The Hypocrites in My Church

One of the most common criticisms I hear about churches and church-goers is the number of hypocrites in their midst. In churches are people who are judgmental, narcissistic, fair-weather blowhards who praise on Sunday and sin their way out of the parking lot.

I can't speak for other churches, but I know that's true in my church. The flawed faithful fill the building for Bible classes and services, for AWANA and youth group and prayer team meetings, steeped in their own sin.

I know this because I am there. My wife is there. Our children are there. Our friends and their children and their friends and neighbors are all there, and we are all far less than we believe we should be, far less than we are called to be, far less than the example set by a God we say we revere. We are hypocrites, all of us. And I am glad I'm there every time I enter the building.

Here's the thing: The broken souls in the church are not a representation of Christ, but a representation of how badly we need Christ. The warts in humanity that you see in churches shouldn't be a deterrent, but an encouragement: "I belong! There are other people who can't get life figured out; who get a whole lot wrong; who make mistakes, often very public ones, and know that something is missing." Writes Anthony Thiselton, "The church is a school for sinners, not a museum for saints."

The hypocrites in my church volunteer their time to put my children on their lap and read to them, or give them a bag of candy the week before Halloween, or put together one more craft project that they can't wait to tell me about. The hypocrites in my church make coffee and clean toilets and stack chairs so that I can be comfortable on Sunday mornings. They ask me about my week, and they wait long enough for me to respond without interrupting about theirs. They give up time during the week to practice so that I can sing on Sunday, and they find ways to challenge me to be better. They know about my family, my failures, and my fears, and they don't use them to their own advantage. They play softball and basketball and invite me to as well.

Sometimes they sin. It's something we share. We hypocrites. There's always room for one more.