Bulletins From the Front # 24
The Great Unwashed
“Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last Priest.” Denis Diderot 1713-1784
Spirituality is a tricky business. It seems the church talks out of both sides of its mouth. On one hand, the ground is level at the foot of the cross. We are all sinners and recipients of grace; no one can earn their way to heaven. On the other hand, the church is a hierarchical society with all the pomp and circumstance necessary to show who is in charge. There are two main categories, the washed and the unwashed. The washed are the clergy and church officials, along with those who have distinguished themselves. [1] To see the divide, one only needs to attend a sacramental church. Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, any church where the clergy wear special robes, street clothes, and hats—special hats are big. From first rites to last rites, the robed, the anointed, the vicars of Christ have great power over those they serve.
The great unwashed, however, simply walk into church and take a seat. A seat in a section that is not roped off for the washed. The washed have their own parking, and when they enter, it is called a processional, usually accompanied by music. Some of them carry a staff, wear a beautiful designer robe, and are preceded by acolytes puffing out incense. This theological vibe portends we are all the same with God, but the entire religious exercise shouts, “Not Really!” Maybe in Heaven, but not yet.
This is also true in the less sacerdotal middle grouping of churches, such as Baptist, Assemblies of God, and the more conservative Wesleyan or Holiness congregations. There may be an absence of pomp and circumstances without the special clothes, icons, and sainted feast days, but still the unwashed or not ordained support and spectate while the pros perform the show.
Hierarchy?
I must say that a closer reading of the New Testament and a review of Church history teach us that spiritual authority and hierarchy are needed. We are a rowdy bunch, needing structure, commandments, reminders, exhortations, and the comfort that someone is leading us. The management of a religious society requires some very human and mundane rules, necessary to temper the human tendency to replace God with our own ideas and plans for planet earth. So, we are instructed to gather on the first day of the week, to make it a habit, and to honor and submit to the authorities in our lives. But is there something the washed are supposed to do that is more lofty than management of the flock? Is there a higher mountain to climb, something to which we can aspire, something to make our heart beat a bit faster, to make our spirit well up within us? Whatever it is, there are very few who are called to teach us.
Clergy comprises only 0.14 % of the American population. Such a meager number is not able to preach the gospel to every nation before the end comes. [2] A gospel mission based on the spiritual addition of the few rather than the multiplication of many is doomed to fail. The clergy, the washed, have a very clear and special work which must be precise and exacting. Paul, who sorted out the church by trial and error over a thirty-year period, summarized it: the appointed leaders were told to multiply their impact. “…the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” [3]
Equip?
Equip means to heal a bone, to mend a frayed net, to train an athlete. It is very much like coaching, putting a team on the field ready to play. When the church huddles and calls a play, everyone on the team knows their position, their responsibilities, and is ready to perform. Right now, we are like a team in the huddle. The quarterback calls the play, but since very few know the plays, there are a lot of busted plays and quarterback sacks. The team skipped practices, didn’t study or memorize the plays, and therefore lacked the skills needed in their muscle memory. The spectators who are actually meant to become players start booing and chanting for a new quarterback. This is to cover up their disappointment in themselves and hide their shame. But there is a cure, it is a bitter pill—please swallow it whole.
Persecution?
Pressure creates tension and is often needed. God has a way of sending it so he can help us along. You might recall when the church was first persecuted, believers were scattered to the four winds—except the Apostles. [4] When the church scattered, what these new unwashed did was follow the Apostle’s example. That is no less true now of your average parish priest, pastor, or elder. What are the people that you trained, comforted, encouraged, and disciplined doing? What happened to them when they went out on their own?
The interesting dilemma is that if clergy, the washed model, do only sacramental ministry, then the laity, or unwashed, are locked out by church theology or doctrine; it means over 99% of your labor force is unable to reproduce what has been modeled for them. That is why the Apostles not only taught, broke bread, and celebrated Holy Communion with the people—they also modeled the making of disciples. They did what Jesus taught them, and then they taught the first church in Jerusalem what they knew. This is known as the Apostles’ teaching. [5]
What Jesus taught them was costly discipleship. All but one of his original group would die at the hands of enemies. But even these brave men, the shaky disciples that became the Apostles, doubted, and they delayed the actual implementation of taking the gospel beyond Jerusalem and Judea. We don’t do the hard stuff on our own, and if we do, it is rare. The disciples stayed in Jerusalem not for philosophical or strategic reasons; they stayed because I believe the authorities wanted to keep an eye on them. Or that they knew they were safe because neither Roman nor Jewish authorities had the gumption to actually do them harm.
