Surely there is nothing wrong
With either my church or yours.
And how lucky we are, indeed,
Since all the other churches
Have lost their ever-lovin’ minds
And believe some of the dumbest junk
Anyone could possibly dream up!
So let us be solemn, friend,
In our gratitude—
As we sit above the fray,
Having declared ourselves
Beyond its bounds—
And let us thank God
That we are not like those sinners
Over there!
Since some may not perceive either the sin or the irony in this, let me spell it out. These are not my own sentiments, but represent the sort of attitude I witness far too often in some professing Christ. I don’t know of any church that doesn’t have some really serious problems. Yet I’m sure a lot of people are quite eager to ignore their own church’s problems, even as they openly criticize many of the rest.
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
lUKE 18:9-14. niv
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
