Tastelessness in the Church (Reflections on Epiphany 5)

“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled underfoot.” (Matthew 5:13)

Can the church be tasteless? I guess it depends on what you mean by “taste.” Some church events have been criticized for being in bad taste. Two years ago, three members of the Russian feminist protest punk band Pussy Riot invaded the chancel of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow and attempted to perform a musical prayer called “Mother of God, Chase Putin Away.” Church security and the Russian justice system found this act rather tasteless. Two of the singers were sentenced to two -year prison terms for what can only be considered voicing criticism of state oppression and the Church's collusion with that oppression.

Some Americans consider the unorthodox Lutheran cleric Nadia Bolz-Weber to be tasteless. I have to admit, not until I heard Pastor Nadia speak at Trinity Lutheran Church of Lansdale, PA last November had I ever heard the dreaded “F Bomb” set off within the walls of a consecrated house of worship. I don't know how her remarks were received by every member of that audience, but I know they made a big impression on me.

In the gospel lesson for the Fifth Sunday After the Epiphany in the Revised Common Lectionary (Matthew 5:13-20), Jesus warns the disciples about tastelessness. I don't think he's talking about good manners or appropriate behavior or fashion. He's likening the Church to salt—one of the most valuable commodities in the desert regions where our faith began. Salt preserved food, kept folks from becoming dehydrated, and gave food flavor. Without saltiness, the table fare just wasn't very interesting or desirable.

I love that Jesus says “You are the salt of the earth.” He doesn't say that we “could be” the salt or that we “should be” the salt. Rather, he reminds us that we already have the knowledge of his sacrificial love, the faith in God's mercy and forgiveness, and the hope of eternity in the Kingdom of Heaven. These are gifts which aren't to be horded. They are to be used and shared.

But it's pretty easy for the Church to become tasteless.

We lose our salt when we assume that “everybody” knows what it means to be Christian. Being the dominant culture, the Church risks becoming complacent and stale. We have a wonderful message, but we don't ponder it, question it, or talk about it.

We become bland and distasteful when we assume that the unchurched are “unspiritual.” That is, by assuming others don't hunger for ultimate meaning, we lose the opportunity to learn from their spiritual journeys and questioning. We also write them off as people who simply don't understand our values.

We neglect to be seasoning for the world if we focus obsessively on questions of individual salvation and spiritual comfort, forgetting that we are called to be in mission to the world.

We are flavorless when we declare that it is not polite to discuss our faith with others—associating evangelism with crazed street corner preachers or annoying door-to-door Jehovah's Witnesses. We forget that God's proclamation can take many forms. St. Francis of Assisi exhorted his monks to preach through their deeds.

Perhaps the most tasteless of all is the terror of associating belief in a righteous, merciful, compassionate, and just God with any kind of social activism. Heaven forbid we should mix religion with politics..!

I think what makes the Pussy Riots and the Pastor Nadias of this world so salty is not their unconventional behavior. Rather, it's their unshakable conviction that a little flavor can actually change both lives and societies. I have not been given the light of the gospel for my benefit alone. The Holy Spirit has given me the gospel so I might be a light to others. The Church is given the gospel to be a light to the world—feeding the hungry, healing the sick, freeing the captives, welcoming the outcast, and sharing the joy of our salvation.