There's no such thing as a "perfect church"

 

I recently attended FPA's theatrical production of C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters.  Having previously read the book (several times), I find it to be a masterpiece of satire.  It is also one of the most honest and insightful examinations of the human psyche and offers a disconcerting glimpse into the depths of hellish evil.

The Screwtape Letters is the book that initially made C.S. Lewis famous and landed him on the cover of Time Magazine.  First published in 1941, Lewis came up with the concept behind The Screwtape Letters after hearing a radio broadcast speech by Adolph Hitler.  Rather than giving readers a look into the mind of Hitler or the Nazi high command, it provides a view of the Christian faith from the perspective of hell.  The book is a collection of "intercepted" letters written by a senior devil to his younger apprentice.  Throughout the book, the human "patient" that the younger devil is working on is subjected to a variety of temptations that are likely to resonate with anyone who has spent time earnestly attempting to live a Christian lifestyle.  It is both fascinating and a bit alarming to read.

When I sit down to read the book (or more recently, attend FPA's dramatized performance of the book), it feels like I've somehow entered the mind of a diabolical genius.  It amazes me that The Screwtape Letters was not written by a diabolical genius, but by a Christian genius, and not just any Christian genius; it was written by C.S. Lewis.  I find it quite easy to become so immersed in the story that I forget about the author.

There are so many startling truths on every page, but the one I wish to focus on tonight is the one that I think we most easily forget in the 21st century.  I sum it up this way: there's no such thing as a "perfect church".  I'm not talking about the Church (capital "C"), which is the invisible Body of Christ, the true fellowship of believers.  I'm talking about the "church" (lower case "c") where people go to worship and pray; the "church", in that sense, is an imperfect group of people who imperfectly worship and learn about Christ.

Screwtape talks incessantly about church in his letters.  He instructs his devilish apprentice to exploit "the patient's" human weakness to find fault in other church-goers, to criticize the worship-style, sermons, clothes of the pastor or priest, to argue over the terminology used, or to focus on the person standing nearby who sings off-key.  "The patient" should concentrate on anything except the One reason why he is there: to worship God together in the presence of other believers and to learn to love and serve Him.  Screwtape says, "Surely you know that if a man can't be cured of churchgoing, the next best thing is to send him all over the neighborhood looking for the church that 'suits' him until he becomes a taster or connoisseur of churches."  He should be a "critic" instead of a "pupil" of Christ.  

Speaking for myself, avoiding this temptation is often tremendously difficult.  How easy it is to take our eyes off of Christ and become distracted by some insignificant trifle the moment we walk through the doors!  It may be too hot or too cold, too noisy or too quiet, too somber or too upbeat, too empty or too full...and we haven't even taken our seat yet!

Whether the "church" that we attend, or to which we belong, is a basilica, cathedral, parish, neighborhood church, or small group, we do well to remember that we are there for One purpose only: to worship God together in the presence of other believers and to learn to love and serve Him.  Everything else...whether we are uplifted, or feel nourished, or enjoy the sermon or the singing, or get to chat with friends, or enjoy the coffee, or appreciate the stained glass...everything else is secondary to Christ.

There are no "perfect churches", just as there are no "perfect people".  Christ was the only perfect person.  Christ alone is perfect.  If we can keep our eyes focused on Him, we'll find that He is perfectly satisfying.