The Church as a Hospital

The Integrated Catholic Life ^ | 8/27/2010 | Chris Findley

[markomalley]

Let me be honest, generally I strongly dislike "churchy" sayings and bumper-sticker Christianity.   It is true that clichés and sound bytes often carry a kernel of truth, but they are often packaged in trite sayings that regularly ignore the larger Truth.  Recently I heard the oft-quoted saying that, "The Church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum of saints."  As usual, I nodded my agreement, and the conversation moved on.  As the day wore on, I found myself revisiting this metaphor and wondering if maybe all the years that I've heard it, I've missed its real genius.

When people use this saying, it's usually on the heels of a discussion of the Church's need to embrace the downtrodden and broken.  It comes from a genuine desire to give sinners a place to be welcomed into an experience of Christ.  This saying is also used to combat the tendency of some Christians to develop a superiority complex that disdainfully looks upon those who struggle with living their faith.  But, I think this misses the larger truth that is present in this metaphor.

It is true, the Church is a hospital for sinners. The word in this saying that gets the most attention is "sinners".  What we should really focus on is the word "hospital".

The Church is a hospital.

It is for the broken and battered, the disillusioned and depressed.  It is for the blind and the lame.  It is for those who seem to walk with a limp and speak with a lisp.  It is for those who have lost their ability to hear or their desire to listen if they could.  It is for those who long for something more, something better, something real.

But here's the catch that we often miss: The Church is where all of these people (including yours truly) come for healing and restoration.  If the Church is a hospital for sinners, that means that the Church is in the business of healing.  The Church isn't simply shelter for the sinner, it's an invitation to transformation.  It's to make you and me better.  And, like healing, this transformation takes work.

In this metaphor as a hospital, we understand that the Church is here to help diagnose our spiritual condition and then prescribe a treatment that will bring healing and wholeness.  And this is where discomfort begins.  If I have surgery on my leg, receiving the diagnosis and treatment is only one part of my healing.  At some point I have to deal with the pain of recovery and learning to walk again.  It is not easy. It takes effort and, dare we say it, change.  Do we realize that the same thing is true in regards to our souls?

Yes, the Church is a hospital for sinners.  We come here for more than compassion and encouragement, but also for change that actually leads to healing and to hope.

I guess some of these sayings and bumper-stickers are helpful after all.

Just don't make me wear it on a T-Shirt.

[WorkingClassFilth]

I’d differ on two points.

1. Scripture, as I read it, defines all redeemed believers as saints. Catholicism selects certain believers to be given that exclusive title.

2. Redeemed believers (saints) are not sinners in the sense that the NT usually uses the term. We do, in fact, sin, but are sins are covered by grace and not counted to us. For those who reject the blood of Christ, the term ‘sinner’ defines exactly who and what they are in the eyes of God.

In short, I believe that the Church is precisely for the redeemed - not sinners. It is also like a hospital in that believers are in constant need of compassion, fellowship, healing, grace, teaching and discipline. From that body, Christians go into the world to proclaim Christ to the ‘sinners.’ In addition, there is never any place for a “showcase” because none of us but Christ ought to be reflected in acts of worship or service.

My $0.02.

[Salvation]

The Church as a Hospital
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