is correct, the church, the body of Christ in the world, will soon begin again to bear authentic testimony, in word and deed, to the radical reconfiguration of individuals and society that will mark the coming of the Kingdom of God.