THE CHURCH OF TODAY...

I just finished listening to Tommy Nelson's sermon series, "The Sixties." SO much good stuff. But the last sermon ended with him speaking on the church today, and its current condition. Here are several of his points that I think call for some discussion.

Church is a Business
Church has conformed to culture. It's no longer Theocentric, but Anthropocentric. It's a sound stage for a presentation and a program--a show. The Mega-church idea is not about a size, but about meeting every need of its consumers. If success in life is everything in our day, church will enable us to achieve that success. We have become light on truth. Success in YOUR marriage, with YOUR kids, with YOUR money. 8 ways to be better at everything. Not that that is necessarily wrong, but it is when it's exclusive and you no longer teach Bible exposition, systematic theology, historical theology. We want immediate gratification for our needs, and no longer want to go through the pains of spiritual discipline. We've forsaken Self-Denial, Commitment, Involvement, Discipleship, Service, Sacrifice, Discipline, and Holiness, and expect to be fed from a concert seat.
William F. Buckley, when asked what he thought of Vatican 2, "Don't You want your Pope to be relevant?" His response was simple, "No. I want him to be Holy." Have we sacrificed holiness for relevancy? Shouldn't there be ways in which we don't want to be relevant?

Worship IS Music
Music used to be apart of worship, now it defines it. Whatever happened to responsive scripture readings, the Apostles' Creed? Is our worship today nothing more that emotional, experiential driven music? Is it man-centered, as opposed to the contemplation of who God is that is rational-centered?

Accountability, Submitting, and Church-Discipline is Archaic
When did Church Hopping become acceptable? Whatever happened to commitment? Why do we think that our life is our own business and nobody else's?

TRUE COMMUNITY

If my Internet Explorer Could Talk

So this week were discussing "If My Internet Explorer Could Talk." The internet has ushered in a new era of “intimacy” and “community.” YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Second Life—they’re all ways to create community. But our internet activity, although may reveal more about us than we would care to admit, cannot bring with it a place of TRUE community. Oh, (As Bryan stated in Creative) we may discover a place to “belong,” but will those relationships nurture care or accountability? We think we’re making connections with people, but we’re actually unplugging from this world, the one in which we were created to exist. The closeness we feel is completely imaginary, all in the mind.

My guess is that people use online communities as a means of "safe community." But just like "safe sex," it's all a lie. We may harden our hearts and hide behind a mask so that we don't get hurt, but what do we lose in the process? Isn't there a penalty for not being vulnerable? Perhaps forfeiting the love and acceptance we so desire because we aren't willing to give it first? May it not be like the old adage, "To have a friend, you must first be a friend."

This may be a little extreme, but isn't this a lot like porn? To the effect that it can never deliver on the "love" it so promises. It’s the false hope that this next contact will bring the longing that our heart desires. It's ironic that culture has, as the last Focus on the Family Magazine put it, made it both nothing and everything. They tell us that sex is no big deal, but at the same time convey the message that without it we are incomplete. Everyone know community is crucial, yet we treat it so causally as if it were "no big deal." How have we come to treat such a sacred thing with such disdain?

I think the most crucial part is that God made us three-in-one just as He is three-in-one. To connect only in the mind is purely one-dimensional. I think it's superficial to declare a recent online contact a friend. We’re denying the complexity of our nature. To say that we can build real community by mere mental thought is like saying sex is purely physical, or that worship is purely spiritual. We've bought into this lie that our separate parts can remain separate. God made us whole beings. I wonder if EVERYTHING we do affects our entire being? Scientist have even done studies to show how our thoughts affect our attitude, our emotions, even our physical health. I’ve personally found that eating is more than just a physical act. I mean, does anyone really LIKE to eat alone? How fun would Thanksgiving Dinner be alone—no matter how large the feast? There's something "intimate" about sharing a meal together. As Rob Bell reminded us, "Everything we do is as an integrated being."

We are indeed three-dimensional—to treat ourselves as anything less is to cheapen our value.