Thank you for writing this. I have thought about it all day since reading it this morning.
It takes courage to shine a light on parts of our history that many would rather ignore or minimize. Whether people agree with every conclusion or not, I appreciate your willingness to ask difficult questions and to call the church to honest self-examination. This is beyond overdue!
Many of the patterns you describe have been well documented throughout American history. While each of these topics deserves far more space and nuance than a single article can provide, you’ve reminded us that our failures have often been systemic, not merely individual, and that Scripture has at times been tragically misused to justify what it clearly condemns.
I love the church and remain deeply grateful for the countless believers who have faithfully reflected Christ throughout history. Precisely because I love her, I also believe we should have the humility to acknowledge where we have fallen short, repent where necessary, and pursue a more faithful witness. Honest reflection is not an attack on the church—it is one of the ways God refines her.
Thank you for your pointed courage in highlighting issues many of us have seen, experienced, grieved, and long to see redeemed. My hope is that conversations like this won’t simply leave us discouraged by the past, but more determined to become communities that look and love more like Jesus.
I’m choked up by your words, Floyd, because behind them I can hear exactly the tension you’re living with that I wrestle with too. That is, the love that won’t let you look away, and the wisdom that won’t let you burn it down. That balance is harder to hold than either silence or outrage, and I have deep respect for the people who are trying to hold it faithfully from inside the pulpit. Amen, and thank you. Peace, my brother.
Jesus seemed to reserve his hardest words for the religious leaders of the Jews.
Full disclosure - The following is pulled from asking the Gemini AI about Jesus saying woe to the pharisees:
1. Outer Appearance vs. Inner Integrity
Jesus repeatedly contrasts what the Pharisees show on the outside with what exists on the inside.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean."
— Matthew 23:27
He accuses them of cleaning "the outside of the cup and dish," focusing on looking pious to others while harboring greed, self-indulgence, and malice internally.
2. Legalism at the Expense of Compassion ("Weightier Matters")
Jesus highlights how meticulous the Pharisees were about tiny, technical rules while completely ignoring the core intent of God's law.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness."
— Matthew 23:23
He famously calls them "blind guides who strain out a gnat but swallow a camel" (Matthew 23:24), pointing out the absurdity of obsessing over trivial details while violating major moral imperatives.
3. Seeking Honor and Status
Jesus points out their desire for public praise, prestigious seating, and grand titles rather than humble service to God and others.
"Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces."
— Luke 11:43
4. Making Religion a Burden
Instead of helping people draw closer to God, Jesus charges them with using religious rules to oppress people and create obstacles for seekers.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to."
— Matthew 23:13
In Matthew 23:4, he adds that "they tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them."
Yes, and that should make every serious, committed Christian at least a little uncomfortable. The Pharisees weren't villains who knew they were villains. They thought they were the faithful ones. That's the mirror Matthew 23 holds up, and it's not necessarily a comfortable one to look into.
My dear Harvey, I am so thankful and grateful for your words. I have suffered so much at the hands of Gods people over the years. Our Father has been faithful to provide healing through a godly therapist and other means. I cannot say I love the church. I have attended too many white majority churches that turned out to be places that protected predators and/or racists. I am deconstructing and reconstructing my views by reading history, following Christian scholars and Bible study. Who knows what exactly God will do in this present time, and what He will allow so that we the church will be purified — the sons and daughters of Levi.
What you've carried and what you've survived deserves to be named honestly, not minimized. The fact that you're still seeking God through the rubble of so many betrayals by people who claimed to represent him says something profound about both your faith and your resilience. It’s OK if you don’t feel love for church right now because grief and reconstruction are their own form of faithfulness. Grateful you're still in the conversation, and grateful God found you a therapist worth trusting.
Thank you for writing this with such honesty and courage. I especially appreciate that you did not leave these sins safely in history but invited me to examine where they may still be operating within our churches and my heart.
Your closing question made me wonder whether an eighth sin could be false unity: mistaking peacekeeping for peacemaking. The ideal of “church unity” can sometimes become a means of protecting leaders, suppressing honest questions, and preserving institutional comfort.
Psychologically, this can create pluralistic ignorance. Many members may privately feel troubled by political extremism, abusive leadership, or exclusion, yet remain silent because they assume everyone else agrees.
Biblical peacemaking does not bury conflict. It brings wrongdoing into the light so that truth, repentance, and restoration become possible. When unity depends upon silence, it becomes an idol.
Perhaps this is the sin of sacrificing truth at the altar of unity and calling the silence peace.
A brilliant and timely addition, Mukund, and fitting that you've raised it during International Peace Month, which invites exactly this kind of honest reckoning with what peace actually requires.
The distinction you're drawing between peacekeeping and peacemaking is something Jason Porterfield unpacks so powerfully in his book Fight Like Jesus. Porterfield's central insight is that Jesus didn't avoid conflict; he leaned into it strategically and redemptively, because true shalom cannot be built on buried truth. The temple tables didn't turn themselves over. Real peace required confronting what was false first.
So yes, let’s fight like Jesus as truthtellers and peacemakers!
I always appreciate your writings. Written so clearly and with humility. There is the American church and the church of Jesus - and unless we face our traditions and history we will continue to be more like America than Jesus
That distinction between the American church versus the church of Jesus…wow! You’ve named it more cleanly than I did. When the flag and the cross become indistinguishable, we've stopped following Jesus and started following something that merely uses his name. Grateful you read the article. Thanks for bringing more clarity to it.
Harvey,
Thank you for writing this. I have thought about it all day since reading it this morning.
