HOLY COWS
Hundreds of holy cows used
to wander the villages of India, devouring the food of hungry peasants, yet
they were defended with fervour. The thought of butchering them to provide food
for the hungry was as appalling as the burden of maintaining them, so they
lumbered through the land, dominating the scene by their enormous intrusive
presence.
Christians often fill their heads with holy
cows. Herds of pseudo-sacred notions lumber through their thought processes and
tear away at their resources. They command such a strange superstitious awe
that people fail to chase them away, trying to pretend that they never notice
them. But cows are hard to hide ― even holy ones ― unless you are actually
looking for them. Then you find that they have the peculiar property of
vanishing from view
A few years ago, whilst
attending a meeting in Shrewsbury,
one of the items that came up was regarding a church in South Wales that wanted
to modernise their buildings, and would be asking the Connexion for half a
million pounds to enable them to carry out their plans. It’s probable that this
money would be used, if it should be approved, to enable a building no longer
suited for its purpose to become more efficient. However, what it will most
probably fail to do is create a new environment that will adequately fulfil the
task that it should be doing.
Like many congregations today, I'm sure that
the congregation of this particular church sees it as their primary duty to
ensure the salvation of their building for eternity ― or at least for another
hundred years or more! This is commendable in a museum. Indeed the new Tate
Modern Gallery has been constructed within the shell of a disused power station
at a cost of some £l34 million! Yet the purpose of the church is to declare a
concern for the salvation of souls, not buildings. Buildings, however beautiful
they might be, are little more than places where God's people can congregate
for worship and fellowship, and move out from to fulfil the Great Commission of
spreading Christ’s message of salvation. To put the building first denies the
essence of Christ's headship. The building becomes, in effect, a holy cow.
All too often the significance and relevance of Jesus Christ is hindered
in today's world because of the religious restraints that many people try to
contain Him within. We live in an age of instant wealth for many. Millionaires
are made on television quiz shows, and weekly during the lottery draws. Banks turn
people into multi-millionaires on the basis of profits that disgust most people;
those in positions of power have been corrupted by the lust for more and more
wealth no matter how they achieve it. Yet still we hear, see or read the news
reports of mass poverty and deprivation in many parts of the world. ‘The poor
will always be with us,’ Jesus said, but today's Society has turned them into
holy cows too. People have become so used to the poor being there that they have
learned to ignore them, or at least to enjoy their wealth despite them. There
are huge food shortages in some parts of the world, and huge surpluses in
others If only it was possible to milk the holy cows of their religious status.
Then finally we would be able to use them to feed the hungry souls with the
real food of righteousness; the real message of salvation; the message that
Christ brought to the world. Beautifully simple, ‘Repent of your sins, believe
in Me as the Son of God, sacrificed for you, and you will see salvation.’
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