Fallen and Flawed

I’ve been thinking about picking this up and I think I will now.

If I may suggest another book that you may enjoy is “Unfashionable” by Tullian Tchivijian. Main premise of the book is that the church makes a difference in the world by being different from the world. Your comment about how we need to stop sleeping with the enemy is right in the vain of this book. However, it’s balanced from falling into the ditch on the other side of the path. Tullian also admonishes us to be engaged in culture so that we can change it. His approach is missional and it has light my fire for church that would live this.

If you don’t have the cash to buy the book, Tullian preached a sermon series after he wrote the book that pretty much goes over the same themes. It’s 10 sermons. He’s pastor at Coral Ridge Presbyterian in Florida. I found the podcast on iTunes.

JC

Just talked to my contact at the publisher and asked me to send the Tullian book…thanks for the recommendation!

Demian,

2. It’s seen in our pre-occupation with feel good religion.

3. It’s seen in our re-invention of Christianity as a self-help pop-psychology

Amen brother!!!

As part of a church crawl I did with a mate (also an atheist) a year or so ago we visited a few of these franchise pentecostal churches – they all followed the same megachurch formula:
– Singing boring, cliche, repetitive songs for at least an hour, giving those with emotional burdens a chance to physically reach up to god and wave their arms
– The pastor (often with an american accent, for some reason) lowers the volume of the band with hand gestures, and gives what is effectively a self-help talk, targeting the emotions and not the mind
– The offertory part, which can often be a disgrace. Financial testimonies from people who trusted god and gave during difficult times, and are now reaping the financial benefits

Ugh. What bothered me a lot, probably out of jealousy, was the obvious wealth of many of the pastors. Whether they realise it or not, they exploit the vulnerable for financial gain and probably don’t pay a time of tax along the way.

Anyway, that was almost certainly not the point of your post, but I just felt like a rant when I remembered those churches.

don’t pay a time of tax along the way

a dime of tax, rather

James, “church crawl,” love the concept.

I “ugh” over your experience, too, brother. Wow.

What’s a franchise church? Smacks of a formula to make money fast.

Yeah we sort of started doing a video diary of the first few, so that we had something to show for it, but unfortunately the result reflected the production effort and it was pretty boring to watch, even for us. Eventually we gave up on that and just went along without the followup filming.

http://www.youtube.com/thegodintrusion

Franchise church – I just made that up, and yes you got the meaning right. Although they are unlike franchises in that they are not actually connected at all, they are like franchise stores that keep popping up everywhere and are all following the same formula to sell the same product.

It’s a much more marketable version of Christianity simply because they concentrate on and highlight the benefits, and keep a generic enough theology that they maximise the congregation size. And market they do with glossy media, big sound and light production and even television ads.

James, you should write a book. You’ve nailed the concept and language for the megachurch…you’re like a Barna, just on the other side of the fence.

Haha, well shucks. I’d love to write a book, but I’d need a very good editor

It would probably make more business sense to start my own megachurch, since it probably doesn’t make any difference whether or not I actually believe it, except that exploiting vulnerable people would actually play on my conscience. Of course I’d need to outsource the stage man duties to a contractor as I lack the charisma and stage presence myself, but that’s ok.

James,

I like you. If you ever write that book, I’ll buy it. If I may offer another book recommendation (although I’ve never read it…a friend of mine did and I trust him implicitly). Os Guiness’ “Dining with the Devil” From what my buddy was telling me, it takes the whole megachurch mentality straight on.

Demian, how does one acquire contacts at publishers to obtain free books??

Anyhow, I currently attend a megachurch. It saddens me. Why do I keep going? I grew up in the tradition and feel this odd sense that I can change it. Maybe I’m crazy. What really gets me is that our “stage man” is actually a really great guy. Since my dad was a pastor in the area (family moved to Florida) I was able to develop a personal relationship with him. What’s weird is that in personal conversations, he sounds like he gets it. He’s genuine and we have great conversations, but what gets done on Sunday morning I often find grotesque. I wonder if the megachurch is not unlike Washington D.C. Well-meaning people enter these places with the idealism to change it, but the place ends up grinding these people up and churning out just the same old crap. I believe group-think dominates the culture and anyone who thinks differently is either removed or pressured into conforming.

Anyhow, that’s my two cents.

Thanks JC,

I think you are on to something with the group-think theory.

Good luck with changing the place. If you’re the one concerned voice at your megachurch then thats probably one more than any other, so who knows!

JC: I’ve got a friend who works at Random House.

Also, sorry to hear about your megachurch plight. It’s not easy to replant. About two years ago we did from a big church we’d attended for nearly ten years. We started when they were only like 40 people, so it was very intimate. But our children were reaching an age where the babysit and entertain philosophy for Sunday “school” was unacceptable. We’re card-carrying Methodist now.