Bishop of Bling Learns Reform Begins in Washroom
By Christopher W. Keating
As German bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst learned this week, church reform begins at home. More to the point, it often starts in the bathroom. In fact, one could argue that’s exactly how the Protestant Reformation began. The bishop’s upscale taste landed him in hot water with the Vatican. Tebartz-van Elst was suspended from his post after it was revealed that he had spent millions renovating his church-owned residence in Limburg. Among other excesses, the bishop had ordered a $20,000 bathtub. Rubber ducky sold separately. Germans who are church members, incidentally, are required by law to give 8-10% of their income to the church. The remodeling news came to light after it was revealed that the bishop had recently flown business class on a trip to India to visit impoverished communities. All of this seems to have garnered the attention of the pope, who has shunned a lavish lifestyle and drives a 20-year old clunker around the Vatican grounds. The pope’s commitment to simple living has been a hallmark of his papacy. I’m sure he takes quick showers, too. If the so-called “bishop of bling” has become an embarrassment to the church, it is because the Pope has been working feverously to reconnect with the faithful. The reform-minded pope feels a connection to the poor, and has been forthright about placing the needs of the poor ahead of the so-called “princes of the church.” Change isn’t always easy, but perhaps a pricey bathtub is a good place to start. There is also a bit of irony in this story, which may go unnoticed. Martin Luther, whose protest against the sale of indulgences by the Catholic Church led to the Reformation, is believed to have done much of his theological reflections in the bathroom. It was his own retreat, so to speak—and this was before he had children. Protestants will observe Reformation Sunday October 26, and will acknowledge Luther’s protest against a church that many thought had lost touch with its flock. Luther was not trying to start a new church, but was intent on breathing new life into a church he believed had gone off track. Not long after, a French lawyer named John Calvin began forming his own theological project. While division in the church has always been regrettable, each reformer tried to be faithful to listening to how the Spirit was at work renewing the church. Many speculate that the genesis of Luther’s theology came from time spent in the bathroom. That’s an interesting point, bolstered a bit by Luther’s writing that the Holy Spirit had indeed come to him “in cloaca,” or “in the sewer.” Several years ago archeologists unearthed Luther’s Wittenberg lavatory. It can’t be proved that this was the birthplace of the Reformation, but it is widely known that Luther suffered from chronic constipation. Luther's After learning this, I can say with some confidence that I will never again sing Luther’s great hymn “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” without thinking of the throne room. Bathroom fixtures have a place in launching reforms, as both the Pope and Luther may have discovered. It is a bit like home, where remodeling projects often start in the bathroom. Bishop Tebartz-van Elst claims he overspent in order to preserve a historic structure, but that is not the point. The church must guard against becoming too lavish and out of touch with its mission. It took a trip to the bathroom for Luther to discover the Spirit’s leading, and it now appears that a $20,000 bathtub may lead to contemporary reforms. From time to time, the church does need remodeling. It just doesn’t need to soak in luxury when Christ’s little ones are suffering.
|
.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.