STUCK-IN-THE-MUD Christians got a wake-up call this week.
By “stuck-in-the-mud,” I mean
- stuck in their tradition of going to church every Sunday morning
- to zone out while the preacher recites another Bible story
- that might have been interesting to sheepherders
- who thought epilepsy was demon possession.
By “wake-up call,” I mean tick-tock on a countdown to zero.
If you read the front-page news this week, you saw the Pew Research Center’s stats on the walk-off from Christianity…and religion in general.
Let me put it to you this way, in round numbers – with legs.
When my Dad got back from fighting Nazi’s with General George Patton in the Battle of the Bulge, only one in ten Americans checked “None” for religion.
My generation doubled that by the time I finished high school and we were well on our way to losing the Vietnam War. From about 10% “None” to about 20%.
My kids’ generation nearly doubled it again by the time they finished high school, a few years before we launched the Iraq War we shouldn’t have fought in the first place. From about 20% “None” to almost 40%.
Well, I’m a little nervous about grandkids now…and the next war.
Are we going to double our walk-off again – to 80% “None,” with Chinese becoming the new English after World War Three?
I’m a layman. I’m no expert in church growth. But if these numbers are true, almost nobody seems to be an expert in church growth.
Instead, we Christians are experts in church shrinkage.
So let me speak to our expertise about how to shrink a church. Because we’re really good at this.
- From preachers, we prefer to hear what we already believe. Better bored than surprised.
- For music, we bring in karaoke, Christians Got Talent, or Broadway without the soul. Missing notes. Nailing notes. Either way they’re just notes.
- In church on Sundays, we excel in pretending, we’re comfortable in our plastic skins, and we love the ring of our hollow words.
We are becoming the Church of the Old Farts.
Does anyone else find it funny that what it took to get the church going in the first place was the sound of a “rushing wind” (Acts 2:2)?
That’s what Spirit means in Greek: Pneuma. It means Wind.
A Holy Wind.
That Wind drove people out and about, somehow moving them to get real – to help each other.
They shared their stuff.
“They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met” (Acts 2:45).
But that’s back when the church was young.
And growing.
Random book winners this week
- Abby Novak
- Belinda Tiong
I give away free books each week to randomly selected subscribers to my free blog and quarterly newsletter.
Abby and Belinda are random this week.
Bible Gateway Blogger Grid
This comment jumped out at me: “From preachers, we prefer to hear what we already believe. Better bored than surprised.”
I think this, along with the intense pull of our very secular and, often, unhealthy society, is a big part of the problem, but not in the way you mean. It has occurred to me many times, in later life, that church has changed much since I was young. I’m not sure that is a good thing. The message of Jesus doesn’t change, his words and commands do not change. Why, then, is it necessary for the basic mission and message of the church to change? Ask yourself, if you were exploring Christianity, wishing to know more about Jesus and what it means to live according to His wishes by attending church services, what would your impression be? I believe mine would be this: nice, well-meaning people who don’t seem to know what they believe anymore. I would see a commendable emphasis on social justice, but a spirituality that I have found lacking in many, (not all), congregations visited. Why is this? My personal belief is that we are going through a spiritual crisis in our time, and we have lost our way more a little bit. What to do about it? Well, we could type back and forth all day debating that.
One more point worth noting. I hear — often — non Christians say that they are turned off to Christ by the behavior and actions of Christian believers. Even Gandhi said that, and I believe this is wrong. When any of us who possess faith in Jesus Christ hear someone say this, I believe we are obligated to remind that person to not judge Him by the actions of His very flawed followers. To do so is a cop out, and is an unacceptable reason to reject Christ and his message.
Hi, Tom.
I think we have to agree to disagree on this one.
Non-believers are right to make note of us when we don’t practice what we preach. We don’t teach people about Jesus mainly through our words…and I’m a word guy. We teach people about him through our actions. They need to see Jesus in our life. Not in boring sermons about life 2,000 years ago. But in words and actions that relate to our world.
I don’t know what the fix is. But it seems as though something is amiss.
Steve
As usual Steve, you give me a nice perk in the morning and that’s why I love this blog — Tom and you are both right on this issue! Even Jesus had the same problem with his sermons:
26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” (John 6:26-27)
Many people looked to Jesus for a quick meal — I call them “thrill seekers” — and so they want a God that appeals to their needs. Nothing is wrong with this provided they go to the right source. But here is the point I want to make: Jesus depended on God too. Notice this:
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. (John 6:35-37)
When Jesus makes a calling to all, he always says to his listeners that God the Father will have those ready to receive the message. So if the Son of God depended on God, how much more should we!
I am totally disgusted with the state of the church today — either they think it is their goal to be a beacon of “social justice” trying to give “thimble full” advice on how to follow Jesus or a Cemetery cold “Word” churches that build seminaries to their “sound doctrine.” Where is the balance? We need less religion and more of a living Jesus in the lives of those who call themselves Christians and maybe these churches of ours will produce living vital members of the Christ community rather than dead stones that line the ruins of our Churches.
Preach it, Brother. Thanks Wayne.