Perversion of the Truth

Addressing Two Criticisms of the Church:

One of the common criticisms I hear about Christianity is that it has been responsible for some of the worst perversions in history - how could anyone embrace such a destructive force? Think about it: Crusades, the Inquisition, the Holocaust, religious suppression, 'just' wars, 'witch' burning, white supremacy, racial intolerance, pedophilia among leaders . . . the list is horrible and seemingly endless. I can see their argument.

Except . . .

These 'perversions' only strengthen in me my belief in the Truth of the Bible, of Jesus, of God. Only a good thing can be perverted, and the greater the goodness and truth of it, the greater the potential for rancid perversion. The more beautiful something is, the greater the imperfections look against it. The truer it is, the easier it is to skew it into falsehood.

You never hear thieves or murderers complaining that fellow thieves and murderers are 'perverting their profession.' You can't pervert something that is wrong in the first place. So, while I agree with those who are horrified at some of the grotesque children of Christianity, it only confirms in me the absolute beauty of its original truth and purity.


The second criticism is the 'hypocritical pastor.' How could such a pure religion have so many false teachers and leaders? People often use this as ammunition against the church and as a reason for dismissing it as invalid.

Again - I agree that this is a serious problem - one that pains every true believer. But it only strengthens my regard for the living holiness of the true church. The Church is an active, pure, living organism. When an infection enters, such as an unholy minister, it is eventually vomited out. They may be tolerated for awhile, but they are always discovered and rejected by the Body.

When someone uses this as an argument against Christianity - turn it around and tell them that it only proves the holiness of the Bride of Christ. Ugliness is detected and ejected.