The Unholy Union of Credulous Faith and Manipulative Power

A Reflection on Revelation 2:18-29

Image by Irina Semibratova from Pixabay

CREDULOUS CHRISTIANITY

I ask questions. I can’t help it. When something interests me, I need to know more. When something doesn’t make sense to me, I need to try to work it out. But, perhaps more than anything else in my life, my questions have gotten me into trouble. Over the years, I have learned that some questions should not be asked, but I still struggle to know in advance which questions they are. And I can’t count how many times, in my younger years of faith, I had Proverbs 3:5-6 quoted at me. My questions were viewed as a lack of trust in God and a sinful determination to “lean on my own understanding.” My questions were seen as disobedience and rebellion against those whom God (so I was told) had put in authority over me. But all of these experiences have only raised more questions in my mind.

One of the most pressing, ongoing questions in my life has been this: What is faith or spirituality for? Is it meant to be a way to win God’s favour so that I can have a secure, healthy, wealthy, and happy life? Is it about jumping through hoops of obedience or devotion to God so that I can be assured of a life of eternal bliss beyond the grave? Is faith or worship, as John Piper claims, an end in itself?^¹ Or is spirituality meant to transform us and enlist us in a global movement toward greater security, sufficiency, joy, and sustainability for all?² Is it about creating a global community of ‘bliss’ for all the world’s inhabitants this side of the grave? Is our faith not a means to the end of flourishing, not just for ourselves, but for all creation, as James Smith argues?³

After years of exploring the development of faith through liturgy and other spiritual practices, I have come to the conclusion that an individualised faith, focused on security and happiness now and on getting to heaven after death, misses the transformative point of Christ’s Gospel. It not only becomes escapist and disconnected from the real-world challenges we face, but it also loses touch with reality generally. When the goal of faith is seen as worship (meaning gatherings of singing, praying, and preaching), then the only transformation needed is to agree with the church’s teachings about Jesus and join enthusiastically in worship services. When God is viewed as a divine being in the sky to whom we must give our entire devotion or face eternal judgement, then asking questions, thinking critically, and adapting and changing in response to new information, experiences, and circumstances are inevitably seen as sinful or faithless.

The result of this faith is exactly what we see happening in our world today. An unquestioning, blind faith in Jesus inevitably leads to suspicion and rejection of intellect, higher learning, questioning, and critical thinking.⁴ The result of this is that Christians become increasingly credulous—open to accept any theory or ‘truth’ that challenges accepted wisdom, scientific discoveries, and research, especially if the Bible is quoted in support. A direct line can be drawn from Proverbs 3:5-6—“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; don’t rely on your own intelligence. Know him in all your paths, and he will keep your ways straight” (CEB)—to vaccine resistance, climate change denialism, binary views of gender and sexuality, white supremacy, and patriarchy. Any attempt to read the Bible critically and with consideration of its origins and original meanings is seen as rejecting the word of God and therefore invalid. But perhaps most concerning is that this credulous faith leaves its adherents open to charismatic, powerful, and unscrupulous leaders who will use their pseudo-spirituality to manipulate, control, and oppress believers. This is not a new phenomenon—corrupt, power-hungry, and self-serving people have been using such strategies for thousands of years.

LOSING THE SOUL

The church in Thyatira was the least significant of the seven churches, but Christ’s letter, dictated to John in the Revelation, is the longest. On the surface, the community seemed to be strong, faithful, and thriving. The letter notes their love, faithfulness, service, and endurance. It praises the believers that their most recent works were greater than those they did at first (Revelation 2:19). But then, in the bulk of the message, Christ strongly condemns the church for tolerating a prophet identified only as Jezebel (2:20-24).

Thyatira was situated on important trade routes and was “a great commercial centre, specially of the dyeing industry and of the trade in woollen goods”.⁵ It was known for its many trade guilds, and it would have been almost impossible to engage in any kind of business without belonging to one of these organisations. The problem was that membership required participation in rites of sacrifice and worship (possibly including ritual prostitution) to the gods that were revered in the city. For Christians, this posed a considerable challenge to their economic and social survival.⁶

The Jezebel mentioned in the letter may have been a literal false prophet or a symbol of those who were using their influence to convince the believers that their participation in the idolatrous worship of the trade guilds was not a problem.⁷ The name refers to the wife of the evil King Ahab in 1 Kings 18-21. Jezebel was the daughter of the King of the Sidonians, who persuaded her husband to worship the pagan god, Baal (1 Kings 16:31). As King, Ahab erected an altar for Baal in a temple he had built in Samaria, and he led the people to reject the God of Israel. Jezebel also arranged the death of Naboth so that Ahab could take ownership of his vineyard (1 Kings 21:1-16) and threatened to kill the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 19:2). In the Revelation, then, John used Jezebel as a symbol for false worship and using power for evil purposes.

Whoever this Jezebel was, she (or they) had considerable influence on the church in Thyatira and used it to convince the believers that they could follow Christ and participate in the rites of the trade guilds without any contradiction or concern. William Barclay suggests that her motive for doing this was to protect her own business interests.⁸ While we cannot know this for certain, it certainly fits the profile of those who manipulate gullible believers for personal gain, and it seems that she was having some success. Her role in the church was much like that of the Nicolaitans and the followers of Balaam in the letters to Ephesus and Pergamum, except that it seems that her influence was far more destructive and divisive. Christ’s condemnation of her and her followers is strong. It uses the language of adultery and sexual immorality as the Hebrew prophets did to speak of turning away from God,⁹ and describes Christ’s judgment in harsh, albeit symbolic, terms.¹⁰