I am the problem

This blog is dedicated to Christian transformation, not disputation, so I avoid linking to writing with the slightest whiff of internecine church trouble. This link is an exception. But even though Darryl Dash's essay is critical and names names, he brings it back around strikingly to where the focus ought to be: that the strongest work of every Christians is always tainted with sin:

Even our best efforts fall far short. Therefore we can never think that we're doing better than "those people" over there. We are a mess just like anyone else. This makes it hard to point the finger in judgment at others, even when their flaws are plain to see as they often are.

I am in a church that has a traditional structure and some history, and people would occasionally ask me why I hadn't abandoned these in frustration. I always had to answer that I firmly believe that the greatest problem within my church is me. I could leave all that is bad around me, but I would still be stuck with me at the end. I would still be dealing with the biggest problem of all.

Kyrie Eleison.