Recently, the resignation of Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, over his role in covering up child sexual abuse has once again placed the ecumenical church in the public eye. Critics of the church have responded with sarcasm, while many Christians struggle to accept this reality.
Over the past decade, scandals have plagued the ecumenical church. Sexual abuse allegations have surfaced in Catholic, Baptist, and other denominations in the U.S., Canada, and France. In Asia, prominent pastors in countries like South Korea and Singapore have been imprisoned for financial corruption. These incidents raise a troubling question: why is there so much sin in the church? Should God’s community be like this?
Some believers, disheartened by these events and their own unsatisfactory church experiences, find their faith wavering. For instance, a young pastor shared with me that a staff worker at their church had left the Christian faith after encountering numerous disappointments. They felt God had failed to protect His church, allowing such sin to persist.
In reality, sin has existed in the church since its inception. Jesus never described the church as a sanctuary free of sin but rather as a place where wheat and weeds coexist. Within the church are followers of Christ as well as those who disrupt and undermine His work. Even among Jesus’ twelve disciples was Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
The church is both sacred and worldly; it is composed of humans who were born with original sin. Human nature is weak and prone to actions that contradict faith. Augustine identified three primary human desires: power, money, and sex. The sins of the church throughout its 2,000-year history are closely tied to these desires. Such transgressions have occurred in every era.
From a spiritual perspective, Satan actively seeks to thwart God’s work. Stirring up sin and strife within the church is an effective strategy. The complexity of the church increased, making it a prime battleground for spiritual warfare, with some inevitable sin.
But why does God permit sin in the church? He grants humans free will, enabling people to choose their actions, including whether to worship or oppose Him. Additionally, God, in His mercy, often gives sinners an opportunity to repent, delaying immediate judgment.
God deals with evil in the church in two ways. First, as seen in the story of Eli’s sons during Samuel’s time, He punishes sinners in that time. Second, and more commonly, He reserves judgment until the end of the age. Thus, God does not ignore sin within the church but temporarily tolerates it out of respect for free will and to give people time to repent. Moreover, isn’t the exposure of these scandals over the past decade evidence of God purifying His church?
For Christians, we cannot easily eliminate sin in the church, as it stems from human weakness. However, the crucial point is to walk steadfastly in God’s truth, regardless of the church’s condition, to attain ultimate glory. If we are burdened for the church, we can commit to regular prayer, asking for its preservation and for it to continue to bear witness to God despite the presence of sin.
(Originally published by the Christian Times, the article has been edited under permission and the author is a believer at a church in Fuzhou, Fujian. )
- Edited by Karen Luo, translated by Abigail Wu
这几天，坎特伯雷大主教韦尔比掩盖虐童丑闻而引咎辞职的事，再度把普世教会推上了风口浪尖。网上一些反教者再度冷嘲热讽，而不少基督徒也感到难以接受。
而这十几年来，普世教会可谓是丑闻缠身。美国、加拿大、法国等天主教会、浸信会等组织纷纷曝出性丑闻。而亚洲的韩国、新加坡也有名牧因为经济腐败锒铛入狱。这不禁让人疑惑，为何教会的罪恶那么多？这还是上帝的团体吗？
有信徒看到了新闻上关于教会的恶事，再加上在现实教会生活中的不如意，从而导致信仰出现了软弱。比如有位年轻传道就跟我说，他们教会有位同工退教了。原因就是他遇到了不少令人遗憾的事，感觉上帝没有保守自己的教会，从而让其产生了那么多罪恶。
事实上教会从她诞生的那一天开始，她里面的罪恶就从未断绝过。耶稣从来也没说过教会是人间的净土；而是很明确地告诫我们，教会是麦子与稗子并存的。里面既有真正属于主的信徒，也有不少借机捣乱、破坏上帝事工的恶人。更何况，耶稣所拣选的十二门徒中，就有卖主的加略人犹大。
教会虽然具有神圣性与超越性，但同样也有世俗性；是由一群具有原罪的人组成的。而人性是软弱的，经常会去做那些违背信仰的事。奥古斯丁就指出，人类有三大欲望，分别是权力、金钱、性欲。而二千多年教会历史中的罪恶，也基本与这三者密切相关。任何时期的教会，都有这些不法的事情发生。
