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The Pharisees get a bad rap in the gospels, but this is not because they were necessarily Jesus’ opponents during his earthly ministry.  It has even been suggested that Jesus himself may have been a Pharisee.  The Pharisees are portrayed unfavorably in the gospels because they were the group with which the early church was in competition.  So we ought to consider whether we may think as the Pharisee in the gospel is portrayed as thinking. 

The Pharisee thought he was special, but he was mistaken.  Why?  Because we are all special; we are all loved by God, who sends rain upon the just and the unjust alike (Matthew 5:45).  God doesn’t play favorites, and neither should we.  We are all special, and no one is more special than anyone else. 

The Church of the Good Shepherd is special to me because it is my parish church, but I assume that other parish churches are special to their parishioners.  We aren’t sheep-stealers.  In preparing for “Back to Church Sunday” we will not be inviting those who already have a church connection.  We hope to attract those who have never had a church connection or have become unchurched. 

No one is more special than anyone else.  No church is more special than another church.  I admit that I have a problem with the Biblical doctrine of election, according to which Israel was God’s chosen people, and the church is the new Israel, superceding Judaism and thus preparing the way for the Holocaust.  Islam claims to have superceded both Judaism and Christianity.  This supercessionist attitude is responsible for the pogroms, the crusades, and the jihads which have turned many people off religion altogether. 

When I was a child, I was taught that comparisons are odious.  Although we make comparisons all the time, I think it is better not to do so.  I was also taught, “If you can’t say something nice about someone, it is better not to say anything at all.”  But it is so much easier to criticize than to praise. 

Within a religious community constructive criticism has a place, but negative criticism is usually corrosive and demoralizing.  Here at the Good Shepherd, which has undergone such a severe decline over the last 20 years, morale is a problem, and we need to encourage each other in our support of our beloved church. 

September 4, 2011

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