OK, so I might as well jump in with both feet and see if I can swim the shark infested Evangelical waters of public opinion, without the loss of too many of my body parts, metaphorically speaking of course!
He is not a serial killer like Bundy, nor is he another Bernie Madoff scamming those who put their financial trust in him. To my knowledge he pays his taxes, is kind to his mother, has never had a speeding ticket, is not twice divorced and never been charged with any ethics blunders by our Canadian Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, unlike some who have. You would think with that kind of record going for him, he could be a candidate for MacLean’s Person of the Year, or at the very least feted as one of our outstanding private citizens.
Of course, we know there is a lot of daily political drama in main-stream Canadian media over this Covid-19 pandemic, sourced in China. The list of topics is almost as long as the homemade strands of pasta my favourite Italian friend makes. There are the dos and don’ts of wearing a mask or two, confusing vaccine guidelines, stalling rollouts that leave seniors at risk, conflicting medical officer reports, the astounding rise of our nation’s debt, despicable Snowbirds travelling south to escape the winter chill and provincial lock-downs. For the first time in my life comes the existence of Federal quarantine internment centres and until more recently, the collective shutting down of all places of worship, whether Muslim, Jewish or Christian. It’s this last matter that landed this pastor in jail . . . and raised the ire of a good many Evangelicals.
Surprisingly, even our state-run Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the CBC, actively hostile towards most religions except liberalism, treated the pastor with greater dignity than my fellow colleagues.
Now, unless you have been hiding in the basement like someone famous I know, you will be aware that Pastor Coates is the spiritual leader of GraceLife, a church a few miles west of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and currently in a jail cell. His sin? Defying a court order and holding services in violation of a public health closure order. More specifically, it seems his attendees were not maintaining an appropriate distance, were not all wearing masks or abiding by the cap capacity of 15 per cent occupancy. I am sure there are other sinful actions I have missed. Forgive me!
Talk about religious drama! When I read many of the ‘Christian’ threads on-line, including those from within my denomination, you might conclude that Coates is despised more than antichrist, if we could ever know who he is. It would appear that hell hath no fury like a ticked off pastor because the criticisms against Pastor Coates came fast and heavy. There was not much in the way of Bible or love in their comments and certainly no thought of praying for him or his family — mostly skittishness over optics, worrisome guilt by association, name calling and the skewering of the pastor as if he were a human shish kabob.
Consider actual statements made by those within my denomination:
- “He is making us [pastors] look bad.”
- “He is making the church look bad in the community.”
- “Any hope of being a great witness within this community seems shot.”
Ah, but the self-righteous painting brush strokes grow broader.
- “If this guy is a disciple of JM, [John McArthur], then can we assume that this pastor [sic] also treats women, Pentecostals and anyone else who does no subscribe to his beliefs with arrogant distain!”
- “… we have a lot of perks from Federal, Provincial and even Municipal govts . . . will [this] lead to the govt lowering the boom on some of these perks they give us.” And later, “this pastor has perhaps forgotten all the perks he and his church are getting…”
And just when we might have thought we have plumbed bottom, we read:
- “His ‘stand’ is an exercise in privilege . . . My hope is that while he is detained, he speaks with a person of colour who doesn’t have the same access to justice as him . . . nothing but a display of arrogance, exceptionalism and privilege.”
Now precisely how ‘privileged white guy’, ‘Palestinian homelessness’, ‘First Nations’ and ‘Everyone I see in the picture [protesting Coates incarceration] is white’ remarks get confused with the subject at hand, I wish I knew. Apparently, legal representation is not allowed if you are white? I thought that the drama was about supposed government over-reach and provincial governments applying their quarantine rules inconsistently and unfairly when targeting churches for closure or restrictions.
If the language of some spiritual leaders against Coates is not
histrionic excess, then I am compelled to ask, is this what "Woke" culture looks like in Christ’s Church?
Now we can pick away at the finer details of this case as Pastor Coates awaits his trial, scheduled for May 3-5. Some details might have merit, others surely will not. I mean, for every snowball thrown, I am confident there is another one headed the other way. This is the world-wide wave of left-right polarization, divided along progressive and populist ideology, and Christians are not immune.
