Witch Hunts in the Church

Adolf Hitler, probably the best propaganda expert to ever live, once said “The great masses of the people will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one.” Throughout our history, Americans have proven Hitler correct multiple times, and we have set ourselves up to prove him right again. Throughout periods of our history, particularly through incidences like the Salem Witch Trials or McCarthyism, we have resorted to Draconian measures to extract what we thought was truth from those we thought were guilty, only to look back with chagrin on those times. Today, in a supposedly more sophisticated society, Americans are proving that we are still prone to believe big lies if we think our security is threatened. When we go on witch-hunts - proverbial or real - to solve our problems, we’re setting ourselves up for embarrassment when future generations examine their past.

In 1692, we the people of the United States decided it was in our best interest to hang nineteen of our fellow citizens and crush one to death. When things started going haywire in the communities surrounding Salem, Massachusetts in June of 1692, the general population bought into the lies of a few.

In the winter prior, Betty Parris, the daughter of Salem’s minister, had begun acting quite odd. She was contorted in pain, and she often would sprint from place to place in the house, diving under furniture and having epileptic-like fits on the ground. Historians have been unable to determine what started her fits; it may have been any combination of diseases such as asthma or epilepsy. She may have been abused or suffering from stress psychosis. Another theory about her delusions says a rare fungus that may have infested the wheat in Salem and poisoned her. Whatever the reason, it is clear that Salem’s reign of terror began with Betty Parris’ fits.

Shortly after Betty fell ill, other girls in the town began to experience similar symptoms. Ann Putnam, Mercy Lewis, and Mary Walcott all experienced some sort of convulsion that began to trigger mass hysteria throughout the village. As residents began searching for the answer, speculation began to arise that the cause of their diseases might be supernatural. As a staunch Puritan community, Salem’s citizens would naturally consider supernatural causes as part of their investigation, but their conjecture was further fueled by the recent publication of Cotton Mather’s Memorable Providences. In this book, Mather, an influential Boston minister, laid out the symptoms displayed by a woman who was supposedly bewitched in Boston the year before. Since some of this woman’s symptoms mirrored the symptoms of the girls in Salem, it began to be assumed that the girls were being spiritually tormented.

Soon, rumors began to swirl throughout the village, and a lie was born. Historians differ as to why the girls used their sickness to wield such enormous power over the town, but in the end the result was sickening. The afflicted girls began accusing upstanding citizens of the surrounding communities of various acts of witchcraft. As the attention contiguous on these girls grew, more of them became part of the action. Though they had not experienced the same strange medical symptoms, Mary Warren, Susanna Sheldon, and Elizabeth Hubbard were allowed to make accusations about others being witches. In just a few short months, Betty Parris and her posse of teenage girls had gone from being legitimately sick to a gang of lying juvenile delinquents.

More than one hundred people would be arrested on suspicion of consorting with the devil before Salem’s lust for blood would ebb; nineteen would hang for their crimes, one was pressed to death, and at least four others died in prison. The evidence used to incarcerate, bring to trial, and convict these supposed witches and wizards was based solely on spotty circumstantial testimony about the spectral delusions of the girls. At no trial was hard evidence ever presented to prove that any of those accused had ever been involved in any sort of witchcraft at all.

Salem is not the only place where America’s citizens have gone crazy in their quest for security, however. Jumping forward in our history a few hundred years, post-World War II America creates the perfect atmosphere for yet another round of witch-hunts to take place. Since the vast majority of Americans harbored a deep-seated fear about a Communist takeover, it was easy for a Senator from Wisconsin to incite the nation against what he thought were Communist infiltrators in our midst. Senator Joseph McCarthy, along with other agencies of the government like the House Un-American Activities Committee, sniffed out those who they thought posed a threat to the immediate security of the United States of America. Their claims, when examined in the context of history, seem fairly ludicrous today, but at the time, they made perfect sense to the American people.

