Chapter 9 The Rise of Institutionalized Religion
How Did They Miss It?
As a teenager, I wrestled with what struck me as a fundamental question.
How could the religious leaders in Jesus' time, those entrusted with guiding God's people,
be so profoundly out of sync with His message and His mission?
These were the people who should have been closest to God's heart, and yet they were
often His fiercest opponents.
How did they miss it?
That question eventually led to another, even graver concern as I grew older.
How do we know that today's spiritual leaders and church institutions aren't making the
same mistakes?
As I've mentored and coached believers who struggle to experience spiritual breakthroughs,
the disconnect I've seen repeatedly is rooted in institutional religion itself.
Despite sincere intentions, churches often perpetuate patterns that hinder spiritual
growth rather than nurture it.
These patterns trace their origins back to the very foundation of the institutional church,
a foundation that has been flawed from the start.
Woven into the fabric of the church are issues rooted in control, pride, fear, and insecurity.
These traits have shaped the organization's hierarchical systems, creating structures
that often suffocate the work of the Holy Spirit rather than empower it.
While God's grace can and does work through these institutions, the consequences of these
flaws have resounded for generations.
Today the church is rife with division, stagnation, and spiritual weakness.
It's often unable to fulfill the transformative role that Christ intended.
Flawed Beginnings
To grasp how the ecclesia, God's Spirit-led gathering of believers, was co-opted into
the institutionalized system we now know as the church, we must begin to examine its
early foundations.
This isn't about the vibrant movement of the Holy Spirit that began at Pentecost or the
organic spread of believers who called themselves followers of the Way.
That was pure and powerful, a divine outpouring of God's intention.
What followed, however, reveals how human nature, and perhaps demonic influence, sought
to take what was spiritual and transform it into something institutional.
Specifically, Rome took what was meant to be a Spirit-led community and imposed its
own hierarchical and administrative framework, co-opting the ecclesia for a structured institutionalized
system.
This was the birth of what we now call the church.
While the original movement of the Way reflected freedom, diversity, and the power of the Holy
Spirit, the systems that followed began to mold a movement that was something far more
rigid and human-driven.
Over time, cultural influences and the desire for control and order replaced Christ's original
design for a Spirit-led body of believers.
The result was a shift from a living spiritual organism, a community empowered by the very
Spirit of God, to formal organizations defined by human understanding and hierarchy.
The ecclesian movement was absorbed, its essence diluted, as human understanding, ambition,
and societal norms began to dictate the structure and function of what Christ had intended to
remain dynamic and Spirit-led.
Let's take a peek at a few examples and influences that set the direction of the church.
Clement of Rome, 35-99 A.D.
Around the same time that John wrote the Revelation, about 95 A.D., Clement of Rome,
one of the earliest leaders of the Roman church, addressed a letter to the church in Corinth
emphasizing the importance of order and obedience to church leaders.
He is credited with introducing the concept of hierarchical leadership within the Christian
community.
While he advocated for unity and stability in the church, his writings also introduced
the idea of a clear distinction between clergy and laity.
Clement's teachings argued that leadership within the church was divinely appointed and
hierarchical in nature.
He compared church leadership to the Old Testament priesthood, reinforcing the idea that certain
individuals held a higher spiritual status and authority.
This analogy to the priestly system of the Old Covenant marked a departure from the egalitarian,
Spirit-led model of the early ecclesia.
Clement's writings provided the foundation for a hierarchical church structure that placed
authority in the hands of a select few, diminishing the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding individuals
and the community as a whole.
Ignatius of Antioch, 35-108 A.D.
Ignatius, a bishop of Antioch, was one of the most vocal proponents of a hierarchical
church structure.
In his letters to various churches, Ignatius repeatedly emphasized the authority of a hierarchical
of bishops. He declared that the bishop should be regarded as the ultimate spiritual leader,
comparing the bishop to Christ himself. Ignatius also advocated for strict obedience to the clergy,
arguing that no church activity should take place without the bishop's approval.
His teachings effectively centralized authority within the office of the bishop,
sidelining the role of elders and the broader community of believers.
Ignatius' insistence on the supreme authority of bishops marked a significant shift from the
spirit-led, decentralized model of the early ecclesia to a rigid hierarchy. His teachings
marginalized the role of ordinary believers and established a precedent for institutional control.
1. Irenaeus of Lyons, 130-202 AD
Irenaeus, a bishop of what is now France, is best known for his defense of Orthodox
Christianity against heresies, particularly Gnosticism. While his efforts to preserve
sound doctrine could be considered commendable, Irenaeus also introduced the concept of
apostolic succession. This idea asserted that only those ordained by a lineage of bishops,
tracing back to the apostles, had the authority to teach and lead the church.
While apostolic succession was intended to protect the church from false teaching,
it also created an exclusive hierarchy that excluded lay believers from meaningful
participation in ministry. It reinforced the idea that spiritual authority was centralized
in the clergy, further distancing ordinary Christians from the spirit-led model of the
early ecclesia. Irenaeus' emphasis on apostolic succession established the institutional church
as the sole arbiter of spiritual truth, limiting believers' access to direct revelation
and the Spirit's guidance.
