From the beginning, I had the feeling that the expression came to me as a sort of prophetic word.
The term has certainly generated a lot of negative response over the years. These days, I rarely use it...but it's relevant.
The fact that I experienced a, heretofore, unconsummated defrocking suggests that the term is apt in describing my branch of institutionalized Christianity, the CGGC.
Everything that is not shepherdy but advances shepherd-dominated, church-focused, parish-priest-oriented, clergy-as-provider-of-religious-products-and-services, distinct from a laity that consumes is tolerated, even encouraged, by the Shepherd Mafia.
Anything that resists or, worse, challenges it, is opposed. And, when the resisting and challenging becomes annoying, the shepherd culture of the holders of institutional authority in the organized church operates as a Mafia.
The institutionalized church operates on shepherd values.
As long as people within the institutional church submit to shepherd dominance, they are accepted by the Shepherd Mafia.
Apostles who settle for being church planters are welcomed, even celebrated.
Prophets who submit to shepherd categories and help design, for instance, Statements of Faith or Position Papers are respected.
Evangelists who contribute to church outreach efforts are thanked enthusiastically.
Teachers who craft interesting sermons and Bible Studies advance and absolutely thrive in the institutions devised and maintained by shepherds.
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I believe that I'm a prophet and, for decades, I myself did all I could to fit in in the institution and to serve its shepherd values...
...until I didn't because I couldn't take it any more...
...because, after all those years, I no longer ignore the reality of the spiritual decay and the numerical decline...
...because, after all of those decades, that is all I could see as fruit of the efforts of the holders of institutional authority in, in my case, the CGGC.
Since I began to walk in my calling, I have had a different perspective on the ministry of my, uh, church.
While I truly and dearly love its people, including its holders of institutional authority, I have difficulty seeing beyond the spiritual decay and numerical decline.
I'm frustrated and heartbroken.
I know what happens in a body dedicated to following Jesus in which God's ancient gift of prophecy is disrespected and driven out by that body.
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So, quickly, two consequences of the reality that, in the CGGC, prophecy no longer functions:
1. We follow fads and drift into empty traditions.
We are not confronted by truth because one of the primary functions of prophets is to present truth and to call God's people to repent in light of the truth.
So, we flit from one fad to another.
This works out in many ways. The most important, lately, is the very worldly desire, among the holders of institutional authority in the CGGC, to operate like a business.
As today's businesses do, our highest ranking holder of authority is called our CEO. As businesses do, we have a Mission Statement and a Vision and, now most recently, a Strategic Plan.
All of this has roots in the business world. None of it is rooted in the Word.
2. We fail to connect faith and action.
Since the day the Church of God formed in 1830, we have always formed ourselves around spectacular spiritual words.
On our first day in 1830, the highlight of the day was a biblical discourse, offered by John Winebrenner, based on a text from the Book of Acts, which declared, in extravagant bible-based language, the goals of the movement.
Since that day, to this day, our words have always been magnificent.
The difference between the words in that day and this day is this: In that day, word and action were connected seemlessly. Those words described what we were already doing. Today's words are "aspirational," and rarely, if ever, put into practice.
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These CGGC realities are typical of Western institutionalized Christianity today.
They are to be expected when prophecy is ignored.
These realities became inevitable from the moment that shepherds foisted their values on the body and, in the case of the prophetic gift especially, behaved as a Mafia.
There are certainly consequences for the CGGC as far as the diminishing of other gifts is concerned.
But, I'm a prophet and I see vividly what our sins are because prophecy is no longer respected in our body.
We must wack our Shepherd Mafia.
Since the day the Church of God formed in 1830, we have always formed ourselves around spectacular spiritual words.
On our first day in 1830, the highlight of the day was a biblical discourse, offered by John Winebrenner, based on a text from the Book of Acts, which declared, in extravagant bible-based language, the goals of the movement.
Since that day, to this day, our words have always been magnificent.
The difference between the words in that day and this day is this: In that day, word and action were connected seemlessly. Those words described what we were already doing. Today's words are "aspirational," and rarely, if ever, put into practice.
---------------
These CGGC realities are typical of Western institutionalized Christianity today.
They are to be expected when prophecy is ignored.
These realities became inevitable from the moment that shepherds foisted their values on the body and, in the case of the prophetic gift especially, behaved as a Mafia.
There are certainly consequences for the CGGC as far as the diminishing of other gifts is concerned.
But, I'm a prophet and I see vividly what our sins are because prophecy is no longer respected in our body.
We must wack our Shepherd Mafia.
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