Paper Chase

When Credentials Replace Calling

"The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory. Let all those be put to shame who serve graven images, who boast in idols." — Psalm 97:6–7

I often wonder what fellow Christians would do if Jesus were to return today. I am quite sure that senior pastors would write Him off as trouble. They would probably encourage Him to join a Bible study group — to help Him ascend the hierarchy of the church. His great wisdom would have difficulty gaining an audience with the many celebrated Christian leaders of our day. His letters would be ignored. His warnings discarded. His help rejected.

Not much would change.

Perhaps it would help if He came back, attended seminary, earned a degree in divinity, took a position as associate pastor, and someday planted His own church. I would not want to be the man who signed His ordination papers.

"What profit is the graven image when its maker has formed it? It is only a molten image and a teacher of lies. For the maker trusts in his own creations when he makes dumb idols." — Habakkuk 2:18

The Gift Cannot Be Credentialed

It is so easy to take our eye off the ball and veer off the path of righteousness — to unknowingly begin seeking the admiration of man. In all that we are and all that we are created to be, there is the essence of our God-given identity. There is nothing of man that can alter this fact of our creation.

"For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable. He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call." — Romans 11:29

"As each of you has received a gift — a particular spiritual talent, a gracious divine endowment — employ it for one another as befits good trustees of God’s many-sided grace." — 1 Peter 4:10

The Catechism affirms this with equal conviction:

"Charisms are to be accepted with gratitude by the person who receives them and by all members of the Church as well... Charisms are oriented toward sanctifying grace and are intended for the common good of the Church." — CCC 800

Many fail to recognize and use God’s gifts. Through the worship of earthly idols and by seeking the validation of man, they miss the mark entirely. The key is passion. Passion is the soul’s recognition of God’s gifts. When hours seem like minutes and we can do it all day — we are being all that we are created to be.

"Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you." — 1 Timothy 4:14

A Young Man Who Lost His Way

I recall an instance of great hope that I felt deeply in my heart when I volunteered at The Awakening Conference in 2007. The son of the senior pastor delivered a wonderful sermon in which I recognized remarkable potential. He spoke of today’s Christian versus the Christian he hoped would emerge tomorrow. He presented an incredible analogy of our value to God — one that turned out to be drawn from Joel Osteen’s Your Best Life Now, though in retrospect it hardly mattered where the message originated. What mattered is that it was carried forward. He was heading in the right direction. It was a very effective presentation.

Since then, he went off to college — and somewhere along the way, he lost his footing. This is one of the most common pitfalls on the journey of many. As we conform to the expectations of others and buy into earthly illusions, we drift further from God’s grace. The ego becomes the dominant force in our lives, and we lose track of all that we are created to be.

It is in this drifting from Truth that we begin to place great value in papers that bear the signature of man. Certifications. Ordinations. Degrees. These become the measure of our self-worth. Our calling — the one written on our hearts by God Himself — is no longer enough. Fear clouds us. Confidence, which once came from the Spirit, drains away. A need to prove ourselves begins to take hold, and we look to earthly credentials for the validation that only God can give. Insecurity has alienated us from ourselves — and the prince of lies, in small and patient moves, has begun to slow the advancement of the Kingdom through pride and ego.

"For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." — Galatians 1:10

The Comment That Stung

When I received this comment on my essay Nightmare Machine:

"It is so obvious that you do not have a degree in theology that it hurts." — Jordan B.

I became deeply disappointed — not in the person, but in an education system that had corrupted someone I genuinely believed had been ordained by the Spirit and prepared to make necessary corrections in a faith that had drifted off course. Christianity, as Jesus originally intended it, had been reshaped by the early institutional church to serve the agenda of its day. The doctrines of control from centuries past had reared their head once again.

As I sat writing, not entirely certain what had been so offensive about that essay, I looked up at the clock — it was exactly 11:11 a.m. God and His angels continually bless me with insight and confirmation in this way. Our God is an extraordinary facilitator.

Here is what I believe was the real issue: The power of Christianity’s original purpose had begun to saturate the population of Europe. Government needed to unify and standardize in order to maintain control. And so, they structured Christianity in a way that would best serve that purpose. Taxation became the prominent instrument of that campaign. The tithe — as we know it today — was shaped by this agenda. Giving was never meant to be a standardized levy. It was always meant to flow from the heart.

"Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." — 2 Corinthians 9:7

The Catechism speaks carefully to the distinction between authentic stewardship and the distortion of it:

"The faithful also have the duty of providing for the material needs of the Church, each according to his own abilities." — CCC 2043

If we are to remain steadfast in continuing the mission of Jesus on earth, it will be imperative that we guide our children in their quest for Truth — with no ulterior motives. There is no signature of man that can trump the one God has etched on the hearts of His sons and daughters. This is an irrevocable trust.

"Little children, keep yourselves from idols — from anything and everything that would occupy the place in your heart due to God, from any substitute for Him that would take first place in your life." — 1 John 5:21

Pomp and Circumstance

I have often wondered why ceremonies — degrees, ordinations, certifications — have never much captured my interest. The charge from walking down an aisle to receive a reward simply never held much meaning for me. This was always a source of dismay for my parents, by the way. I just never had the need to go through the motions. I understood my accomplishments. I simply could not be bothered with all the pomp and circumstance.

Now I understand why. All the jumping through hoops, all the worthless papers — they were never necessary for me to be who I am already created to be. This is precisely why I did not attend my college graduation ceremony. The requirements were superficial and had very little to do with who God made me to be. In truth, I could have learned ten times more sitting in a library reading than I learned in an entire semester of college.

Perhaps that is by design. How else would the learning process be stretched to its maximum institutional profit? Who decided which hoops had to be jumped through, or which maze had to be navigated? It all holds very little relevance as I sit here today, absorbed in the Truth and knowledge of the Spirit.

Bottom line: whether I am called doctor or village idiot makes no difference to who I Am. The gift inside has very little to do with the package in which it is contained.

"Many crave and seek the ruler’s favor, but the wise man waits for justice from the Lord." — Proverbs 29:26

"But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong." — 1 Corinthians 1:27

The Catechism reminds us that the call to holiness — the deepest credential of all — belongs to every baptized soul, not only the ordained:

"All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity... In order to reach this perfection the faithful should use the strength dealt out to them by Christ’s gift, so that... they may be conformed to His image." — CCC 2013

God does not look at your diploma. He looks at your heart. And the seal He has placed there — no institution can grant it, and no critic can revoke it.

"The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." — 1 Samuel 16:7