The Huffington Post reports a Gainesville, Florida "church"'s intention to burn Qurans. Obviously such bigotry is nothing new. But I am thinking about this in terms of crowds. Who will show up?
Mainline churches like mine have chronic and understandable anxiety concerning the available seating space left on Sunday mornings. Sports, sleep, camping, vacations, whatever.... there are a dozen or more reasons why the flock flees on the weekend leaving ample room for visitors.
This anxiety concerning attendance manifests itself in a variety of ways.... envy of the churches with larger crowds, the need to change the worship to accommodate the perceived desires of those not in attendance, different music, screens and visuals, practically anything....
Even burning Qurans? Or how about the church in Kentucky which held a worship service where all of those in attendance were asked to bring their firearms to celebrate the second amendment? Over 200 people showed up for that one. There are many ways to generate a crowd, if a crowd is what you want. But is a crowd want we want?
Sure... but the "crowd" cannot be the point--big or little. It is the proclamation of the Gospel that should be paramount--a Gospel inclusive of Jesus' witness to the Kingdom of God and its righteousness. Jesus' embodiment of the Old Testament prophetic tradition. The crowd I want includes anyone who yearns to understand and participate in the kingdom of God. Anyone who brings a heart of love to a community of inspired inquiry. So the next time you feel anxious about "why people aren't in church?", shift the question to this--"Is this church witnessing to the inclusive love of Jesus Christ?" If you believe that it is, relax. God asks for faithfulness, not market share.
Burning Qurans does not seem to qualify. Nor celebrating firearms. Nor does preaching that God created the heavens and the earth to provide financial prosperity to Americans on a quid quo pro basis. I don't care how many are there with torches, weapons, and portfolios.
I'm reminded of a previous post of yours regarding the Saddleback church phenomena. We are living in a day and age where people feel the need to be entertained. They don't want to hear the Truth...it is too difficult.
ReplyDeleteHere we have several churches that are set up as a theater in the round. The focus is about the personalities of the pastors, the talent of the band, the celebrity guest, etc... and somehow, the focus, JESUS CHRIST, is truly lost.
Great post and great points to ponder. Thank you, Jim.