The House Un-American Activities Committee, or the HUAC as it is commonly called, was granted extraordinary power during World War II. This panel, initially chaired by Congressman Martin Dies, was given the ability to inquire into virtually anything they wanted in order to sniff out those who might be able to fell us from the inside. During the war, the committee was often investigating the activities of many German-Americans, but following the war, the focus of the committee’s investigations shifted. Beginning with the trial of Soviet spy Alger Hiss in 1948, HUAC interrogated hundreds, imprisoned dozens, and executed a few in their quest to rid the world of communism. While they rarely brought solid evidence against those they accused, the members of HUAC felt that their reasons for interrogation were valid; they were protecting the American people. Most significantly, the board subpoenaed a large group of Hollywood film industry moguls to take part in the proceedings. Since some of the films produced at the time could be considered un-American, anyone connected to them, ranging from actors to directors to producers, was liable to find himself standing before HUAC on charges of espionage.

Among the first called upon to testify before the panel were ten film industry witnesses who refused to cooperate. These men, who became known as the “Hollywood Ten,” believed that they were legally protected from answering the panel’s questions, citing the First Amendment guarantee of free speech and the Fifth Amendment’s protection against self-incrimination. More than likely, these men saw the same thing looming in their futures that Giles Corey of the Salem trials had seen; regardless of the evidence and regardless of their testimony, they would be convicted. Corey had chosen to be crushed to death by stones in order to avoid almost certain conviction, and these ten chose to use the law as a defense against trial.

Their tactic failed. They were arrested on charges of contempt of Congress, and they were imprisoned for two to six months each. Future witnesses would claim similar defenses and be allowed to dodge appearances before the panel, but that did not mean that they were safe. Refusing to testify was often grounds for dismissal from a job, and there was the constant threat of being investigated by the FBI, an organization that sometimes used illegal measures to gain their information.

In the Senate, things were hardly better than they were in the House. A sister committee to HUAC, the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee conducted their own investigation of anti-American communist activity within the United States. Another committee, headed by the aforementioned Joseph McCarthy, investigated first the State Department, then the US Army, then US media forces. While McCarthy’s direct influence was short-lived, his influence on the period was huge. Loyalty review boards were formed in nearly ever sector of society to determine whether citizens were patriots or communists. If you were found to be anti-American, you were sentenced to the modern equivalent of hanging; you were denied work, and sometimes had your assets frozen. While no one was sent to the gallows for being anti-American, many were economically ruined by the findings against them, which were typically based on nothing more than hearsay regarding comments that they had once made.

Certainly, though, we have moved on from the archaic ways of justice that were present in the latter parts of our history. Most of us would never dream of being McCarthyists today. Yet despite our best efforts, the United States, and I would say the Church, unknowingly expose ourselves to the threat of once again believing lies to ensure our common defense.

In 2003, members of Congress called for several professors at elite universities to be fired after they were reported as having made remarks that were anti-American. The center of the maelstrom was a professor of Middle East Languages and Cultures at Columbia University, who was charged with being anti-American after sketchy evidence reported him making anti-Semetic remarks during one of his lectures. The witch-hunt in American academia began afresh as the spring of 2003 saw more than a few professors at major universities lose their positions of tenure over remarks that they had made regarding the United States’ involvement in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, in the land of the free and the home of the brave, students found themselves subjected to similar measures. A museum in New York City dedicated to flamboyantly pacifistic art was closed down following allegations that the museum was promoting an anti-American spirit and fueling terrorism. FBI agents who did not possess a warrant raided another similar museum located in Houston. Prior to business hours, the agents came to the museum insisting they be allowed to investigate the activity inside the gallery. This museum, which contains an exhibit entitled “Secret Wars,” was being investigated because of the artwork it contained.
The exhibit contains images such as a poster of George Bush holding a rope with a caption reading, “We hang on your every word, George Bush.” While the artwork may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it certainly doesn’t appear to pose any legitimate threat to American security, yet the museum was subjected to harsh scrutiny by the US government.

In our haste to protect ourselves from Islamofascists, we have once again allowed ourselves to be taken captive by the big lie that anything contrary to the status quo is dangerous. It is important to protect ourselves from the legitimate dangers that the world possesses, but engaging in witch-hunts as we have at other points in our history only leads to bitter divisions and a broken justice system. In order to stop the travesties of injustice from occurring again, we must be very careful not to let ourselves be carried about by every flighty rumor that comes our way regarding some danger we might be in.