It takes courage to shine a light on parts of our history that many would rather ignore or minimize. Whether people agree with every conclusion or not, I appreciate your willingness to ask difficult questions and to call the church to honest self-examination. This is beyond overdue!
Many of the patterns you describe have been well documented throughout American history. While each of these topics deserves far more space and nuance than a single article can provide, you’ve reminded us that our failures have often been systemic, not merely individual, and that Scripture has at times been tragically misused to justify what it clearly condemns.
I love the church and remain deeply grateful for the countless believers who have faithfully reflected Christ throughout history. Precisely because I love her, I also believe we should have the humility to acknowledge where we have fallen short, repent where necessary, and pursue a more faithful witness. Honest reflection is not an attack on the church—it is one of the ways God refines her.
Thank you for your pointed courage in highlighting issues many of us have seen, experienced, grieved, and long to see redeemed. My hope is that conversations like this won’t simply leave us discouraged by the past, but more determined to become communities that look and love more like Jesus.
I’m choked up by your words, Floyd, because behind them I can hear exactly the tension you’re living with that I wrestle with too. That is, the love that won’t let you look away, and the wisdom that won’t let you burn it down. That balance is harder to hold than either silence or outrage, and I have deep respect for the people who are trying to hold it faithfully from inside the pulpit. Amen, and thank you. Peace, my brother.
Jesus seemed to reserve his hardest words for the religious leaders of the Jews.
Full disclosure - The following is pulled from asking the Gemini AI about Jesus saying woe to the pharisees:
1. Outer Appearance vs. Inner Integrity
Jesus repeatedly contrasts what the Pharisees show on the outside with what exists on the inside.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean."
— Matthew 23:27
He accuses them of cleaning "the outside of the cup and dish," focusing on looking pious to others while harboring greed, self-indulgence, and malice internally.
2. Legalism at the Expense of Compassion ("Weightier Matters")
Jesus highlights how meticulous the Pharisees were about tiny, technical rules while completely ignoring the core intent of God's law.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness."
— Matthew 23:23
He famously calls them "blind guides who strain out a gnat but swallow a camel" (Matthew 23:24), pointing out the absurdity of obsessing over trivial details while violating major moral imperatives.
3. Seeking Honor and Status
Jesus points out their desire for public praise, prestigious seating, and grand titles rather than humble service to God and others.
"Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces."
— Luke 11:43
4. Making Religion a Burden
Instead of helping people draw closer to God, Jesus charges them with using religious rules to oppress people and create obstacles for seekers.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to."
— Matthew 23:13
In Matthew 23:4, he adds that "they tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them."
Yes, and that should make every serious, committed Christian at least a little uncomfortable. The Pharisees weren't villains who knew they were villains. They thought they were the faithful ones. That's the mirror Matthew 23 holds up, and it's not necessarily a comfortable one to look into.
My dear Harvey, I am so thankful and grateful for your words. I have suffered so much at the hands of Gods people over the years. Our Father has been faithful to provide healing through a godly therapist and other means. I cannot say I love the church. I have attended too many white majority churches that turned out to be places that protected predators and/or racists. I am deconstructing and reconstructing my views by reading history, following Christian scholars and Bible study. Who knows what exactly God will do in this present time, and what He will allow so that we the church will be purified — the sons and daughters of Levi.
What you've carried and what you've survived deserves to be named honestly, not minimized. The fact that you're still seeking God through the rubble of so many betrayals by people who claimed to represent him says something profound about both your faith and your resilience. It’s OK if you don’t feel love for church right now because grief and reconstruction are their own form of faithfulness. Grateful you're still in the conversation, and grateful God found you a therapist worth trusting.
Thank you for writing this with such honesty and courage. I especially appreciate that you did not leave these sins safely in history but invited me to examine where they may still be operating within our churches and my heart.
Your closing question made me wonder whether an eighth sin could be false unity: mistaking peacekeeping for peacemaking. The ideal of “church unity” can sometimes become a means of protecting leaders, suppressing honest questions, and preserving institutional comfort.
Psychologically, this can create pluralistic ignorance. Many members may privately feel troubled by political extremism, abusive leadership, or exclusion, yet remain silent because they assume everyone else agrees.
Biblical peacemaking does not bury conflict. It brings wrongdoing into the light so that truth, repentance, and restoration become possible. When unity depends upon silence, it becomes an idol.
Perhaps this is the sin of sacrificing truth at the altar of unity and calling the silence peace.
A brilliant and timely addition, Mukund, and fitting that you've raised it during International Peace Month, which invites exactly this kind of honest reckoning with what peace actually requires.
The distinction you're drawing between peacekeeping and peacemaking is something Jason Porterfield unpacks so powerfully in his book Fight Like Jesus. Porterfield's central insight is that Jesus didn't avoid conflict; he leaned into it strategically and redemptively, because true shalom cannot be built on buried truth. The temple tables didn't turn themselves over. Real peace required confronting what was false first.
So yes, let’s fight like Jesus as truthtellers and peacemakers!
This sure hit home ,you got a new subscriber
Welcome, Michaela! Grateful the piece landed for you. Stay tuned for more.
I always appreciate your writings. Written so clearly and with humility. There is the American church and the church of Jesus - and unless we face our traditions and history we will continue to be more like America than Jesus
That distinction between the American church versus the church of Jesus…wow! You’ve named it more cleanly than I did. When the flag and the cross become indistinguishable, we've stopped following Jesus and started following something that merely uses his name. Grateful you read the article. Thanks for bringing more clarity to it.
Powerful!!
All of this.
🔥🔥🔥