Clergy for the People

The other day I was reading the blog of my friend, Micheal Elliott. Micheal is a thought provoking writer and he’s even more thought provoking when you’re sitting around with him drinking coffee or something. It’s a gift.

Anyway, on this particular day, Micheal talked about the old TV show Daniel Boone, a product of Disney when they were making regular TV series. I remember the watching Daniel Boone myself. I admired him as he never missed with his flintlock rifle and made a hat of raccoon pelt look stylish and manly.

As good as he was, Daniel Boone (as played by Fess Parker) didn’t fire my imagination as did another character that got the Disney treatment. I remember to this day a three-part movie shown on what was known, I believe, as “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color.” (Not everyone had color TV. If you had one, everyone wanted to watch TV at your house.)

On those nights, I parked myself in front of our TV set (which got three channels clearly) to watch The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh. British actor Patrick McGoohan, before becoming a Secret Agent and then a Prisoner, played a vicar in an English coastal town. His name was Dr. Christopher Syn. A preacher named Dr. Syn (rhymes with sin) – you’ve got to love it!

Dr. Syn served as the shepherd of his congregation but he had a dark secret. By night, he was the infamous Scarecrow, sabotaging the efforts of the military, who were shanghaiing local men for the British Navy and extorting tax money over and above what was legal. The Scarecrow also ran a smuggling ring to help the local citizens obtain much needed supplies. Even his own gang did not know who this feared rebel/criminal really was.

Something about The Scarecrow was exciting to me. It was all about fighting against authority and standing up against oppression. It was also about danger and the possibility of getting shot or captured and subsequently hanged. Still, the cause was worth it and Dr. Syn was willing to do what needed to be done. He inspired the people of the countryside who helped him without knowing his true identity.

It makes me think about the actions of clergy today. Too many of our American pulpiteers are not avoiding the spotlight. Instead, they are seeking it out, making sure that as many people as possible know their names and faces. Instead of avoiding politics, they align themselves with one political party or another. Being a servant of all the people is not as important to them as being adored by a certain segment of the people.

Sadly, many who are identified with the Church are not really interested in saving people who don’t vote, can’t pay and have no homes.

Someone out there is saying, “Hey! A lot of preachers are talking about high taxes and the rights of citizens!”

Maybe. I’ve been looking at it for a long time, from both within and without the system. It still seems to me that the words of a lot of those preachers are promoting candidates, parties and political agendas. They do it while using religious language. If you disagree with them, it looks like you’re disagreeing with God (and we know what happens to people who do that).

Dr. Syn risked his life protecting people without asking them about their politics or where they were vis-à-vis the social order. He laid everything on the line for people who could never pay him back. He didn’t ask for their money, their support in the next election or a commitment to tithe. The Scarecrow didn’t see his actions as something divorced from his calling as a vicar. He saw that taking care of the poor, the oppressed and the weak was his calling.

Sounds like a Nazarene I read about.

I wonder what would happen if those who say they are called to care about the people actually did that. I mean cared about ALL the people without regard for who they are, where they are from, how much or how little money they have or their stance on various political issues. It might be enough to change the world.

Dr. Syn wore a mask, so no one would know his identity. Yes, it was for protection. It was also a symbol, showing that it wasn’t the man himself that was important. What was important was the cause to which the man gave himself. It was the people who were important.

Clergy, it may be time to become a clergy for the people. It’s time to cover the faces that show up on those TV broadcasts and in the attractive ads for those congregations with self-contained schools, gyms and societies. It’s time to go back to work for the people who need it most and can pay the least.

We have to ask ourselves the question: Is mine the face that people really need to see or is it the face of Another?