Out-of-Church Christians: Part 3
[Editor's Note: This the second part of a series examining the phenomenon of large numbers of Christians leaving the organized church in order to preserve their faith. To read Part 1, click here. To read Part 2, click here.]
Why are the pews emptying out in Britian? This Lifesite article provides a clue:
“The results of the year-long survey of 14,000 UK residents by the interdenominational Ecumenical Research Committee has been called ‘surprising’ . . . 91% of responses followed a uniform theme that the decline in traditional Christian moral and doctrinal teaching has caused the outflux of congregations . . . Thousands of letters also cited the lack of emphasis on the holiness of God and the need for personal moral conversion. The desire for teaching on holiness was prevalent and has been influenced, said the authors, by Mel Gibson’s film, the Passion of the Christ.”
(Now that’s an eyebrow raiser for this Passion skeptic!)
The article ended with the statement, “The survey has supported what Christians themselves have been saying for decades, that there is little point in attending a church whose message is no different from that of the materialistic secular world.”
Holiness. Teaching. Morality. Real Christianity. People really seem to want it. Who knew?
Sadly, as evidenced by “The Out-of-Church Christians,” the booklet by Andrew Strom that I’m reviewing, people don’t seem to be finding it. Chapters 3, 4, 5 & 6 detail the reasons why over 112 million people around the world have left their churches in recent years, with some parts being truly heartbreaking to read.
Check out some of the comments Mr. Strom received:
Country Club Christianity
“Church is social time. Time to dress-up and participate in ‘holy’ gossip. The gifts are denied, there's no concern for the true needs of the brethren, and sin is candy-coated . . .”
That’s one of the smaller gripes. Here’s one of the biggies:
“I am no longer hungry for Jesus, I am starving for Him, and He isn't in my local churches!”
Greedy God
I wonder what God thinks of churches that mention Him every now and then, but never welcome Him in. I know I’d be outside wondering, “Are they saying bad things about me?” Well, very likely so, because another huge problem people have is that of “Greedy God”:
“We have seen . . . the biggest doctrine of our generation: if you just give more money, all your problems will be solved, or worse, He will heal you, fix your marriage, flood you with lots of money, etc.”
Or maybe we should call him . . .
Wall Street Jesus
Just in case you don’t like the Jesus we’ve got already. But if you’re poor (like me) run and hide. Because, according to Wall Street Jesus, if you don’t have much money, he doesn’t have much use for you:
“‘Bob, don't worry,’ [said one man’s associate pastor]. ‘If he should quit coming to church, it will be no great loss. He doesn't tithe that much anyway.’”
Read it and weep. No wonder (the real) God is ready for the whole mess to come crashing down. But wait, it gets worse:
Get out your magnifying glasses and take a look at these men.
“There was so much spiritual abuse/control over us. If we did not conform to the pastor’s & leaders’ wishes (even if they were contrary to scripture) then we were ignored or ostracized. We dared not question anything.”
Ai yi yi! Now that one’s hitting a little close to home! How many messages have I heard preaching against questioning the pastor? How contrary to Paul, whom the magnifying glass of scrutiny scared not a bit! I should echo Jason Dulle here and say that there’s a difference between questioning authority and challenging it. (That link was free, by the way. No charge.)
And ye shall receive the spirit of the “Have-to Ghost”
Many simply became exhausted by the endless cycle of church program after church program where participation was expected. Maybe this was the church where people were being filled with the “Have-to Spirit”:
“There are so many programs being brought in. I heard prayers like, ‘Father, I pray that everyone here will come up under these new programs and be a team player, and if they don't then get them out of my church.’ That one broke something in me that I can't explain.”
Please don’t puke on your keyboard!
Gag reflex working over time yet? Lay a warm washcloth over your forehead and read some good news:
“Our little group has been free to do all sorts of ministry that we probably would never have done . . . had we been busy with church activities . . . We organized and participate in a group that works with the incarcerated young people in the local boot camp. We've worked with the local youth. Three of us serve on the board of a ministry which is an outreach to the community. We support, both financially and spiritually, a local missionary to Mozambique. We sponsored a women's retreat. I teach a Bible class weekly at a local assisted living facility while another of our group is the CWA regional chairperson. One has become a licensed drug counselor and is doing Christian drug counseling. Another has a retreat center as her business. We are doing what we could not do if we were in a traditional church. If four older women can have this much ministry, just think what could happen if people stopped looking at the back of each other's heads and started taking the great commission seriously.”
Yeah, just think. Taking the Great Commission seriously? What a novel idea!
Can we go out to eat afterwards?
(Tomorrow -- keeping in mind that 'tomorrow' around this blog is pretty subjective: More good news and a warning.)
Questions, comments, concerns? E-mail me! I reserve the right to quote you unless you ask otherwise.
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