There is a meme that keeps popping up with the catch phrase “not going to church because of the hypocrites is like not going to the gym because of the out of shape people,” and every time I see it I cringe a little. Sure its cute and snappy and a way for churched people to snidely discount the concerns of the unchurched while making a problematic statement about the nature of church, and feel good about themselves as they giggle at their own cleverness. Now normally I let these things go but as this seems to be one of those memes that is becoming less a fad and more a ‘show up every few months in some form of internet self medication’ binge by the churched, lets truly deconstruct it.
Now if the meme was “not going to church because of the sinners is like not going to the gym because of the out of shape people” it would have a bit more appeal. There is a place, church, where people go when they recognize how they are out of harmony with themselves, the world around them, and God. And there is a place, the gym, where people go when they recognize they are out of shape. Still, there are a lot of problems with even this meme.
First, there are a lot of us who recognize that we need to be in better shape, and are doing things about it, but are not fans of the gym. I, for instance, strive to be in shape by means of body weight exercise and outdoor activities because I simply do not like free weight or machine exercises. Also there are a lot of people who seek to be in a good relationship with themselves, the world around them, and God, who do not go to church. I’m not against gyms or church. I just recognize that their existence is not crucial for processing physical and spiritual health.
Secondly, being in shape is a somewhat attainable goal that requires maintenance and good choices once you’ve attained it. Being right with ourselves, the world around us, and God is not an attainable goal that then requires maintenance, but is a lifelong process that never plateaus or ends no matter what we do.
Another way to rework the metaphor would be restating it as “not showing up to church because of the hypocrites is like not showing up to the gym because of the steroid users”. For it is the steroid users, not the out of shape individuals, who are the actual hypocrites of the gym. There is still a problem because in most cases the steroid users are a group of people at the gym who are deviant. The issues with the hypocrites of the church, at least the ones people loudly complain about, is that they are in charge.
So if this meme was true it would says “not showing up to Church because of the hypocrites is like not showing up to the gym because you find out your personal trainer and everyone succeeding there is on steroids”. And if this was a one time experience with a specific gym you would find a new one, but if it was a reality you found again and again, you would write off gyms. The reality is that the dechurched and unchurched have experienced that form of hypocrisy at church after church. Our duty as the church is to listen and process their experiences, perceived or real, not to mock them.