Turning Up the Religious Machinery

Eugene Peterson claims in one of his books: "For a long time I have been
convinced that I could take a person with a high school education, give him
or her a six-month trade school training, and provide a pastor who would be
satisfactory to any discriminating American congregation. The curriculum
would consist of four courses. Course 1: Creative Plagiarism. I would put
you in touch with a wide range of excellent and inspirational talks, show
you how to alter them just enough to obscure their origins, and get you a
reputation for wit and wisdom. Course 2: Voice Control for Prayer and
Counseling. We would develop your own distinct style of Holy Joe intonation,
acquiring the skill in resonance and modulation that conveys an unmistakable
aura of sanctity. Course 3: Efficient Office Management. There is nothing
that parishioners admire more in their pastors than the capacity to run a
tight ship administratively ... Course
4: Image Projection. Here we would master the half-dozen well-known and
easily implemented devices that create the impression that we are
terrifically busy and widely sought after for counsel by influential people
in the community."

As one preacher speaking to others, Peterson is poking fun, of course, but
he is also speaking a hard truth. The clergy always run the risk of merely
putting on a good show. Ministers like me can grow so accustomed to the
absence of God that we lose our vocabulary for naming God's presence. And we
fill the vacuum by heaping up empty prayers and tuning up the religious
machinery.

The one thing we need is a Word from God. The one gift we cannot purchase
out of a catalog is the Word that names us, claims us, judges us, and
redeems us. We do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.

In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, God didn't speak to the
politicians. During the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, God didn't
speak to the religious functionaries. No, "the word of God came to John, son
of Zechariah, in the wilderness."

Praying for a Whole New World, William G. Carter, CSS Publishing Company