14 of 14

Sandy Martin concurs, but adds that the Lyons saga carries a significance that transcends the African-American community.

"Henry Lyons is a wake-up call for the black church, but it's something that other Christians should take note of as well," he says. "American Christianity, in general, has lost its focus. We've gotten so caught up in customs and practices and wanting to force everyone to live the way we live that we've lost our spiritual edge."

An event like the Lyons scandal, says Martin, should make the church reexamine its true mission. "I'm not one who believes the church can do it all, but I do believe the church has an obligation to serve as a conscience and to be an example to the larger society."

In a way, then, the plight of the National Baptists could be a parable for the wider church—and the world. The greed and pride and broken lives that marked the Lyons debacle may be nothing more than our own humanity played out in Shakespearean fashion on the national stage.

Ultimately, it may be another chance for us to share with the world one of our best-kept secrets: That despite our tendency for holy posturing, the church is made up of flesh-and-blood people, grappling with a depraved nature, who are being refined through the Spirit of God. Unfortunately, as the Lyons saga so vividly demonstrates, that refining process is not always pretty.

Like many NBC insiders, Olin Moyd believes his denomination will be better off as a result of the shakeup: "The good news is that the National Baptist Convention did not go under with all of this scandal. We still hung together. So I think the Lord is doing something among us, and we have a great opportunity now to move forward and to regain our place back in the sun before the world."

Henry Lyons photo by Cherie Diez/St. Petersburg Times

Copyright © 1999 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

first page |  14 of 14

share this page

December 6 1999, Vol. 43, No. 14