I Was Just Thinking About - - -
An old expression that was used to describe a position being espoused by an individual was: “You are majoring on the minors.” There’s a great deal of that occurring in the world today. Whenever politicians and politics come front and center, it tends to crystallize the thinking of individuals and the identity of their followers and supporters. It also reveals the character of those who put forth their ideology, ambition and promises for actions that they hope to accomplish. That is known as “political-speak.” The public has been conditioned to hear it and in too many cases to believe it.
One of the problems with the dominance of “political-speak” (the art of changing two way discourse into one-way communication; sticking to the party message no matter what the other is saying) is that it infiltrates the visible Church. The Oxford Dictionary incorporates “political-speak” with a word, “snollygoster” meaning: “A dishonest politician.” They use an amusing illustration from a 19th century newspaper editor who defined it as: “A snollygoster is a fellow who seeks office regardless of party, platform or principle, and who, when he wins, gets there by the sheer force of monumental talknophical assumnancy.”
The infiltration into the visible Church occurs when a “snollygoster” becomes the most prominent and his “pomposity” becomes the marching orders for the rest of the group. On one occasion, a young man was being considered for the position of Pastor in a smaller congregation. When he visited the church group, the introduction was made by a pompous snollygoster. He went on and on in his introduction with lofty rhetoric. After he was seated, the young man addressed the group and made three comments. First was to the gathered group, “Did you understand anything that was just said?” Secondly, “He said it so mellifluously that I take it as an undeserved compliment.” And thirdly, “I wish my Mother could’ve been here to have heard it - she’s the only one who would’ve believed it.” A couple of Scriptural thoughts came to mind, Romans 12:3, “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” And, Romans 12:16, “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.”
When the Lord pronounces his impending judgments against Babylon, part of it is based upon the statement in Isaiah 13:11 (NKJV), “I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.” The ESV rendering is: “I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.” The MSG rendering is: “I’ll gag all braggarts and boasters—not a peep anymore from them…” The snollygoster syndrome can so easily creep into a group of church-oriented people. It happens all across the country when a handful of people try to tenaciously maintain that which is dying or already dead. Pastors are sought for these places and preach to empty pews. An admixture of people, albeit very few, are part of the group but the unity in commitment and ministry is lacking. It is reminiscent of the words of Jesus regarding the hypocrites of His day, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8). And what about the men who allow themselves to be called to the dying or dead entity? What is their motivation for accepting a call? Is it a vision for evangelism and outreach ministry? Or, is an act of a mercenary (concerned with making money at the expense of ethics and scruples) who is all too willing to receive a pay check for his services rendered? It is a sad day in many places where integrity of purpose is lacking. Consider these things with me.
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