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I don't think anyone would argue that the Church has not done wrong throughout the last two thousand years. It has also done good. Pullman's position seems to be that the bad the Church has done is a reflection of its true nature, that it is inherently 'evil', & that the good has been almost accidental, & that people would have done that good regardless.
This comes from his understanding of human nature. Pullman clearly believes that human beings are by nature good & are corrupted by superstition. I see no evidence for this being the case, & I don't see that Pullman offers any supporting evidence in his books or statements. Tolkien clearly believes the opposite - that Man is fallen & needs to be redeemed, 'saved' by God (or His emissaries). Suffice to say I see no evidence offered by Tolkien to support this position either. Pullman creates a Secondary World in which his view of human nature is shown to be obvious (it is never questioned by the author or any of his characters). Tolkien likewise.
The issue, then, is the quality of the works themselves, their quality as Art. For me, Tolkien succeeds where Pullman fails, because Tolkien's Art is 'pure' - it is not in the service of the author's 'message'. Tolkien does not seek to convince his readers of anything other than the 'reality' of the Secondary World he has created. Pullman, however, has an agenda. His Secondary world exists in order to sway the reader to his worldview. He wants to make the reader see the Primary world in the way he himself sees it. HDM is a politico-philosophical manifesto, not simply a work of Art. I think because of this we should expect Pullman to back up what he says, & actually are obliged to challenge his position.
The situation as regards Tolkien is different. Tolkien has no desire to persuade his readers of anything. He is simply telling a story to entertain & move us. He does not want us change our beliefs about the world. Whatever we find in LotR is purely down to 'applicability' What we 'find' in LotR is down to us, what we take from it back into the Primary is down to us. Pullman, on the other hand, wants us to find, & take back with us, something very specific. The Church is an evil organisation - not just in Lyra's world, but also in Will's (our) world. Mary Malone, the 'enlightened' Nun has 'seen through' Christianity. The 'God' that dies of senility in HDM is God, not an Eru figure. Pullman is attacking Primary world religion & saying the Primary world would be better off without God & the Church. And his intention is that his readers 'see the light'.
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