Have you seen that commercial? You know, the one with the kid eating Beef Ravioli while the mom tries to keep the dad from saying what the voice over tells us, "There's a full serving of vegetables in every bowl of Chef Boyardee. Just don't tell them."
The implication is, of course, that if the kid knew it was good for him he wouldn't eat it. A further implication is that if a parent wants her kid to have a healthy diet, she has be be sneaky about it.
I can't help but notice that this is the same approach to evangelism that the pop evangelical church is taking on our day. We can't just tell people the good news of the gospel- that humanity's biggest problem is sin, and that belief in Christ's death and resurrection is the only way to resolve this problem. Instead, we need to repackage Jesus as the one who can cure your loneliness, relieve your anxiety, save your marriage, and assist you with any other felt need you may have. The hope is that, as long as your coming for the tasty ravioli, some of the good nutrients will sneak there way in.
Though well intentioned, the problem is that the real need facing humanity is sometimes never discussed. A different "Jesus" is presented, but he is not all that different than what is being offered by Oprah, Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil, Scientology, or the corner bar where "everybody knows your name." The Bible may be used as a "quote book" and referenced in an effort to sanitize the teaching, but the focus is still on "what's in it for me," when it should be on God.
Such actions betray a lack of faith among pop evangelicalism - a lack of faith in both the sufficiency and efficiency of God, His Spirit, and His Word. People are being introduced to Christ without hearing of their need to "repent, turn to God, and do works in keeping with repentance." I fear the result may be, in the last day, that these people who ere active in church and thought they were "right with God" will instead hear, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness."
The churches repackaging Jesus to meet felt needs justify their actions with the numbers that they are producing. (One church of 7000 in Charlotte boasted about 500 people getting saved one weekend last month). Yet there is little evidence of changed livest and little evidence of spiritual impact on the community.
From what I understand about the Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli claim to having "a full serving of vegetables in every bowl," this is technically true. But in order to get that one must also take in a lot of empty calories, sodium, and even sacrifice the natural vitamin C that was in the tomatoes originally. (And yes, tomatoes are a fruit, but Chef Boyardee must be using them as a vegetable in this case.) Same is true in the church. The little bit of truth about Jesus and the Gospel is surrounded by so much other junk that, in the end, you may be no better off...
Monday, September 21, 2009
Storm Stories
Over the last week there has been a lot in the Charlotte and Raleigh news looking back at some past storms. It was 20 years ago when Hurricane Hugo wrecked havoc on Charlotte and points west, and 10 years ago when Hurricane Floyd brought great flooding to Raleigh and points east.
We hear stories of survival, as well as stories of the lasting impact these storms have had on the state.
Yesterday at church we heard a message on "Til the Storm Passes By" from Matthew 14:22-32. As I've been thinking about the message I saw four ways we need to respond to the storms that come in life, be they storms sent our way by God, as a result of our own sin, or as a result of living in a sin-stained world.
1) LOOK - Look up to the Lord in the midst of the storm. Often the storms that come distract us and, in an effort to find release, we turn to everything BUT the Lord. We might look for help from others, from ourselves, or from secular ideas. We need to be sure we look to the Lord as our first resource and not our last resort.
2) LEAN - We need to entrust ourselves to God in the midst of the storm remembering that nothing happens by mistake and nothing catches God by surprise. We remember that we are not to lean on our own understanding, but to remember that He is sovereign over all things and that all things are working together to accomplish His good purposes. Lena on the truth that God is good, He always does what is right, and He always does what is best.
3) LEARN - Never let a good storm go to waste. Se each one as a learning opportunity. How could I have better prepared for this storm (spiritually and emotionally)? How is this storm going to change my life and conform me more to the image of Christ? Did this storm come as a result of my own foolish decisions, or was it something sent by God to train me?
4) LEAD - We don't experience storms in a vacuum. What we are experiencing is also being experienced by others. A storm may be an opportunity for us to exercise our spiritual gifts and strengthen others as we bear up under the storm together. {perhaps in a storm God will use you to help others to LOOK, LEAN, and LEARN.
We hear stories of survival, as well as stories of the lasting impact these storms have had on the state.
Yesterday at church we heard a message on "Til the Storm Passes By" from Matthew 14:22-32. As I've been thinking about the message I saw four ways we need to respond to the storms that come in life, be they storms sent our way by God, as a result of our own sin, or as a result of living in a sin-stained world.
1) LOOK - Look up to the Lord in the midst of the storm. Often the storms that come distract us and, in an effort to find release, we turn to everything BUT the Lord. We might look for help from others, from ourselves, or from secular ideas. We need to be sure we look to the Lord as our first resource and not our last resort.
2) LEAN - We need to entrust ourselves to God in the midst of the storm remembering that nothing happens by mistake and nothing catches God by surprise. We remember that we are not to lean on our own understanding, but to remember that He is sovereign over all things and that all things are working together to accomplish His good purposes. Lena on the truth that God is good, He always does what is right, and He always does what is best.
3) LEARN - Never let a good storm go to waste. Se each one as a learning opportunity. How could I have better prepared for this storm (spiritually and emotionally)? How is this storm going to change my life and conform me more to the image of Christ? Did this storm come as a result of my own foolish decisions, or was it something sent by God to train me?
4) LEAD - We don't experience storms in a vacuum. What we are experiencing is also being experienced by others. A storm may be an opportunity for us to exercise our spiritual gifts and strengthen others as we bear up under the storm together. {perhaps in a storm God will use you to help others to LOOK, LEAN, and LEARN.
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