The Imaginary Church

I was wandering around an exhibition of Dutch Masters.

The National Trust put some of their excellent collection of these paintings, mainly from the 17th century, on show at Petworth House, West Sussex. Among the items on display one particularly caught my eye. It was titled An Imaginary Church or Cathedral Interior by Hendrick van Steenwijk & Cornelius van Poelenburgh (see right). The title intrigued me. ‘What would the best church you could imagine look like?’, I thought.

Living stones

The Dutch were much influenced by the Reformation. The architecture in the picture is splendid, but we know that the church is a spiritual building of living stones (1 Peter 2:5), so I looked to see what the people depicted were doing.

The description alongside the frame explained that the central group contains two elders who are likely to be St Peter and St Paul. The artist may have meant these apostles to represent the centrality of the word of God in the church. They are speaking to a beggar. The apostolic gospel is for the spiritually bankrupt and should also flow over into practical generosity to the poor.

Then I looked more closely. Opposite the classic pulpit on the wall there are people on their knees in worship. That ought to be the primary effect of receiving the word of God. At the door we find a traveller is being welcomed – this church is a place of hospitality. Two women are in conversation, perhaps with some Titus 2:3,4 ministry to each other? Further to the right of the picture stands a lone woman, poorly dressed, carrying a child. Is this a one-parent family? This church is a place where the needy find welcome and care. And the whole space, over-arched by the high vaulted ceiling, is full of light from above.

As I put all this together I began to feel that I wouldn’t mind being a member of this church and that van Steenwijk & van Poelenburgh were promoting a great vision for a loving gospel fellowship with their ‘imaginary church’.

Just imagination

But then a horrible thought hit me. Maybe this is what such a church nearly always is – imaginary, a flight of fancy.

Since joining the Pastors’ Academy at London Seminary, I have become closely acquainted with many gospel churches from across the denominations as I pursue the work of offering support to pastors. Some of the situations with which I am in contact are encouraging. But many are not. Last year I did some statistics on the back of an envelope concerning the types of difficulties which I come up against. Sadly, around 25% of the calamities I see are to do with a breakdown of relations between Christians. Congregations are unkind to pastors (and vice versa); leadership teams fall out with each other; members jump ship to a more successful church at the drop of a hat, leaving a very discouraged pastor; church discipline misfires completely because the church was so unloving in the first place. Many churches which rightly make much of God’s love in the gospel seem to display so little love. An evangelical statesman for whom I have much respect collared me at a conference not long ago and asked what was the most frequent problem I was encountering in the churches. I explained. Wistfully, he replied: ‘It doesn’t surprise me.’

One another

Love one another, forgive one another, encourage one another, accept one another… A man who was recently dismissed as pastor by a church for no good reason that I am aware of, said to me: ‘I just want to join a church which practices the one-another commands of the NT.’ Amen!

Our country has been terribly fractured by Brexit. If Parliament, in effect, ignores the result of the referendum or we go to another referendum, the divisions are likely to become deeper still. And logically such actions would surely legitimise a second vote on Scottish independence which could break up our country completely. At such a time as this, for the sake of the gospel, isn’t it incumbent on God’s people to show our society something different?