Relative Truths

I’m going to go ahead and warn you. This is long. But it’s a good read. At least I think so, but then again I did write it.

Before you start assuming (‘cause we all know what that does) let me explain. I’m not trying to promote relative truth, that’s not what this is about. Well, it kind of is. What I want us to look at are some "relative truths" that we call something else. We call them “God’s call into ministry.”

Everyone thinks them. Everyone says them. And probably everyone believes them. There are certain things that we believe are true for “ministers” but not for everyone else. For whatever reason, tradition, history, or selfishness, we believe that “ministers” must live up to certain standards to be “ministers.” And anyone who is not a “minister” is immune to these standards.

No going to bars.
No going to parties.
No drinking period.
No checking out women.
No cable TV allowed in the home.
Must read the Bible every day.
Must keep a journal of what they read.
Must let everyone else see that journal.
Must have a deeper spiritual walk than anyone else.
Must be well groomed.
Cannot have tattoos.
Cannot have piercing.
Etc. Etc. Etc.

There’s a lot more that could be added. But there are some major ones that I listed up there. Things like no drinking period, no checking out women, must let everyone read their journal, must have a deeper spiritual walk than anyone else. None of these things are bad standards. I’m just tired of seeing “ministers” be the only ones that anyone expects to live up to them.

No drinking
I understand completely the deal with no drinking. We don’t want anyone to see us drinking and it cause him or her to stumble in their faith. That’s a great point. I don’t drink for that exact reason. But the problem is that everyone else can drink, and it’s ok. No one cares if Joe in Sunday school goes to the bar and throws back a couple after work. But if Pastor John does it, he’s out and his ordination is stripped away. I’ve literally seen that happen. That’s dumb. If you claim to be a Christian, you are just as responsible for others salvation as a minister. You are called to show people God’s love for them just like ministers.

No checking out women.
This is a no brainer. Of course we shouldn’t check out other women, especially if we are married. Single guys can get away with it a little more as long as it’s not obsessive or a look at the wrong things and so one. But other married men in the church aren’t scorned as sharply as “ministers” are. People say, “Oh, it’s just natural to desire the opposite sex.” But if a minister even looks at another women, it’s all over.

Must have a deeper walk than anyone else
Again, I see the point in this standard. A “minister” is supposed to lead people. He is responsible for their spiritual journey. God says that all “ministers” will give an account on how they led. And by the way, that’s a huge burden to carry. It’s freaks me out every day. But the problem is what we believe about our spirituality compared to the “minister’s.” We tell ourselves. “Oh, he’s a minister. I’ll never be a s spiritual as he is.” That’s so dumb. But what’s worse is when we use it as an excuse to be lazy in our spiritual walk. We say we will never be that deep, and so we never try to get to another level. We stay here because we can’t get there. That’s stupid. We should all strive to be thee most Christ-like person we can be. No one is perfect, not eve “ministers.”

So the point I’m really tiring to get across is that all Christians, “ministers” or not, really are ministers. All of us. An ordination doesn’t matter to God. If you had a chance to witness and didn’t, you will be held accountable. So get ready. It’s time we all realized that we are all witnesses for God, no matter if we do it vocationally or not.