On the Gospel of John, Part 42: Out of This World
It is easy for any so-called priest or pastor to tell other men what to do, and to find one verse of Scripture or another to justify his position, especially if he does not have to do those things himself. So if he is not humble, he himself may ultimately become a parasite, feeding off the body of his flock while they themselves wither and die. This is probably the state of most denominational churches today, and especially the Roman Catholic Church, which is why they always seek new audiences, for which they turn to South America, Africa and Asia. No different than the international banks and global corporations, the so-called churches constantly need to find new ways to satiate their thirst for money and power.
So far as can be determined, it was John Selden, a controversial 17th-century scholar and jurist who had opposed many of the policies of the Church of England, who had first recorded the saying “Do as I say, not as I do”, and when he wrote those words he was attributing that sentiment to the preachers of his time. So we see that at least one learned Englishman understood the frequently-occurring hypocrisy of those who put themselves in authority over men, as Christ had also said of the Pharisees: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: 3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.” The scribes and Pharisees of ancient Judaea were the teachers of the law, but they themselves did not keep the law. Fortunately for us, Moses’ seat was torn down by the Romans in 70 AD, and today no man can claim to occupy it.
In recent times, and especially among Identity Christians, we often hear the admonition to “get out of Babylon”, as the saying usually goes, and for many people that evokes the thought that Christians can somehow go off into the wilderness and survive on their own while they isolate themselves from a corrupt Society. But this is impractical, and perhaps even impossible. There is no more hospitable wilderness which may be peacefully inhabited, especially since modern transportation and surveillance technology have put even the most remote areas of the habitable earth under the scrutiny of earthly rulers. Perhaps there are a few exceptions, but the vast majority of Christians today cannot “get out of Babylon” and continue to feed and shelter themselves and their families. So even before we argue over the hypothetical prospects of success, we must inquire as to whether this is even what Christian leaders should be teaching.