Let God Defend Himself: An Open Letter

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I write this letter with all the love in the world, but I know that this isn't the easiest subject to navigate, especially in the cyber-world.

God doesn't need His Church to defend Him. *ducks to dodge rotten vegetables*

God is not in heaven, biting His nails, wondering if any in His church will refute the lies and misunderstandings about Him. *ducks to dodge rotten fruit*

God does not need us to defend Him. He is more than capable of defending Himself. *ducks to dodge rotten meat*

I hope by this point you are all out of rotten things to throw my way. *ducks just in case*

I know that this topic is touchy, emotionally-charged, and very close to home to many of you, my dear Christian brothers and sisters whom I have the pleasure of calling my friends.

When you care about something or someone, to hear an attack on them hurts you. It causes you pain to hear them slandered or dragged through the mud.

But God can take it. When a person is mad at Him, God can take the yells, cries, and curses brought against Him.

When someone is mad at God, they do not need explanations as to why they should love God or why they are condemned for hating Him. They need to be heard. They need to be understood. They need to feel listened to and validated. They don't need a lecture or a declaration of judgment against them. They don't need another person in their life to tell them why their feelings are wrong. They need someone to sit with them. To listen. To love. To seek to understand. To show them compassion.

God can speak to people. God does speak to people. Far too often, His Church doesn't know how to deal with people's grief, pain, or anger, so we, as the Church, offer empty platitudes and admonitions to have more faith. We say some cliche phrases to get people to move on...or at least to move away from us.

Are we brave enough with God's help to listen to someone's pain without cutting them off to offer defenses and justifications? Are we willing to make sure that we fully understand their pain and their experiences before we even think about responding to people? 

There is a beautiful prayer attributed to St. Francis. But the Church hasn't been praying the true words for a while now. We have corrupted and inverted the Prayer of St. Francis. We have been praying:

"Lord, make me an instrument of your judgment,

Where there is hatred, let me sow justification;

where there is injury, explanations of why the injury occurred; 

where there is doubt, condemnation for lack of faith; 

where there is despair, rebukes for not "snapping out of it"; 

where there is darkness, complaints; 

where there is sadness, avoidance; 

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to console as to be consoled myself; 

to understand as to be understood; 

to love as to be loved. 

For it is in taking that we receive; 

it is in slinging mud that we are pardoned; 

and it is in works that we are born to eternal life." 

*Shudders* That is a horrible version of the prayer, but that is what we do as the Church when we try to talk people out of pain that we haven't bothered to take the time to understand in the first place.

We need to go back to praying the original words to the prayer:

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, 

Where there is hatred, let me sow love; 

where there is injury, pardon; 

where there is doubt, faith; 

where there is despair, hope; 

where there is darkness, light; 

where there is sadness, joy; 

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; 

to be understood as to understand; 

to be loved as to love. 

For it is in giving that we receive; 

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; 

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life." 

The Prayer of St Francis of Assisi

God is big enough to handle all the anger, accusations, and pain directed at Him. He can speak to people when they have hit rock bottom and poured themselves out. 

But, I'm beginning to fear that we, as His Church, are not allowing Him the chance to speak because we are so eager to defend Him. We aren't willing to acknowledge people's pain or reasons for being upset with God because we are just chomping at the bit to correct them and show them the errors of their way. And people sense this. They understand that they and their experiences are being brushed aside and written off. They don't feel heard. They don't feel understood. And so their anger at God and His Church grows. 

If we, as the Church, were willing to listen and fully understand before we even think of what we could say in response, people would notice that difference. God didn't charge His Church with making sure that we are His defenders and protectors. In fact, it is the other way around. 

Let God defend Himself. Seek to listen and understand. Be still and listen.

My dear brothers and sisters, I freely admit and repeat that this is a tricky and uncomfortable subject. I encourage you to take some time to reflect on it and camp out on it with the Holy Spirit. I pray that my words have not needlessly hurt you, but I also pray that they will burn away the cliche responses so your love can better be seen by a hurting world.

I remain, yours sincerely,

-Liz o' the Niche