What Whittaker Chambers Taught Me

One of the more engaging books recently read has been Whittaker Chamber's controversial autobiography Witness. The Foreword, written as a letter of explanation to his children for his life and several failings, is a remarkable stand alone piece, being a surprisingly strong testimony to the power of historic, biblical Christianity. I didn't expect to find Jesus there.

The bulk of the book is the story of his initial infatuation with, immersion in and eventual messy extrication from mid-century American communism. Chambers went as deeply into the belly of the beast as any American in those days could go and became intimate with the inner workings and many major players. Curiously, it was his almost complete absorption into the structure of the party that caused him to leave it.

I remember a local news anchor saying, in the form of a lament, that he had gotten into the news business because he enjoyed current happenings and world events. He very much liked being an informed consumer of news. However, broadcasting demands and production of three daily news programs left him no time to be more than casually acquainted with the news. To make room for the system designed to safeguard the faithful reporting of important events, the object of his love had to be checked. His passion took a back seat to the program.

I may be off base and subject to good correction, but the same thing is happening with the gospel of Christ - the good news that there is a perfect, eternal relationship of love between Father, Son and Spirit that in spite of all our brokenness we are being invited into. It seems that for the serious lover of Christ, one of the easier places to lose sight of Him and this amazing invitation is within one of the many incarnations of a multi-layered apparatus folks have built up around the gospel. Lots of elaborate, Byzantine structures - denominations and para-church - have been developed by the well meaning to propagate the Message. Agencies, associations, denominational offices, task forces, mega-churches, massive efforts and campaigns of every description and serious objective, all with Christian underpinnings, sustained with many dollars and enormous outlays of emotional and creative energies are moving mountains for sure, but not nearly with the ease Jesus said is possible.

Maybe the well logoed organizations and carefully crafted systems are missing the Presence He also said is possible.

It's a happy fact that the local church is the only organization of believers mentioned in the New Testament. Maybe that's because it's the best and only essential one. It's in that messy place and not within the efficient, well lit offices of strategists, demographers, bishops, superintendents and sages that the Presence and power of the Triune God best displays what He's all about. It's within the sometimes comical, sometimes tragic foibles of the local church that the creator of the rivers of living water best speaks His invitation to the thirsty soul. It's hard to argue against the notion that within the local family of God serious seekers and bruised saints have the best chance to respond to the still, small Voice.

Chambers left the party because the treasure it was designed to champion and propagate had dissipated. It can happen with any human structure I suppose, even very good ones that do Jesus stuff. I could be wrong, but I'm starting to think I may be onto something. The Pearl of Great Price is not to be found in Christian TV, the various Vaticans and pseudo-Vaticans, denominational offices or agencies. Oh, sure, they can talk about Him in those places and how much He's needed outside those gussied up think-tanks. But, the local church is where it's at.

Now, if I could only convince over half of Americans who claim to be Christian, all the local churches would be bursting this weekend and the smart guys in the busy offices could go on vacation. Or go to church.