26. What the Confession Looks Like

The Christian Statement

The confession the church owes is not a general, vague acknowledgment that Christians have not been perfect. That is not a confession. That is a diplomatic non-answer. The confession that is actually needed is specific, honest, and non-defensive.

It sounds like:

• "What was done to Jewish people in the name of Jesus, across a thousand years of European history, was wrong. It violated His explicit teaching. I am sorry for it as someone who carries His name."
• "The abuse of pastoral authority that has been documented in Catholic and evangelical institutions represents the exploitation of the most sacred trust available. The people who were harmed were harmed by people who were supposed to represent the Good Shepherd. They were betrayed in the worst possible way. I am sorry."
• "Young earth creationism was presented to a generation of young people as essential Christian doctrine. When it failed to withstand scientific scrutiny, many of those young people concluded that Christianity itself had failed. The position was held with more certainty than the text warranted. That was a failure of theological precision that had real consequences for real people."
• "LGBTQ+ people have frequently been confronted rather than engaged by the church. They have encountered the law before the love. They have been made to feel that the church is primarily interested in their behavior rather than their person. Whatever the church believes about sexuality, the treatment of LGBTQ+ people in many church contexts has not reflected the Jesus who touched the leper and ate with Zacchaeus. I am sorry for that."

The confession is honest. It is specific. It names what was done. It does not minimize it. And it distinguishes between the institution's failure and the Person's character - without using that distinction as a way to escape accountability for the institution's actions.

★ Disciple Tip: The confession does not require the disciple to defend every position the church has taken. It requires the disciple to be honest about what was done wrong, to own it as part of the tradition they belong to, and to distinguish it clearly from the Jesus who is the reason the tradition exists. The person who can make this distinction honestly is far more credible than the person who defends everything or apologizes for everything.