Frankly, you do not have to make Coates your friend on Face Book, embrace his understanding or application of Scripture, like his February 14 sermon, his supposed grandstanding or even pray for him . . . though Jesus would have something to say about that, I am sure. You decide! My interest here is the vexing fury from spiritual leaders who are quick to trumpet the love, love, love of Christ for every group, marginalized or otherwise . . . yet evidently fail abysmally at offering the same ‘gift’ to Coats. I suggest you sit down as you read.
First, stop worrying about guilt by association. The moment you self-identified as a ‘Christian’ or worse, an Evangelical, you became an ugly duckling to much of the general population. Later, when you responded to God’s invitation to be a shepherd, by your own choice, you walked into the lion’s den of jaundiced public opinion and prejudice. As far as the crowd is concerned, you ARE guilty! The way forward here is not trying to prove how pastor Coates is wrong in his actions . . . but proving how responsible [insert your name] you are in your actions, where you minister and where you have influence.
Remember when Jesus told Peter how he would die—by crucifixion? Peter wondered about how it would go with John, so he asked, “What about this man?” Jesus brushed off the question and said, “What is that to you? You follow me.” (John 21: 22). Blunt words can be good, pastor, because the bondage of fatal comparisons is real!
Yah but, Coates is “… making us look bad!” And Jesus says, “What is that to you?”
· What is that to you that Pastor Coates is persuaded that the government handling of our corporate public health is over-reaching into his spiritual office and his calling to his particular city? You follow me!
· What is that to you that Pastor Coates decided to change his earlier compliance and chose not to be in lock-step with authorities and has chosen jail because of it? You follow me!
· What is that to you that Pastor Coates is conspicuously trusting God in his circumstance and seems prepared to be broken bread and poured out wine for conscience’s sake? You follow me!
I know pastors work hard, selflessly give of their time and energies that few see, feel real pain when folks walk away from Christ and the church, face opposition from within, and know first-hand what spiritual warfare looks and feels like. I get it. And ‘Yes’, I’ve been there myself.
Does Pastor Coates feel the same challenges you do? You think? Instead of publicly demonizing a person to discredit their theological views or unpopular actions and by default disparaging his witness, may I suggest you turn your focus on addressing the tough theological questions as to when and under what circumstances YOU would stand and fight against Caesar’s iron grip. And make sure your position is grounded in Scripture, because apparently Pastor Coates’ are not. Focus on your Judea, not Coates’ Samaria.
Second, stop ridiculing others because their path to theological enlightenment is not as informed as yours appears to be. When we impugn or censure a person because they come from a different tribe than we do, we come across as elitist and ignore the very compelling biblical evidence that when the powers of darkness are baffled and Jesus comes to gather His people, they are not going to be from a single company.
So, what if the spiritual leader of GraceLife is a disciple of MacArthur’s . . . has a different view of women . . . or indicts Pentecostals for their tongue-talking? Is visceral contempt a new tool in the preacher’s tool bag?
· We should all be staggered by the greatness of God’s mercy.
· We should all weep when in His great affection for the sons of men Christ put on that bloody shirt in Gethsemane.
· And, we should all rejoice when the muster roll is read and the Church is revealed in all her purity and beauty as the Bride of Christ — from every theological tribe, whether Arminian or Calvinist.
Am I suggesting the absence of debate or theological engagement? Must I really answer that? Proverbs 27:17 is surely a truism on this point, for “Iron sharpens iron.” It illustrates the biblical principle of mutual benefit and accountability, in that “one man sharpens another”. If you take umbrage with someone, then lay hold of the scriptures and do the heavy lifting of presenting your theological debating points. This way, both persons get sharpened.
Trivializing Coates’ tribal difference from ‘Us’ is a cheap shot!
Is Pastor Coates right in what he is doing? Who knows! But if in his good conscience he really fundamentally believes government has crossed the invisible line in the sand between what belongs to Caesar and what does not (Matthew 22:21), then why is he not permitted to test it? Surely it cannot be because he is a ‘MacArthur guy’ or because we are afraid of losing all the ‘government perks’, as someone suggests.
Third, when engaging cultural and political thought, be careful that THAT message does not become THE message.
Have folks been disadvantaged because of systems of oppression? Of course, and it exists on every continent in the world. No news here. Just the biting, sad reality! The dark side is everywhere, not just in sophisticated North America, or Toronto, Ontario. So, I am not suggesting pastors wring their hands of the need for vigilance against misogyny, racism, and other forms of inequality in everyday life and leverage their influence to do what they are able both in the church and their community. For sure, engage!
