Tear your clothes today — not in anger, not in fashion, but in shame.

Yes, tear them, because what we see unfolding around us is not persecution from outside the Church, but corruption within it. I am not speaking now about the “Guruji” of Delhi who violated the sanctity of faith by preying on women in his ashram — that outrage will be dealt with in time.

I speak today to my own brethren, to the bishops, priests, pastors, and self-proclaimed “founders” “executive directors” and “chairmen” who have dragged the name of Christ through the mud of arrogance and greed.

When King Josiah in the Book of 2 Kings, chapter 22, heard what was written in the Book of the Law — words long forgotten by his people — he tore his clothes. It wasn’t a symbolic act of showmanship; it was a cry of repentance. He realized how far Israel had drifted from God. He didn’t call a meeting to discuss it. He didn’t set up a committee or issue a press statement. He fell on his knees, tore his garments, and then rose to action. He cleansed the land. He purified the temple. He restored worship. And because he did, revival swept the kingdom, and the people were blessed again.

We, too, need a Josiah moment.

The Church in India today — whether CNI, CSI, Methodist, Catholic or any other denomination — has become a kingdom of titles, not of truth. Men who once trembled to preach the Word now tremble only at losing their chairs. Priests who should have been shepherds have become showmen. Bishops who should have washed feet now demand garlands and raising of their retirement age, to stay in power. And lay leaders who once served have turned their positions into platforms for pride.

When did “Reverend” start sounding like “Ruler”? When did “Deacon” begin to mean “Dealer”? And when did “Mission” become a word for “Money”?

No, dear reader, this is not the persecution of the Church from without — it is the implosion of the Church from within.

Walk into some of our churches and breathe. You’ll smell not the fragrance of worship, but the stench of politics, rivalry, and scandal. You’ll find pulpits that no longer proclaim repentance, but power. And if you wonder why the Church in India is losing its moral voice, look no further than the rot inside its own sanctuaries.

So yes — tear your clothes! Tear them in shame for every pulpit that has become a stage, for every sermon that’s meant for self-promotion.

Tear them for the bishops who protect the guilty and silence the pure.

Tear them for those who think an annual Christmas dinner and a photograph with a minister will somehow please God.

And after the tearing, begin the cleansing. Be a Josiah. Throw out the priests who misuse God’s name for profit. Remove the leaders who manipulate the flock. Burn the idols of ego and hierarchy. Bring back the trembling reverence that once marked the Church.

Because unless we tear our clothes and our pride, the wrath of God will not wait.

It’s time, dear Church, to stop explaining your sin and start repenting for it. To stop quoting verses and start living them. To stop saying just ‘amen’ and start ‘voicing your thoughts’.

For when the Church purifies itself, no power on earth — not persecution, not politics, not propaganda — can stop its revival.

But if it continues this way, wearing robes of righteousness while hiding stains of sin, then the Lord Himself will say, “I never knew you.”

So tear your clothes, O bishops, O priests, O proud founders. Tear them in shame — and God will clothe you again in grace…!

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