Naked for all the world to see

Oh, man... I love the way Andy Squyres puts words together. He shared the below on his Instagram on 6/19/24 and a couple points really hit me:

 This has been a very bad year for the Evangelical Christian movement. The wind of truth is blowing on us and our institutions are falling like houses of cards as leader after leader is having their most reprehensible actions publicly disclosed by their victims. This is what it looks like when justice rolls down like a mighty river; “there is nothing that is covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.”

God does not care about our ministries. God does not care about our reputations. God does not care about our claims of moral superiority. He does not care about our zeal. We have wagged our collective finger at the world (we are against whatever “they” are for!) and all the while we were building entire movements in order to deflect having our own sins exposed.

The illusion of our own making has been shattered by reality and we are naked for all the world to see. But take heart and do not despair! Reality is where God lives. Reality is where the mercy of God flows. Our disillusionment is the beginning of the journey to wholeness. We can tell the truth and not be afraid. We can trust in Christ alone. We do not have to be enamored with ANY mega guru. We do not have to concede any part of our lives to any pastor or leader who exerts control. Many of us have had our belief systems completely shattered after experiencing the complete obliteration of the trust between ourselves and our leaders. We now know that the assumed piety was a lie and claims of spiritual superiority was only hubris.

Here is how I am walking through this day of judgement: I am praying for justice for victims, mercy for perpetrators, and humility for all of us sheep who are in need of shepherds. I am not protecting my reputation. I am aligning myself with the losing side. I am taking the beating. I am embracing the scorn. I must take on the burden of a deep inner humility. I’m assuming it’s my own soul that needs salvation rather than fetishizing the seven mountains of influence. We don’t need to become greater. We in fact need to become smaller and much less inclined toward large stage focused movements and events. Let us pray in secret.

 

That "I'm assuming it's my own soul that needs salvation..."... Whew. No shit. Me too! I need more of that kind of humility (nakedness).