The Great Unwashed Released
It was easy for Paul, twenty years later in retrospect, to write the letter to the Ephesians because enough time had passed for him to see how important scattering the church had become. And also, how it looked theologically and practically in a more organized and mature church. It was visceral theology created in crisis that launched the spreading of the Good News. They were running for their lives and knew what to do because their leaders had modeled it. They had coached them up and unleashed these unwashed upon the world. America, now, instead of 0.14% of the population doing the ministry and announcing the Good News, it could be the other 99%, the unwashed, ordained by a higher power than the church—by God himself—a vast throng of believer-priests, reproducing and in time, multiplying. [6] The Reformation had a positive effect, releasing the saints, who had direct access to the Father via the Son and who were authorized to join the Apostles in making new disciples worldwide.
The Unwashed Break from the Pack
Acts of the Apostles is the story of new disciples from Cyprus and Cyrene who broke from the pack and started preaching to the Gentiles. This is the nature of human nature; inner enthusiasm often causes the freshly saved to break convention and do something ill-advised. But who cares about ill-advised when you have the answer to disaster and despair? The ill-advised part is that critical tongues will wag, and unseasoned, freshly minted saints will make mistakes of protocol when they cross over into unfamiliar environs. But people like this put a big smile on God’s face, maybe even laughter, because of the results. “The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord.” [7] There is no way the outreach committee at The First Church of Jerusalem would have authorized this action or could even have imagined it.
Now for a bit of fun: The Heavenly House
This was lived out in my pastoral experience. Many years ago, a couple of off-the-grid-crazy members of my church, led by our youth pastor, presented me with an interesting idea. They had been thinking that there were too many Haunted Houses at Halloween, so their idea was to offer a Christian alternative. The plan was nutty. They would transform a former parsonage on the edge of our property into the Heavenly House. Each room would be a scene from the Bible. Moses and the Burning Bush, Pentecost Sunday, the Discovery of the Empty Tomb, with the most spectacular display, the Crossing of the Red Sea, with a sea that receded and closed again with real water, nicely engineered by our members. The last room on the tour was the garage, where the gospel would be presented on a video with response cards. Interested parties would be followed up by our team. I thought it over and said, “OK, why not?”
Why not?
The answer to Why not came in a barrage of criticism from a more resistant arm of the congregation. The parsonage had now become our Christian Education House. It was a holy space, and the Trustees were quite upset with the desecration of said holy space. There was a more serious obstacle—why would anybody want to come to such a crazy thing? Volunteers started redecorating anyway. We let the local television stations know about it and didn’t expect much there. We advertised it in local churches in the city of 50,000. The big night came. We had it all—candy, treats, food, hay bales, and a local band playing on the back of a flatbed truck.
The line snaked from the Heavenly House through our large parking lot into the street and as far as I could see down the highway. All three television stations came with cameras and reporters. Thousands had shown up to take the tour. We were God-smacked! What an astonishing moment. The band was playing, children were jumping on hay bales, and the air was filled with the unmistakable aroma of mustard, hot dogs, and burgers. And over on the edge of the parking lot were the Trustees, cranky and complaining. They were carefully making sure to check the holy space walls for nicks, scrapes, and pinholes. My favorite moment was when a couple of younger men approached them, and said what I could not, “If you guys are so unhappy about this, resign, and we will replace you.” I could only smile on the inside, one of my greatest moments.
A heavenly payoff
Thousands came, hundreds prayed, and filled out cards. There was great joy among the people; it was a huge success. All of this was thought up by, planned by, and operated by the “unwashed.” Luke recorded these words in the first century that were true of the 20th century: “The power of the Lord was with them and a large number of Gentiles (unbelievers) believed and turned to the Lord.” Do you really believe that God can work just as much, if not more, through the unwashed, the unordained, than the religious professional? It’s 99% against less than 1% of the church population. The 1% have a heavy burden, the call to equip the unwashed to do the work of ministry. And the 99% have the joy and the burden to make themselves available to the task. These are not enemies; they are friends. Together they are the church. Here’s to the Great Unwashed, without them, the church doesn’t have a chance.
Bill Hull 2026
[1] A general practice of various religions is that the Clergy prepare for approaching God by cleaning themselves with water. They remove the grit and grime of life and sin to prepare to meet God. You put on your best clothes and look your best for God. The unwashed are the vast throng of the populace, the audience, the supporting cast in the great drama which is redemption. The washed ascend the platforms, the pulpits, and the altars. The unwashed sit in pews, chairs, and benches to view the proceedings.
[2] Jesus issued the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, and it is still in force today: make new disciples of all people groups and tribes. And when it comes to an end, God will let us all know because he will return. Matthew 24:14. The Great Commandment is to love God with all we’ve got and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Matthew 22:36-40.
[3] Ephesians 4:11,12.
[4] Acts 8:1
[5] Acts 2:42-47
[6] I Peter 2:9 “…for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession.”
[7] Acts 11:21.