Tertullian, 155-240 AD
Tertullian, often regarded as the father of Latin Christianity, was a prominent theologian
and apologist in the early church. An apologist is a theologian who defends the Catholic faith
through apologetics, the intellectual defense of Christianity.
Based in Carthage, Tertullian's writings significantly shaped Christian theology
and laid the foundation for much of Western Christianity. He is one of the first to
introduce and develop key theological concepts such as the Trinity and the dual nature of Christ.
However, Tertullian also reinforced the idea of a distinct divide
between clergy and laity. While he contributed much to the defense and development of the faith,
his views helped establish a formal, hierarchical structure in the church
that placed significant power and authority in the hands of the clergy.
Tertullian argued that the clergy, by virtue of their office, held a unique and superior
standing in the church. This fostered a growing dependence on ordained leaders to
mediate between God and the people. In addition, Tertullian was a strong
proponent of rigid moral and doctrinal standards. This emphasis on strict rules
and ecclesiastical authority sowed the seeds for an institutionalized church that prioritized
control and conformity over Spirit-led community and personal relationship with God.
Cyprian of Carthage, 200-258 AD
Cyprian, a prominent bishop of Carthage, played a crucial role in solidifying the hierarchical
structure of the church. He rose to prominence and became known for his writings and leadership
during a time of significant persecution and division in the church. Cyprian strongly
believed in the authority of bishops and the centrality of the institutional church.
He famously declared,
asserting that salvation was inextricably tied to the authority of the church. This statement
elevated the institutional church to a position of supreme spiritual authority, making it the
gatekeeper of salvation. His views entrenched the idea that the institutional church, rather
than the Holy Spirit, was the ultimate authority in the believer's life. His teachings laid the
groundwork for the centralized hierarchical structure that would dominate Christianity
for centuries and limit the Spirit's direct work in individual believers.
Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 AD
Augustine, one of the most influential theologians in Christian history, made significant contributions
to Christian thought, particularly in the areas of original sin, grace, and the nature of the
church. However, Augustine also played a key role in merging church and state, advocating
for the use of political power to enforce religious orthodoxy. Augustine's writings
supported the idea that the church had the authority to use coercion to bring wayward
believers into compliance. This set a precedence for the persecution of dissenters.
centers, and the centralization of power within the institutional church.
While Augustine's theory shaped much of Western Christianity, his emphasis on institutional
authority and the blending of church and state reinforced the hierarchical systems that the
church had established.
I could go on, but I'm sure you get the point.
These early developments shaped the Roman Catholic Church, establishing a hierarchical
structure that emphasized control, conformity, and ritual over the freedom in Christ that
the early Ecclesian enjoyed.
Now it may be tempting to lay the problem within the Roman Catholic Church and leave
it there, but we still have to take the Reformation and Protestantism into account.
The Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation, which began in the 16th century, was a monumental movement
in the history of Christianity, breaking away from the authoritarianism of the Catholic
Church.
Reformers, such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, Holdren Ziegle, and others had a vision of
liberating the Christian faith from the institutional grip of Rome, which had long established a
hierarchy that dictated how believers should experience and express their relationship
with God.
The Reformers successfully initiated a sweeping change that reshaped Christianity, but unfortunately,
they retained many of the hierarchical structures and institutional characteristics of the Mother
Church.
The underlying reliance on human authority persisted.
Protestantism largely replicated similar levels of control and hierarchy within their ranks.
Bishops, councils, and committees became a new kind of clergy class, replacing the old
but retaining the structure.
Although their theology differed, their approach to authority mirrored the very system they
had intended to reform.
This unintended carryover hindered the potential of the Reformation to restore the original
participatory model of the early ecclesia.
The result of this retained hierarchy has been a constraint on the movements of God.
Just as the Catholic Church hierarchy once limited how and where people could experience
God, the newer Protestant structures imposed their own limitations.
Denominational doctrines and administrative approval restricted the movements of the Spirit
of God as governing bodies became the arbiters of spiritual experience, defining and dictating
what was acceptable and what was not.
Even as great men of God—the Westleys, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, Gilbert Tennant,
Cotton Mather, and others in the 18th century—initiated movements that turned large numbers of people
to Christ, they were building organizations on a less-than-perfect foundation initiated
not by God but by man.
Though perhaps more decentralized than Catholicism, Protestantism largely imposed restrictions
on individual believers' ability to fulfill the personal moves of the Spirit in their
lives.
Like ancient Israel's dependency on a priestly class and like the Catholic Church they broke
away from, Protestant believers were taught to look to their leaders for direction at
the expense of seeking the Holy Spirit's guidance for themselves and a personal relationship
with God.
These circumstances all point to a common theme—humanity's tendency to rely on religion,
rituals, and self-effort instead of trusting in God's provision for transforming and pursuing
a genuine relationship with Him.
But God is not looking for external displays of devotion.
What He desires is your heart.