而从灵界的角度看，撒旦为了达到其罪恶目的，必然会想方设法破坏天国的事工；而在教会中兴起其代言人、制造各种罪恶、纷争无疑是最好的做法。教会的复杂性就加剧了，出现各种罪恶也就成了必然；因为这是属灵争战最激烈的地方。
那为何上帝不好好管管教会，而让罪恶存在呢？这是因为祂赋予人类自由意志，可以选择做各样的事；包括敬拜或反对上帝。此外，有些人虽然作恶，但上帝基于怜悯，仍给他们悔改的机会，因而没有马上处理。
当然面对教会的恶人，上帝会采取两种方式。一种就像撒母耳时代以利的两个儿子，在现世就对其进行惩罚。而另一种是更为普遍的，那就是末日审判的清算。因此上帝并非完全没有管教教会；而是基于人类的自由意志以及给予犯罪者悔改的机会，才暂时容忍而已。更何况，这十几年各地教会丑闻被曝光，难道不是上帝在整治教会吗？
对于基督徒来说，教会的罪恶我们无法彻底改变；因为这是灵界争战、人性软弱所必然带来的。但重要的是，无论教会情况如何，我们必须行在上帝的真道上；才能获得最终的荣耀。当然假如我们对教会有负担，则可以经常为她守望祷告；希望其得到保守，不因罪恶而失去见证。
坎特伯雷大主教辞职思考：为何教会罪恶那么多？
Recently, the resignation of Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, over his role in covering up child sexual abuse has once again placed the ecumenical church in the public eye. Critics of the church have responded with sarcasm, while many Christians struggle to accept this reality.
Over the past decade, scandals have plagued the ecumenical church. Sexual abuse allegations have surfaced in Catholic, Baptist, and other denominations in the U.S., Canada, and France. In Asia, prominent pastors in countries like South Korea and Singapore have been imprisoned for financial corruption. These incidents raise a troubling question: why is there so much sin in the church? Should God’s community be like this?
Some believers, disheartened by these events and their own unsatisfactory church experiences, find their faith wavering. For instance, a young pastor shared with me that a staff worker at their church had left the Christian faith after encountering numerous disappointments. They felt God had failed to protect His church, allowing such sin to persist.
In reality, sin has existed in the church since its inception. Jesus never described the church as a sanctuary free of sin but rather as a place where wheat and weeds coexist. Within the church are followers of Christ as well as those who disrupt and undermine His work. Even among Jesus’ twelve disciples was Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
The church is both sacred and worldly; it is composed of humans who were born with original sin. Human nature is weak and prone to actions that contradict faith. Augustine identified three primary human desires: power, money, and sex. The sins of the church throughout its 2,000-year history are closely tied to these desires. Such transgressions have occurred in every era.
From a spiritual perspective, Satan actively seeks to thwart God’s work. Stirring up sin and strife within the church is an effective strategy. The complexity of the church increased, making it a prime battleground for spiritual warfare, with some inevitable sin.
But why does God permit sin in the church? He grants humans free will, enabling people to choose their actions, including whether to worship or oppose Him. Additionally, God, in His mercy, often gives sinners an opportunity to repent, delaying immediate judgment.
God deals with evil in the church in two ways. First, as seen in the story of Eli’s sons during Samuel’s time, He punishes sinners in that time. Second, and more commonly, He reserves judgment until the end of the age. Thus, God does not ignore sin within the church but temporarily tolerates it out of respect for free will and to give people time to repent. Moreover, isn’t the exposure of these scandals over the past decade evidence of God purifying His church?
For Christians, we cannot easily eliminate sin in the church, as it stems from human weakness. However, the crucial point is to walk steadfastly in God’s truth, regardless of the church’s condition, to attain ultimate glory. If we are burdened for the church, we can commit to regular prayer, asking for its preservation and for it to continue to bear witness to God despite the presence of sin.
(Originally published by the Christian Times, the article has been edited under permission and the author is a believer at a church in Fuzhou, Fujian. )
- Edited by Karen Luo, translated by Abigail Wu
Reflections on Justin Welby’s Resignation: Why Is There So Much Sin in Church?
