An Evangelical Epidemic: Supermodel Christianity

Recently, a few things have made me quite sensitive to the state of Christianity among most (especially in the USA). Last night I was reading Why Churches Die (I don't necessarily recommend the book, but it has many very good and necessary insights) on "Anorexia and Bulimia: Eating Disorders of the Word of God" (ch. 11), and I was reminded of how the church is generally starved today for the Word of God. Feed My Sheep is now a must read for all who desire to be teachers in the church, because the mandate given to Peter in John 21 is not being fulfilled.

Many people today no longer feel "fulfilled" or they feel "restless" (often the key word here is "feel," since that is generally what current, postmodern Christians rely upon) in their churches. This sends them out looking for a church that gives them the spiritual 'fix' they so crave. Since the Christian experience becomes 'how I feel' or the 'high I get from the service' (due to the praise songs, etc), once they get used to the routine, they have to find another church.

(2 things: 1) I am in no way discounting the need for proper religious affections in the Christian life. Emotions are necessary, but they are not the controlling factor. Dead orthodoxy is not Christianity, but neither is a feelings-based spirituality. 2) This is actually a sign and in line with the absolute epidemic that is occurring today. There is a lack of covenant-love commitment, and a lack of REAL depth. This is at least part of the reason why we see divorce running rampant today. People are looking for quick emotional/feeling highs, and when they stop--that is, the 'honey-moon' period ends, and difficulties arise that require real depth of character--people leave their marriages and churches to look for the excitement and rush of another--this is as heinous as drug addictions, which are the same thing except a foreign substance is involved.)

As Caner and Brunson point out, pastors need to stop giving in to this--which is probably what is often behind the 'Megachurch' mentatility. Brothers in pastoral roles, we need to stand up to the people whom we shepherd and give them what they need, not what they want. We need to stop feeding Snickers bars (hungry? why wait? Get a quick sugar high and go about life) and Pepsis to our people and start feeding them steak and whole milk. They need the spiritual food that has substance--the Word of God--though it will taste like broccoli, it will have as much nutrients.

Caner and Brunson point out that because our people are anorexic and bulemic (spiritually), they are slowly starving to death (175). They have become 'lactose intolerant' to even the milk of God's Word. Because they satiate themselves on sensory-experiences (like eating a bunch of Snickers bars), they seek "sensory-satisfying worship," such as "Does the song make me cry? Does the meolody make me jump up and down? Is it a catchy tune?" etc (179). These things aren't necessarily bad, but with no substance (in most of these things) comes no nourishment. If people keep on living like this and rejecting depth (such as sermons that help them to truly know God's character, expositional messages from Paul's epistles, etc, rather than messages such as "How to have a good marriage," or even cliche sermons on taboo topics, i.e. sex, drinking, etc), then they will continue to feel unfulfilled and restless in their churches. If we keep on feeding them like this, they will starve to death, and yes, many will be lost eternally in Hell because Christianity never went beyond skin-deep--they may have "Decided to Follow Jesus," but they never put their faith in Him.

People today are becoming supermodel Christians--the church may look good on the outside (nice buildings, emotional praise choruses, Bible studies with 50 people in them, full auditoriums, hands raised to heaven, crying, people coming out of discipleship by the dozens), but on the inside, emaciation is occurring. Like supermodels what is occurring is trendy and popular (superficially, what guy wouldn't date a woman who looks good enough to be a center-fold, or what girl wouldn't want to look like a swim-suit model), but in the end, this way that seems right to man leads only to death. The Bible commends the eating of 'fat-things,' and those who are made to be fat. But to get this way, we must devour what has substance--the Word, Jesus Christ (cf. John 6).

So what do you do if you are feeling unfulfilled and restless in your church? Well, if they are preaching the Word of God faithfully, stay there--living by covenant love will only make you stronger. You will be fed, and that is what matters. If your church is not preaching the Word expositionally, then either confront (first step of action) or find somewhere that is (last resort). Do not just rely on feelings. God does not necessarily work through your feelings, for your heart is extremely deceitful. The feast of the Lamb is before you, in the Scriptures, for the Lamb Himself is the feast. Don't settle for hot dogs, eat the Filet Mingon--Christ, and every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

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Party night...last night

Last night we (the guys of 24/7) prepared dinner at had some friends over. Good times were had by all. Tyler prepared a homemade apple pie (FROM SCRATCH!) and garlic toast. Scott brought the drinks. John made some pretty tasty salad (complete with his own secret touch). And I made my famous lasagna (and I think it was my best yet--at least the thickest) and sweet tea (and our friend Carrie, who has lived in the South, makes her own sweet tea, is a great cook, and will rarely ever admit to someone that their cooking, etc is better than hers, actually said my sweet tea is better than hers--I'm sure it won't be long until she makes sweet tea better than mine, but I'm pretty proud of the Lord's gifting me in the area of sweet tea and lasagna for right now--let him who boasts boast in the Lord...and the internet recipe for sweet tea I found).

