Commentary: Silent Pulpits: Unveiling the Veil of Silence on Moral Apathy Within Christian Communities

April 1, 2024

It seems quite clear from scripture that evil within a congregation should be identified, condemned, and dealt with.  Why does this not happen in so many cases?  Is it just a lack  of teaching on what is moral and what is not? Or are there deeper reasons?  Certainly, fear of rejection by the congregation if such moral issues as abortion are addressed.  After all that is a “political issue” and the church should not address such things—so it is said.

There is a more subtle and significant reason.  Culture is defined as follows: “(1) the total way of life of a people; (2) the social legacy the individual acquires from his group; (3) a way of thinking, feeling, and believing; (4) an abstraction from behavior; (5) a theory on the part of the anthropologist about the way in which a group of people in fact behave; (6) a storehouse of pooled learning; (7) a set of standardized orientations to recurrent problems; (8) learned behavior; (9) a mechanism for the normative regulation of behavior”; Religion can be defined as:   “a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things which are set apart and forbidden—beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a Church, all those who adhere to them.” [i]

From these definitions it would seem there is little difference between the practices of the culture and religion.  Note the cultural definition as “the total way of life of a people.”  Remember Christians in the first century were first known as the people of “The Way.”  Therefore, one major reason is the church has succumbed to the current moral definitions of the prevailing culture instead of actually following The Way.  Why would this be so? I suggest one primary reason is that pulpit ministers refuse to preach and teach on these matters.  How long has it been since you heard a message on abortion, homosexuality, fornication, living together without marriage, and divorce?  How long has it been since you heard a message on consumerism and the pursuit of wealth, on gluttony, covertness, or lack of love? 

I think you would agree murder is morally condemned.  So, let’s take the murder of the innocence as an example i.e., abortion. Indeed, in my son-in-law’s new book “Overcoming the Dark Side” in  his over 20 years educating colleges, churches, organizations, and political leaders on abortion there is a telling quote: “ Then I found myself wasting time and exhausting my resources with little to no return. Church leaders refused to help…..Going into this ministry, I had assumed that local churches would jump at the chance to participate in such a jaw-dropping and effective Christian outreach.  I was completely shocked to find Christian leaders actively opposing us.” [ii] We site this example to illustrate how Christians respond to the moral questions the culture has no problem with. We are not talking about non-Christians here, but Christians.

Do you know what your faith group teaches?  Here are the statements from some mainline faith groups:

“The Book of Discipline of the Methodist Church states, “We support the legal option of abortion…” The Lutheran Church published A Social Statement on Abortion, which states, “This church opposes…legislation that would outlaw abortion…” The 2006 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church said, “Those well-developed enough to survive outside the womb…ought…not [to be] aborted.”  Meaning, of course, that all the rest—over ninety percent—may be murdered by abortion. At its 1994 General Convention, the Episcopal Church resolved, “That this…Church express its unequivocal opposition to any…action on the part of…governments…that would limit the access of a woman to safe means of acting on her decision [for abortion].”[ii]

Lest you think Christian love  there are no negative commands , in Paul’s definition of love in 1 Cor. 13, there are 6 positive attributes, but 8 negatives. Of the ten commandments all but one ( honor your father and mother) are negative. When Paul lists virtues to acquire, he also list vices to avoid.

Why should the above attitudes to so many moral evils be so. There are many rationalizations:  feigned and real ignorance; it’s out of sight and only happens to non-believers; denial; it not worse enough to address; it’s  political; our job is to show love and not judge others, and fear.  This last one may be the root along with apathy.   The reason for Christians not speaking is due to the fear of being rejected by friends and fellow workers, the fear of teachers and ministers to be violently criticized, and the fear of being judgmental.

[i] Religion, Culture, and Communication | Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication

[ii] Michener, John. “Overcoming the Dark Side of the Pro-life Movement.”  Kindle Edition, 2024.

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