On the Gospel Reading of Proper 18

CW: Religion

I'm going to try to not talk religion a lot in my Thoughts. Yes, I do believe in the core creed (that is Nicene Creed) of Christianity. No. I do not subscribe to a lot of the problematic theology or ecclesiology.

Matthew 18, verses 15-20.

In the realm of Protestant Christianity, this passage is generally called "Church Discipline". Especially in the 9Marks realm, where a Baptist congregation is misled into giving up most of their Congregational polity to a imitation Presbyterian session of elders where the congregation can vote. These elders hold the office until planted elsewhere, retire, or die. For these elders, it is up to them to make use of this passage, sending one out before gathering more, and then calling on the church. For those who follow my history, I was once a member of a church like that. And I was put on such a path. Why? Not for any sin found within the 10 Commandments. Not for violating the Summary of the Law and the Prophets. But merely refusing their council to turn back to their church, after disassociating myself, a legal action protected under the First Amendment, all to go to another church I felt a spiritual push toward.

In the church I left, it's expected to hear maybe one sermon on this passage during a study of Matthew in a lifetime (Calvinists are known to go a sentence a week [hj]). So, if it is brought out more, it's never a good day for the congregation, especially since there would be signs around the church building about an 'emergency members meeting', which tended to get people wondering 'who is it now?' So, imagine my reaction when I see this passage as the weekly Gospel reading.

Dread. Pure dread. All of this a reaction built by a group of power-hungry men who use this to cull the church. The sermon that accompanied the passage did seem to avoid the use of this. Rather than the Elders being the one to carry this out, it was shifted to the congregation to do so. But also, the rector focused more on the intimacy of the first two steps.

Listen, this feeling is never going to go away when I see this passage crop up. It's used not just by 9Marks churches to remove dissenting individuals, but by Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses to sweep scandal under the rug. The JWs also use it as their guideline for excommunication. Matthew 18:15-20 will always be a problematic passage in the hands of power hungry men and it will always continue to be so, almost as problematic as the "clobber verses" which are weaponized against those who simply do not conform to the Patriarchal Hierarchy established by our forefathers, who used these verses as justification of their Hierarchy.

My hope and prayer is that one day, we can deconstruct this down or perhaps find a new way to cut out the power hungry, so that no one has to experience the dread of finding out who was kicked out.

Thank you all for reading,

Jupiter Corvera