Hasn't the church got a pretty bad record? Why should I believe what it teaches?

 

There is no denying that the popular belief that the church has a pretty appalling record has some truth in it. Wasn’t it the church who were responsible for the Crusades, for witch burning, for the Inquisition, as well as for many other atrocities?  Sadly, most of these things were carried out in the name of Christianity. So how can anyone trust the teachings of a group of people who are associated with such evil?

 

Looking at the Bible, we see that there have always been hypocrites in the church. Hypocrites are people who pretend to be something they are not. Surely this backs up the idea that Christianity is full of hypocrites and should not be trusted? Actually, it just shows us that we should not be surprised to find hypocrites in the church, but their behaviour is not condoned.  Christianity is all about Jesus. And Jesus was the loudest opponent of hypocrites. His harshest words were reserved for the religious leaders of his day who would publicly act out religious duties, trying to make themselves look good, but who actually had little regard for God and showed no love for other people.  Jesus strongly condemned their actions. And I’m sure Jesus would have even harsher words for those hypocrites who perpetrated the evil atrocities in His name that we considered earlier.

 

The issue isn’t really can we trust the church, but rather, can we trust Jesus. The church has always been full of people who make mistakes. Again, looking into the Bible, we see Jesus’ closest followers messing up time and time again. Christians are not perfect. But Jesus is. And He welcomes those who know they are not perfect, who know they make mistakes, who know they need forgiveness. The church is made up of forgiven sinners, who still make mistakes, but who are also letting Jesus change them to become more like Him. 

 

Many bad things have been done in the name of the church, but the vast number of good things that the church has achieved over the centuries must not be ignored. It was Christians that were instrumental in achieving the abolition of the slave trade, Christians who set up orphanages, hospitals, schools, and many relief organisations and charities.  Christians have always been on hand to help pick up the pieces after disasters, such as the tsunami - helping people no mater what their belief or background. No other religion in history can compare.

 

Christians can be both good and bad representatives of Jesus, but ultimately it is Jesus and his teachings we need to look at to see if Christianity is trustworthy.