But what is this tripe, coming from a pastor within my denomination, publicly writing, “My hope is that while he [Coates] is detained, he speaks with a person of colour who doesn’t have the same access to justice as him . . . nothing but a display of arrogance, exceptionalism and privilege”. And again later, “I reject his title as pastor.” Really?
So here we have a spiritual leader in the church acting as judge, jury and executioner. He is limited only to what the media gives him since he does not know Coates personally . . . he makes gaping assumptions about the nature and breadth of Coates pastoral experience . . . infers that nefarious white privilege is at play . . . pompously declares ‘arrogance, exceptionalism and privilege’ are at work in his brother’s life and ministry, and then . . . decides to defrock him! Whoa! Be careful pastor; your prejudicial slip is showing. And “Yes”, it really does need adjusting!
There was a yawning gap between heaven and earth. And then — Jesus came down! The fundamental role of the church therefore remains what it was for the early Christians, point people to Christ and participate with Christ in bringing in the harvest. I take my cue from the Scriptures, for even though the Saviour took the necessary time to find five loaves and two fish to feed the hungry, he mentioned social justice very little.
Interestingly, in the Gospel of John, the favourite book to give new converts, the last gospel (c. 95 AD) only once does Jesus mention the poor (12:8) and interestingly it is a statement of fact, not action: “The poor you have with you always.” Even in his Sermon on the Mount, when he says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit”, he understands that spiritual poverty is the ultimate problem of humankind — not social justice.
Three out of four Christians (74%) seldom have a ‘spiritual conversation’ with anyone. Amazing!
Spiritual Conversations in the Digital Age, Barna Group, 2018
It does not get any better in the other gospels either. In Matthew (20:28), Jesus says He came to give His life a ransom for many. In Luke (19:10), He reminds us He came to call sinners to repentance. These are His words about the mission. Ultimately His mission is the mission of spiritual leadership — to call the world to repentance.
I suspect this is where some of the 12% of young people, ages 18 – 24, who today identify as Evangelical Christians [Harvard Kennedy School, 2019] would cite Micah to me, to “act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God”, (6:8) or Isaiah’s command to “seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause” (1:17). No argument from me. In fact, I am thrilled that ‘some’ are actually reading the Old Testament these days.
If you feel particularly exercised then do something ground-breaking and courageous in your life, quit pastoring and give full expression to activism for the disenfranchised. That would be a good place to be a ‘Son of Thunder’.
Was Jesus a revolutionary like Lenin and Trotsky? Well, the Marists, Communists, Socialists, Fascists and all the other ‘ists’ have used the historical Jesus as their ‘ringleader of sedition’ (Celsus). Still, Jesus was fundamentally not part of the anti-imperialist resistance. He believed in paying taxes to Caesar, he cursed to hell the Pharisees, the theological wing of the zealots and even after His death, not a single disciple of Jesus was arrested, suggesting the State did not view the Jesus movement as looking to overthrown the government. And if you think running out the moneychangers (John 2:13-16) was an anti-capitalist gesture, reconsider, because context will not allow that conclusion. Sorry! No doubt this is an idea profoundly unacceptable to those stuck in the dewy-eyed fantasy of redeeming humankind through social action. Still, let me repeat myself. Jesus was not a social activist who died fighting for justice and the common good of humankind.
In the end, only Christianity understands the true recalcitrance of the human condition or the depth of human depravity and only the message of the Cross brings freedom, justice and hope to our dystopian society. Be careful that political discourse does not displace the much greater message God has called believers to bear witness to . . . and speak to.
Take your example not from social media, but from Mary herself, who in her song of praise to God for the great gift that lay hidden in her secret place, celebrates the grace, mercy, and faithfulness of God: “He has filled the hungry with good things” (Luke 1:53).
The ethical extravagance of Jesus in turning the other cheek, loving His enemies, blessing those who cursed Him, doing good to those who hated Him, laying Himself open to violence and praying for those who despitefully persecuted Him, is still the model to follow. Imagine if ministers exercised this same ethical extravagance towards Pastor James Coates?
Even as I write this, there is now breaking news that a Regina pastor is in public hot water for taking a stand regarding another social ‘hot-button’ issue. Wonder how long it will take Evangelicals to bring out the slice and dice machine again? “OnlySaying …”
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