You would think as Christians we would realize that witch-hunts are fruitless, but we use the same technique with our own members whenever they present an idea that is just a bit too risqué for polite conversation. We ostracize them, avoid their ideas, and even whisper about them behind their backs.

A friend of mine was rebuffed by a certain church’s leadership when he tried to start a ministry to divorcees. I admit that I can see problems with that program. For one, the church should not be endorsing divorce, and secondly, such an organization could quickly morph into a divorcee dating service. Nevertheless, the Church, which is very pro-marriage and very pro-family, should be doing something to reach an increasingly larger segment of hurting divorced people in our midst. Instead, we crucify those who try to reach them and refuse to fund or aid their programs. We starve out the ministry we do not like.

Another similar area is that of homosexuality. While the church spends lots of time defending the sanctity of marriage before lawmakers, there are very few churches that have active outreach to gay communities. Maybe we do not know how to reach homosexual people, but that has never stopped us before. With enough people getting creative, I’m certain we can come up with a way. It becomes difficult to minister to homosexuals without endorsing their homosexuality, but recognize that Jesus ministered to harlots. He did not shy away from the task of reaching a dangerous people group. Also recognize that the only thing that will make homosexual communities turn from a lifestyle of sin to a lifestyle of service is a relationship with Jesus Christ, whose love can reach to every heart.

Churches do not typically accept gay people into their midst with friendly greetings, nor do those who have a heart to reach those people find church members waiting to go witnessing with them. Prison ministries are popular; orphan ministries are popular. Homosexual ministries are incredibly unpopular. The devil is winning the battle over sexuality because he actively engages those who struggle with temptation. The Church not only fails to engage this culture; it ostracizes it.

Throughout its history, the Church has picked the ministry that’s not too messy and wholeheartedly devoted themselves to it; meanwhile, they use Darwinian techniques to kill off the ministries the Church does not like. Forcing ministry to take place in a “survival of the fittest-type” environment, the Church finds itself severely lacking in ministries to certain segments of society, most notably in the broken family department. Homosexuals are rarely ministered to; the number of ministries for boys who grew up without fathers is abysmally low; and ministries to those who represent immoral sexual lifestyles – namely porn stars and prostitutes – are practically non-existent. These people groups are easily accessible within our culture since all around us, just waiting and starving for the love of Jesus. They are ready to be reached and changed with the gospel of Christ, but the Church’s resources are too devoted to the programs that are safe – Awana, men’s breakfasts, women’s Bible studies, 5-day clubs, and the like.

To be fair, ministry to these groups is not easy. The Church must never find itself in a position where it endorses things that are contrary to the Word of God’s teachings. Ministering to kids in single parent homes is not easy because the vast majority of one parent homes are caused by arrest, addiction, or divorce. None of those things are positive or Godly, so we avoid them. Ministering to porn stars is not easy because we despise the profession that provides them with their income; therefore it is difficult for us to make them feel accepted and loved. Not to mention, it is not even a little bit polite to mention the name “porn star,” much less engage in the life of one to bring Jesus to him or her.

Plus, we must always be mindful of the Scriptural principle that says to be careful about causing others to stumble. When we engage in ministry to certain people groups, there are those in the congregations of the church who will not be able to minister to them with a clear conscience.

God designed each of the members of His body for a specific task, though, and we too often create an environment where some are unable to serve as God would have them serve because the Church refuses to reach a sector of the population. While there are legitimate concerns, there are also legitimate needs that go unfulfilled as the Church continues to feed the status quo.

The citizens of Salem learned the hard way that they should not be too hasty to jump to conclusions, and America has seen that using fear tactics to ensure safety is a poor way to create justice. Somehow we have managed to allow the spirit of Salem to creep into our churches, however, and we still employ the tactics of witch-hunts to keep ourselves secure in our Christianity. Let us not buy into the lie that we are at constant danger from that which differs in opinion from us, but let us instead find common ground in our differences and work towards reaching every segment of our society – regardless of their flaw – with the surpassing greatness of Jesus Christ.

Remember, we were once strangers and foreigners, too, but now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Remember that one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

Finally, remember that Jesus Christ brings peace. Bring Him wherever peace is needed, making the Church an ambassador for His peace.

“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” –Ephesians 2:14