A Blog for the Church

Thanksgiving is one of those days that Christians love to celebrate with themed sermons, decorations in fall colors, and potlucks with more turkey than anyone could ever want (along with your occasional bucket of fried chicken from the family that is always on the run).  And there’s one event that seems to happen around every table on Thanksgiving – it is that moment when someone chimes in and says, “Let’s all go around and say one thing we’re thankful for.”  It is not unusual for this to happen just before or just after prayer making it that much more torturous with your plate of delicious-smelling food sitting right under your nose.  But it happens…every time.

So why not re-enact that here at our virtual WordPress table?  I’ll go first:

I’m Thankful for the Decline of American Christianity.

Now before you jump to the comment form and rebuke me for my sin, allow me to explain why I am thankful for the decline of American Christianity

American Christianity Points Out Specks in Others’ Eyes

Jesus once said this:

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?…You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:3,5)

American Christianity has, by and large, been content to ignore Jesus’ instruction here choosing instead to point out the specks in everyone else’s eyes: homosexuality, abortion, explicit content in movies/music, evolution, secular entertainment, extramarital sex, etc.  Actually, I could go on for quite a while because that’s how good American Christians are at noticing others’ specks.

My friend, John, brought up an interesting point in response to my blog about tolerance.  Quoting  1 Corinthians 5:12-13, he said:

What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”

According to Paul, the church has no business judging those outside the faith (i.e. non-Christians), instead we are to judge those inside the church (i.e. ourselves).  And when we do, we’ll find that our ability to see others’ specks is blocked by the logs in our own eyes: greed, hypocrisy, judgment, idolatry, a hunger for power – well, that list goes on for a while, too.

American Christianity Doesn’t Preach the Gospel

You may find this to be a ridiculous statement considering the fact that thousands of churches across the country have people preaching from a pulpit every week…and you would be right, they are preaching.  But more and more, whatever it is that they are preaching, it is not the Gospel:

• The Gospel says that Jesus came to die as the ransom for our sins and that only through him can we have life.  Many preachers today say that Jesus came to give us the 7 secrets to get our best life now.
• The Gospel says that in order to be one Jesus’ disciples, you need to take up your cross and follow him.  Many preachers today say that we just need to say a prayer and the deed is done.
• The Gospel says that it is the poor, sad, meek, hungry, thirsty, merciful, pure, and peacemakers who are blessed.  Many preachers today say that it is the rich, happy, type-A, well-fed, go-getters who stir the pot that are used most by God.
• The Gospel says that if we follow Jesus we will be persecuted.  Many preachers today say that if we follow Jesus, he’ll protect us from any and all harm.
• The Gospel says that if we love others, we’ll lay down our lives for them.  Many preachers today say that if we love others, we’ll tell them all the ways they are wrong.

Is it any wonder that American Christianity’s numbers are on the decline?  The so-called “good news” that many of today’s preachers are peddling is the same self-serving, works-based religion that’s been around forever – and that’s not very good news.

American Christianity Is More American Than Christian

Remember that Bible verse that says, “God helps those who helps themselves?”  Out of curiosity, where is that, exactly?  I’ll wait a few minutes while you look that up…

Didn’t find it?  That’s because it is not in there.  But how often is that our mindset, the result of American capitalism seeping into our Christian ideology? It doesn’t stop there, though:

• Churches structure their services with entertainment in mind, offering  products and services with clever marketing techniques.
• Christian culture is its own cash-cow, producing products that are often knock-offs from the secular world.
• Christians are perhaps more political than any other group, seeking to throw the weight of their cumulative vote around in an effort to coerce secular society into Christian morality.
• We even have patriotic Bibles that show how God formed the American nation– an idea that stands in direct contrast to the teachings of Jesus and the early church who say that God formed the Church and that we are his people (unlike, for example, the nation-state Israel).

If American Christianity as I’ve outlined here is what Jesus came to die to form, we’re in a sorry state.  That’s why I’m thankful for its decline.  Perhaps now we can get about the business of building true Christianity.

Your Turn: What are you thankful for?  What are you NOT thankful for?

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