The Sinners in the Back

I once heard an angry preacher preach an angry sermon.

He was angry at a particularly vile set of sinners; those sinners who make most people hide the eyes of their children and cover the ears of their pets. He was yelling at those people who did not attend Sunday evening worship.

He was bravely preaching this sermon at Sunday evening worship.
 It was a powerful message that made me feel exceedingly holy by beating up a group of people with whom I had worshiped just a few hours prior.

At one point he described these people by saying, “They come in late, sit on the back pew, and leave early.” He then went on to say, “I wish we could tear up the back pew so they would have to sit somewhere else.”

This was stupid for a couple of reasons:
1.    If you tore out the back pew, the next to the back pew would become the new back pew. The logistics of the back pew removal just did not make sense.
2.    He was expressing his anger about those who did not attend while proposing a plan that would make their attendance more difficult.
3.    This preacher did not know or respect these back-row Christians, and his attitude actually perpetuated the problems that made him so angry.

When I began my ministry, I fell in love with the back-row (as well as the front and middle rows).  I learned that the angry preacher was wrong about them. They are real, genuine, and devoted to their families and their church (in that order).

The bigger problem is the judgment within our walls. When one person feels superior to another because of the placement of their pew, what is to keep us from judging others based on bigger differences such as race, sex, and socioeconomics?

This week, let us pay attention to our judgmental tendencies. As for me, I will be on the back pew.