So we ate, had some great fellowship, then played "Never have I ever..."; which actually was usually "I have...." Anyway, thank you Mike and Beth for bringing the game idea and coming, and to Danielle and Carrie for coming. You all made the night fun. Glory be to Him who unites us in the bonds of fellowship in His Son!

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The World is Going to End Tomorrow: 6.6.6!

I came to Panera expecting to just have a normal day off of reading and working on tracing Galatians, only to read Theologians, Scientists: 6-06-06 Nothing to Worry About. From there I found the link for Rapture Ready, a site devoted to the Pretribulational Rapture view. They indicated that, due to the massive amounts of "Prophetic Activity," the Rapture Index is now at an alarming 156, which is in the "Fasten Your Seatbelts" category (kind of like the threat of terrorist activity index--this would be red)!

Well friends, I'm honestly not convinced that Christ is coming tomorrow either because of the date or because of a large number of appointed "prophetic activities" that are really not a biblically given gauge of when the end will come. I'm personally not into "End Times" hype, I don't believe the book of Revelation and Daniel are scary books designed to tell us all of the things that will occur coming up to the end and to help us calculate Christ's coming. I am in whole-hearted disagreement with the Dispensational system from which this all stems, and I do not believe that the Bible teaches a pretribulational rapture (for instance, the rapture in 1 Thess. 4:16 occurs with the blow of a trumpet and the voice of an archangel--and trumpets and archangels are loud, not secretive).

End Times fascination is unfortunately dangerous. It easily takes people's attention off of what really matters and places it upon something we do not have the greatest control over. We have been in the period of the "last days" since Christ first came and established the kingdom of God and His church (Acts 2:17f., Hebrews 1:2). The last dispensation of this age (this sinful age and the reign of death since the Fall) has been with us since Christ's death, resurrection, ascension, and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the church at Pentecost. The Pharisees missed this point--they failed to see the signs of the times--that the Christ had come and the inauguration of the kingdom of God and the end of the sinful age was now come to an end (though, we now stand in the time of the Already/Not Yet--cf. George E. Ladd's The Gospel of the Kingdom for further explanation of this concept) (cf. Lk. 12:54-56).

Rather than being concerned with End Times' stuff and pretrib propoganda, we need to be concerned about God and the things of God. We can become far too fascinated with what is going on in the world and trying to interpret obscure passages (or making them to fit into our system of interpretation) that we fail to see the big picture. We then fail to seek to understand more important theologies, we fail to seek God and grow in our relationship with Him, and we fail in our duty to love our neighbors as we ought (and many are suffering). We then also fail to pray for the persecuted church. We also fail to advance the gospel--the one thing that we KNOW will bring about Christ's return and the end (2 Peter 3:11-12, Matthew 24:14, Luke 24:47, etc). Our duty is not to be concerned about times and dates that the Father has set, but we are to be Christ's witnesses when the Holy Spirit has come upon us as the church--and HE HAS (Acts 1:6-8; 2). The Lord will come again, and like a thief in the night (unexpectedly). It is our duty to be ready--not concerned of whether that time is near or far--we are always to act as if it is now! Be ready! (Matt. 24:42-25:13--the point of these parallels is 'be prepared,' not 'be looking for signs.')

Will the world end tomorrow? Will it end tonight? I don't know...and neither do you. The question is, "will you be ready?" not "will you be raptured." After death comes judgment. Christ is returning to judge all for the works done in the body (Romans 1-3, Galatians 6:8-9, etc). There is no chance after the rapture for repentance, because Christ is coming to resurrect and reward His own, destroy the wicked who oppose Him, and to consummate His reign upon the earth (cf. Revelation 19). Today is the day of salvation, for we live in the New Covenant period.

For resources that may be helpful on this topic, Read Anthony Hoekema's The Bible and the Future, the Four Views book on the millenium (with Hoekema, Ladd, etc), and New Covenant Theology by Fred Zaspel and Tom Wells.

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