I went with my parents to church this Sunday. I know how important it is to them, so I go, plus it gives me the chance to spend some time with them. The church was definitely upper middle class, packed with yuppie types. It had the slickest multimedia I’ve ever seen in a church, with three large screens overhead, spotlights, a stack of TV monitors displaying graphics and professionally produced videos, and state-of-the art speakers interspersed with spotlights on overhead tracks. A full band packed with talented musicians played while the lyrics appeared on the giant screens. All of this was being filmed by multiple broadcast-quality cameras, overseen from a mixing board at the back. This church was ready for prime time.
The sermon was written in advance and printed out on sheets that the minster read as he sat at a chair. The message had four key ideas taken from John 3:16. There was no shouting or T. D. Jakes pimp suits. The minister was well-dressed, articulate, and personable. And I’m guessing, but he’s probably richer than Croesus.
I had the overwhelming feeling that the service was entirely irrelevant. I quit going to church years ago when I finally decided I had better things to do with my time. I realized that if I wanted help succeeding with women, succeeding in my career, or achieving anything other than mediocrity, I was going to have to find it on my own.
The church is brimming with answers on all sorts of biblical trivia, like who the Galatians were, prophecies in Ezekiel, foot washing rituals, and my favorite –pointless Greek definitions, such as “The Greek word for ‘chair,’ ‘εβηθένξμ,’ means ‘something that is sat upon.’” True to form, the minister Sunday couldn’t help but resort to the old Greek definition filler. Please wake me when you get to the part about making money or getting laid.
4 comments:
I hope and pray you change your mind about how God is in your life. He is the ultimate power. God loves you! Come to him, he's always ready to accept you into his arms.
Thanks for reading, Rubin, and I appreciate your concern. I do believe in God, and I believe that God is personally concerned about my life.
My problem is that I believe the typical church is about spiritual matters, with little or no application to my life.
But are we not allowed to have spiritual needs? I mean, not instead of, but in addition to, getting rich and laid? And would it not follow that, to that extent, we find our answers in church?
For me, that's the dilemma, church is about spiritual matters, and for the most part, spiritual matters are useless. I believe spiritual matters become relevant as one enters the realm of death, or an event in life that is close to it, such as losing one's career, and suffering a catastrophic injury or loss (i.e., the house burns down)
To the extent that a church starts to address practical matters, like finances, relationships, career success, fitness and health, etc., it is less of a church and more of a social organization.
I know that Evangelical Christians will say that a church that talks about global warming or has a bowling alley on the premises is neglecting the Gospel --the principal message and objective of the church.
I suppose the answer is a religious view in which the spiritual and the practical are seen in a holistic manner.
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