TOWARDS AN OPEN CHURCH: - what then should the church be:
History is not the sphere of the inevitable but the sphere of freedom. Common apologies for oppression and excuses for injustice are informed by the necessity to resign ourselves to what's often seen as inevitable social orders under retrogressive auspices. But stop for a moment and really think about it: Within the limits of a life that is bounded by death, should free men and women strive for what should be or should they surrender to what others say must be? Think carefully here; isn't it a form of apology for oppression to assert that people have no right to impose their values upon others. It is said that other people must choose their own form of government. In principle this line of thought questions whether we are warranted to point out to our colleagues that they live under subjugation or if we should respect their 'choice' and let them be? Does a Presbyterian have any justification to proposition elderism to a catholic who is okay with the rule of the bishop? Should America have invaded Iraq – under whatever pretense necessary - to depose a despot? Given that other people do not share America's concern for democratic governance and human rights, does America have the right to 'educate' them?
In reality, there's combination of lies and half-truths concealing a host of cultural, economic, religious and, more often than not, racial prejudices. It is monstrous to assert on behalf of others that they do not feel about their basic human rights as keenly as we feel about ours. 
It is disingenuous to say that other people must be free to choose their own form of government and, at the same time, to support precisely those forces that would deny them their freedom to choose. On the flipside, it is also an apology to claim that faced with tyrants or militarisms, people have no alternative. People always have choices; they might be costly yes, but they are choice nonetheless.
Whats the role of the church in these matters? Wherever the churches wish to address themselves to these issues the line need only be drawn at the denial of elementary religious freedom. Let's follow the example of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They served the king, up until when he demanded their worship as a god. The Scriptures demand that we submit to authority; whatever that authority be, God installed it with a purpose. But when that authority asks of us the denouncement of the supremacy of God, then like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, we should be prepared to lay down our very lives. Contemptible betrayal is when the church remains silent on the assault of these bourgeois freedoms which include the freedom to assemble for worship without penalty, to proclaim the Gospel publicly, or even the freedom of parents to instruct their children in the faith. It is very hard to understand how Christians could deem it a subordinate concern that believers be able to practice their faith.
Certainly, Democracy or any other order of government is not prescribed by the scriptures? As the Mystical Body, the church is called to a far higher standard of inclusivity, equality, and generosity of spirit than democracy alone can guarantee. In a two-party democracy, after all, the minority party is legally excluded from many important decisions - the legislative agenda and so forth. In the Mystical Body, every member matters. No one is to be silenced or marginalized. As the Mystical Body, the church by faith possesses a truth that observation alone could never establish: We are all made in the image of God, and thereby are we called to love one another.
What is popular--what gets the most votes--is not always what is wise. Prophetic voices are solitary ones. They can be silenced or outvoted. That's true whether the voting happens in the US Congress, or at the papal conclave, or at a democratic Protestant meeting. A lay board approving appointments of priests to parishes, or a Presbyterian session of elders, or any such church board, would be equally liable to the tyranny of the majority. Votes do not establish truth just as expedience or the law does not establish truth. Truth and wisdom are not established by human hands. They are the work and the gift of God. 
Remember the difference between the expedient and the true. Ethicist Stanley Hauerwas--dubbed "America's Best" theologian by Time Magazine (September 17, 2001)--once wrote an hilarious argument that Bill Clinton could not tell a lie. And why is that? Because, Hauerwas argued, Clinton says what it is expedient to say. One cannot tell a lie if one cannot speak the truth. If one's speech is governed not by the true but by the expedient, then one cannot tell a lie.
We must not fall to the standard of mere expedience, disguised perhaps as false courtesy or as hollow deference. Prophetic action is never quiet, safe or conventional. The church must remain open to the grace to listen to the voice of that Truth--not the voice of fearful expedience. Likewise, sharing power and practical authority will not be enough on its own. Democratic procedures won't help if we are not prayerfully listening for the elusive, unpredictable voice of the Spirit. We need to remember that the difference between right and wrong is not in human hands. What is legal is a much lower standard than what is moral. Politicians and business executives accused of malfeasance always insist, "I did nothing wrong." What they mean is simply that their lawyers found a loophole. That's not good enough for the church, or at least it shouldn't be.
Why do I argue that lay people must have a serious role to play in the governance of the church? Because the Spirit of God is elusive; none of us see as God sees, and God can speak through anyone. Having the power to vote does not guarantee anything. Life does not come with guarantees. An even the sadder fact is that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely; Autocratic systems can degenerate very fast. Ordination for instance, especially in churches with dominant individual personalities rescues no one from original sin, and besides even our very best efforts, as necessary as they are, can never do the work of grace. We are all in need of grace, and we are all in need of forgiveness.
The church is not a democracy, it's not an autocracy either, and it should never get anywhere close to a tyranny- it must not be one man's empire; it should not be built around a single individual who is referred to by all congregants as 'our dad'. We have only one spiritual father – 'Our father who at in Heaven'. Any pastor or bishop who seeks to rule his church is putting himself in a place which should only be occupied by the one who died to redeem the church. Any person or group of people who attempt to rule over God's church are operating outside what is appropriate. It is the Mystical Body of the Risen Christ. We are loved, and the love of God burns unceasingly within us. 
The call is for us to work and pray unceasingly, to love one another, to acknowledge our sins, to amend our lives, and to live together prayerfully as the Body of Christ.
Every earthly sovereignty is subordinate to the supremacy of Jesus Christ. The Church, the community of believers, is the bearer of that claim. Because the Church is pledged to the Kingdom proclaimed by Jesus, it must maintain a critical distance from all the kingdoms of the world, whether actual or proposed. Christians betray their Lord if, in theory or practice, they equate the Kingdom of God with any political, social, or economic order. Many church leaders also fall into this common trap; like a scalpel moves at the whim of the surgeon, so does a bishop/pastor; he is merely an instrument. Would you imagine a recovered patient going back to the hospital to give credit to the scalpel? Because Christ is Lord, Caesar is not Lord. Because Christ is Lord, your Bishop is not Lord. Because Christ is Lord even Saint Peter was keen not to think of himself more highly than he ought to; He had this to say to Cornelius – the first gentile convert – when he fell to his knees in reverence:
But Peter made him get up. "Stand up," he said, "I am only a man myself." Acts 10: 26
And when he and John healed the crippled beggar at the beautiful gate of the temple and the crowd got amazed, he asked them
"Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?" Acts 3:12
Because Christ is Lord, even the Angels do not lay claim to any authority or hold themselves in high regard:
Then the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!" And he added, "These are the true words of God." At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Don't do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus." Revelation 19: 9-10
By humbling all secular and religious claims to sovereignty or superiority, the Church then truly becomes unapologetically the Church. In this manner it makes its most important political contribution. We are called to be leaven and light in movements of cultural, political, and economic change. History is the arena in which Christians exercise their discipleship. The fulfillment of history's travail is the promised Rule of God, not the establishment of our human programs and designs.
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour.
Romans 13: 1-7
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