REFLECTION — The Church: Hospital or Hotel?

by Archpriest John Dresko

The 18^th All-American Council was outstanding. The spirit was excellent; everyone seemed to be looking forward for the first time in ten years. Two major decisions, the revision of the Statute of the OCA and the Resolution on Proportional Giving, both passed overwhelmingly. The delegates were well spoken, there was none of the pettiness that can sometimes arise, and even those who spoke in opposition to something were polite and well reasoned. The Metropolitan’s Address on Monday evening set a marvelous tone for the week. I highly recommend you listen to the address on Ancient Faith Radio’s website. In short, the whole week was pleasant.

Metropolitan’s Address: http://www.ancientfaith.com/specials/18th_aac/metropolitan_tikhon_address

However, if there was one disappointment, it was the lack of any real substantive discussion or even proclamations about the current social issues roiling the waters today. The Metropolitan did include clear comments in his address. And one can argue, of course, that “statements” were issued by various bishops on those issues before the AAC. One can also argue “Orthodox Christians know the clear stand of the Church on these issues.” Neither of those arguments hold water and some clear as a bell clarion call should have come forth from the Council in the name of the Church to help our faithful understand the teachings of the Fathers and the Church on issues in our headlines today. Many did not read any of those statements, and many certainly do not know the teaching of the Church on these issues.

In his Address of the Chancellor, Father John Jillions seemed to touch on these issues without touching on these issues. Unfortunately it was late Monday evening and not an optimal time to discuss or debate anything said. In his address, he stated the following:

“…nothing stops us from being who we are: members of the Church, with a capital C, whether others know it, accept it, ridicule it, reject it or not. To be the Church in this universal sense means we look at every human being the way God does. Regardless of who they are or what sins they have committed this is a child of God. This is someone for whom Christ died. This is someone for whom the Orthodox Church could be a spiritual home. (italics Fr. Jillions)

The Church is also a spiritual hospital for all. Jesus envisioned a Church that would bring everyone from the highways and byways, the poor, the sick, the lame and the maimed: wounded people all in need of healing. And we are among them. We are all “the first of sinners,” receiving Communion “for the healing of soul and body.” We are all works in progress.”

He also went on to quote the director of the “Loaves and Fishes Ministry” (a ministry to the homeless providing meals and social services) at a parish in Atlanta, who said, “These people are used to being looked at as blights on the landscape. So the message we want to give them is ‘I love you the way you are.’ We don’t require progress to continue serving them. Because what motivates people to change is an experience of love and acceptance, not more judgment. We help them when they’re ready.”

There is not a single word in any of these comments that we can, or should, disagree with. To unconditionally love absolutely every single person that God brings across our paths is the Christian imperative. But when you start to talk about the Church as a “hospital,” perhaps some more nuance is needed. Love in the life of the Church can never be separated from Truth. After all, one of the rallying cries of certain groups in our society is “Love Wins.” Those groups are not only in opposition to the Truth, but are coming to the point of persecuting the Truth. And their arguments certainly have little to do with “love.”

Father John’s words can easily be construed that the doors of the Church are open to everyone without conditions. That can never be the case. While we love without condition, that love also must call to repentance. You and I don’t enter the Church without conditions. You and I don’t enter the Church without repentance. You and I were not sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit to live life without discernment. You and I are called to live a life of reflection on and sorrow for our sins. You and I certainly can’t expect our sins to be enshrined and exalted (even if we often try!).

What is a hospital? First of all, no one goes to a hospital unless they think they have an illness that needs to be treated by means other than that available to them in everyday life. If one has cancer, one doesn’t just sit at home waiting for it to get better. To say that the Church is a hospital means that we call those who are afflicted to come for treatment. Father John rightly states that we are all afflicted with one illness or another. The difference in our world today, and where he is totally remiss in making such blanket statements is that those who come to the Church today very often think their affliction is normal, acceptable and in no need of treatment.

If I go to a hospital, I may have an idea of what’s wrong, but I do not go to the doctor and tell him what’s wrong. I wait for a diagnosis. And when the diagnosis is given to me, I can deny it and refuse treatment, in which case I will leave the hospital. I can argue with the doctor about the severity of my illness, making treatment problematic. Finally, I can tell the doctor what course of treatment he must prescribe for me. “No, I’m sure it’s just a headache not a brain tumor, and all I need is some aspirin and not surgery and chemo.” All those courses of action mean that I will continue to live with my illness, get worse, and then die.

But I have another choice. I can go to the hospital with my complaints and sincere concern for my safety, health and well-being. I can let the doctor tell me what’s wrong, then follow the course of action that is prescribed. Then I stand a reasonable chance of being healed. The Church stands ready and able to welcome anyone who wants to limp in with their afflictions and prescribe the medicine that our Lord, the Fathers, 2,000 years of Holy Tradition and the Scriptures have given to us. Anyone who avails him or her self of this treatment will find life. Those who don’t…

I don’t go to a hospital looking for a comfortable room, with great restaurants and room service, expecting to have the staff ready to cater to my every whim. For that, I go to a hotel. I pick and choose the size, the style, the comfort level, the price, and the city and neighborhood. I go to a hospital to be healed. The comments in the Chancellor’s Address leave more than a little room for confusion on this matter. There is no confusion in the teachings and the life of the Church. Whether my sin is gluttony, anger, sexual activity outside the God-given state of monogamous male-female marriage, or any other sin, if I think I can come to the Church and remain in my sin with no fight whatsoever, justifying and excusing my sin, I am deluded. If the Church allows me to remain deluded, She has not proved her love for me.

We live in a very challenging time. We must carefully ensure that no poison (in the name of the Church!) seeps into the well from which our people are drinking deeply. Our young people have a very difficult time connecting personal actions, morality, and faith, with Truth. Ironically, some, while claiming that we must change, actually just parrot what they hear every day: “you can come to Christ and the Church and remain completely unchanged. “ All of us have to fight our passions every single moment and repent when we fail. St. Paul reminds us:

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away. For of this sort are those… [who are] always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:1-6)

Does “from such people turn away” sound like “no conditions”? If we throw around sentences like “I love you just the way you are” without clarification on what that love entails, we are not a hospital. We are simply a hotel, and the worst kind of hotel that is rented by the hour. We can, however, follow St. Paul’s continuing advice to Timothy: “…you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:14-15)