Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:19-20 NRSV)
According to this passage of Scripture, when two or three Christians gather in Jesus’s name, he is among them or in their midst. I heard this claim countless times growing up. As a pastor, I would remind congregants that Jesus, in the person of the Holy Spirit, was in our midst. How did I know this? I “felt” it, as did others. How could it be otherwise? What evidence could I have provided for the claim that Jesus was literally with us as we praised and worshiped him? None. Oh, I claimed to have evidence: proof texts, souls saved, backsliders reclaimed, sins confessed, anointed preaching, spirited singing. Rare was a Sunday that I didn’t feel at some point or another the presence of God, as did countless congregants.
This belief is common among Evangelicals. What church and pastor doesn’t want to be known as spirit-filled people; believers who sense and know Jesus in sitting right there with them at church? It is not uncommon for churches to advertise their proximity to Jesus or his sidekick, the Holy Ghost. What do you do when ten local churches trumpet their Jesusness; especially when each church has different doctrines and practices from the others? Churches assume that if two or three members are gathered together, Jesus promised to be with them. However, that is a claim. How does any church or pastor actually know the man, the myth, and the legend Jesus H. Christ is among them? They can’t. This is a supernatural claim for which they can provide no evidence. Either you believe this claim or you don’t. That’s faith.
Look at all nonsense going on in Evangelical churches today — especially megachurches. Rock music, swaying singers, shallow sermons, and low expectations. I have watched enough church service videos to conclude that many megachurches are little more than entertainment venues for believers. Feel good pablum keeps people coming back week after week; ssumed by everyone is that Jesus is right there with them.
As an atheist, I am confident that the Evangelical God is a myth. This means Jesus is NOT in their midst; that what congregants feel are the effects of indoctrination, conditioning, and socialization. When you grow up in the church believing Jesus is with you, guess what? You are going to believe Jesus is your BFF. Every Sunday, Jesus is right there with you, as he is with everyone else. Well, except Deacon Bob. He’s been molesting children for years, but everyone pretends he is just “friendly” with children. Bob says he loves Jesus, but he loves feeling up little girls more. Do Evangelicals really believe that Jesus is with every last Christian, regardless of their behavior? Yep. Jesus is the eternal voyeur. He’s all-present and all-knowing. He sees and knows everything. So Jesus knows Bob is a pedophile, yet he allows Bob to play the sanctified part. Imagine how different Sunday church would be if Jesus said, “Deacon Bob, thou art the man.” And with that, he was hit by a bolt of lightning and died. Jesus sure showed him, right? Not really. After all, Bob is a born-again Christian. All that killing him did was take him to Heaven early. What a punishment, right? Meanwhile the children he molested are left behind to deal with the consequences of Bob’s wicked, vile behavior.
The Bible says this about Satan:
For such boasters are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ And no wonder! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is not strange if his ministers also disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness. Their end will match their deeds. (2 Corinthians 11:13,14 NRSV)
Satan disguises himself as an angel of light and a minister of righteousness. The question that must be asked then is how Evangelicals know it is Jesus in their midst and not Satan? If Satan is a master of disguises, how can Evangelicals know he’s among them, and not Jesus. Or maybe both Jesus and Satan show up for Sunday church. How do Evangelicals determine whom to worship?
Oh Bruce, Evangelicals have discernment. This is a claim for which no evidence will be forthcoming. At least 80% of white Evangelicals voted for Donald Trump three times. Not too discerning, right? Look at what Trump is doing to the United States. Listen to his disgusting, vile rants on social media. A violent bully, Trump only cares about his image and bottom line. Yet, Evangelicals still support him, even after the release of the Epstein Files. They have been sucked into the Trump Cult, and it remains to be seen if ANYTHING will get them to see what a huge mistake it was to vote for Trump.
If I believed in God, and by extension Satan, I would conclude that Evangelicalism has largely been co-opted by Satan. Of course, I don’t believe this, so I am more inclined to think that Evangelicals have sold their souls for a bowl of pottage. They have traded piety for political power. They have abandoned their calling. Instead of arrogantly and proudly claiming Jesus is ever with them, perhaps Evangelicals will take a careful look at what they have become and repent.
Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
You can email Bruce via the Contact Form.
Want to Respond to Bruce? Fire Away! If You Are a First Time Commenter, Please Read the Comment Policy Located at the Top of the Page.