Those who can’t criticize

Every pastor that Father Orthoduck knows is aware of the phenomenon in the comic above. For every pastor has the opposite of the cheering squad sitting in one’s church. These are the people who are convinced that they could do it better, but won’t try. And, Father Orthoduck suspects that they won’t try simply because they are quite aware that they would be unable to do what the pastor is doing. Many of them are natural grumblers and grumble not only about the pastor but about quite a few matters. Thus, their physician does not understand their symptoms. They do no receive the service they deserve at the fast food joint, etc. In many congregations, that type of person is understood, more than they realize, and is ignored. They are the ones whom people avoid at the coffee hour after the service.

Unfortunately, there are congregations in which that type of person is terribly damaging to the health of the church. Particularly in mission settings, the constant grumbler can drive new visitors right out the door, particularly if there is more than one. Seldom is there a good way to address them, for they instantly become upset and will loudly proclaim their right to their opinions. In a worst case situation this will only confirm to them–which they will promptly communicate to everyone–how wrong the pastor is and how this proves it. Almost never will a church hierarchy back the pastor if the pastor decides to apply some godly discipline. This is why there are multiple books written for pastors trying to give strategies for dealing with the grumblers in the congregation in such a way that they can checkmate them. Mind you, this is not a solution. This is only a stalemate.

This is not a new problem, but an old problem. Remember that it was grumbling that finally drove God to say to Moses that he was going to wipe out the entire generation of people who went into the desert and start anew. “And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.'” Moses certainly felt the brunt of it more than once, “Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.” In fact, Jesus had problems with it. In John 6, Saint John records, “At this the Jews began to grumble about him . . .”

The cases cited are amazing because in both cases the people had just seen miracles done by God, and yet their response was to grumble! Salvianus, a priest and ascetic from the early 400’s writes:

Since we fulfill none of God’s commands, why do we complain about God, who has more reason to complain about all of us?
What is our reason for saying in sorrow that God does not heed us, when we ourselves do not heed Him?
What is our reason for muttering that God does not look down towards earth, when we ourselves do not look up towards Heaven?

In other words, grumbling is an age-old problem. One could even say that grumbling by Cain led to his sin of murdering Seth. Cain grumbled that God would not take his sacrifice, to which God tries to tell him that there is no reason for the grumbling. Unfortunately, grumbling is a very current problem and Father Orthoduck again mentions that it is one that damages congregations. Some grumblers even damage a congregation to the point of “murdering” it as Cain murdered Abel.

Does Father Orthoduck have a solution? Well, lately Father Orthoduck has been very tempted by Jesus’ solution of requesting some sinners to attach a millstone around their neck and throw themselves off of a pier somewhere. But Father Orthoduck will put up this warning from Saint James:

If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. . . . Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. . . . See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.”

Notice the warning right at the beginning, “this one’s religion is useless.” You see, the biggest danger of the grumbler is to him/herself. If one’s religion is truly useless, then one will have a major surprise when one stands before the throne of God. The trouble with the constant grumbler, the person who is unable to say good things is that all too often they are also guilty of being unable to perceive the work of God among them. And, if one is able to perceive the work of God among the congregation, then Saint James warns that that may be because one does not yet truly “know” God, in other words, one’s religion is useless.

Whenever there is a post of this type, there are those who write about a bad church experience in which legitimate concerns were called grumbling. Yes, there are many examples of that happening in Church history. But, if we are honest, in the vast majority of cases, the typical local congregation, then we will recognize that grumbling is a widespread problem. The “bad” local leadership does happen, but it is actually the minority. Of course, if you are one of the ones hurt by such a leadership, it has deeply affected you. Father Orthoduck is not writing about the minority of “bad” churches but about the majority experience in most local congregations.

And, no, sadly, Father Orthoduck does not have a good solution for the grumblers other than to try to look up and be thankful for what God has given you rather than–like the Israelites in the desert–always coming up with examples of how it could be better.

[Editor’s Note: There was a correction made to the original post because of a Biblical error pointed out by more than one reader.]