Thu 6 Dec 2007
Church and the Council of Elrond
Written by Dr Finrod in Rivendell[5] Comments, Complaints, and/or Criticisms
Rivendell, Seventh Age - Things are coming to a head at the church of which I am a member. We will vote on a new constitution on January 13 and the outcome of that vote will shape the future of the church.
The old constitution has been somewhat of a Ring of Power in the church for many years. It has allowed for (what I believe to be) unbiblical practices - such as the ordination of women as elders - and facilitated a less-than desirable atmosphere regarding spiritual growth. The new constitution restores a biblical foundation for the church and effectively undoes the negative influences of the old.
The vote on the 13th is like the Council of Elrond because the outcome is uncertain. Clearly Gandalf, Elrond, and Aragorn knew the path that had to be taken to undo the evil that had been found, but they had no assurances that the Council would follow their advice and send the Ring to Mount Doom. Similarly, those of us desirous of a new constitution at our church are clear about what needs to be done for the health and survival of our church, but we have no guarantees or assurances either.
At the Council of Elrond the participants were agreed in their opposition to the evil but not in their views of what needed to be done. Our situation - let’s call it the Council of Zion - is more complicated. Not all believe the old constitution is a problem; not all want to change the way church has been and is been done. Who knows what will happen when the Council ends? It may not be glorifying to God whichever way the vote goes.
Even as the Council of Elrond erupted into fruitless argument, so too has the pending Council of Zion begun to bring out the worst in some of us. Politicking of the ugliest kind has emerged and the lines have been drawn, albeit not talked about openly. The courting of votes and gossip have begun and an “us and them” mentality has emerged.
Some of us are determined not to get involved in the politics and gossip. We have chosen, rather, to commit ourselves and the Council of Zion to God: it is his church, not ours, and we will trust him to discipline us so that we might hang on to our lampstand. Like David, we are tempted to number our troops and trust in the numbers rather than God. We endeavor to be more like Jehoshaphat, whose prayer I have adopted for our own situation:
6 O LORD, the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the churches of the world? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You.
7 “Did You not, O our God, establish this your church long ago and preserve it for those who now enjoy its fellowship?
8 “We have worshiped and served in it, and have offered up the praise of our lips in thanksgiving and love to Your name, saying,
9 ‘Should evil come upon us, the sword, or judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will remain with this church and before You (for Your Spirit is in this church) and cry to You in our distress, and You will hear and deliver us.‘
10 “Now behold, we have sinned against You and one another; we have strayed from the commands You gave us long ago,
11 and now those who would oppose our return and obedience to You are before us.
12 “O our God, will You not deliver us for the sake of Your Name? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” - from 2 Chron 20
It is especially the last portion of the king’s prayer that we embrace: we are powerless and we don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on him.
As many of you as might be inclined as you read this, or whenever you might think of us, I would ask to please pray for our church. We are trusting God to preserve and prosper his church of which we are fortunate to be members. We will allow him to fight the battle, believing that we need “not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not [ours] but God’s.”
Namárië.
