Yeah, I thought this quote was similar to the previous one. For those who missed it the first time around:
More Secular than the culture?
"We have a church in North American that is more secular than the culture. Just when the church adopted a business model, the culture went looking for God. Just when the church embraced strategic planning (linear and Newtonian), the universe shifted to preparedness (loopy and quantum). Just when the church began building recreation centers, the culture began a search for sacred space. Church people still think that secularism holds sway and that people outside the church have trouble connecting to God. The problem is that when people come to church, expecting to find God, they often encounter a religious club holding a meeting where God is conspicuously absent. It may feel like a self-help seminar or even a political rally. But if pre-Christians came expecting to find God -- sorry! They may experience more spiritual energy at a U2 concert or listening to a Creed CD."Reggie McNeal, The Present Future
Great quote -- it expresses succinctly what I've felt for a long time. I think many of my generation (X) don't feel at all at home in the modern, comfortable pew, seeker-sensitive, power-point presentation evangelical church for the very reasons listed...
ReplyDeleteHave you ever been to a Roman Catholic mass, Andrew?
ReplyDeleteAt the risk of sounding like I'm defending the spiritual inhertia that at times characterizes the church -- but -- to say "...if pre-Christians came expecting to find God -- sorry! They may experience more spiritual energy at a U2 concert or listening to a Creed CD..." is lame.
ReplyDeleteThat's a horrible generalization on several levels. There ARE people "finding God" even in the most traditional churches. And there are people finding all kinds of energy that isn't necessarily spiritual at the trendiest anti-previous generation edgy emerging cool church of a week. What exactly is "spiritual energy"? If it isn't rooted in Christ can it be truly spiritual? Can the spiritual be divorced from the physical structures that are necessary for humans to function, and truly still be spiritual? (i.e. gnosticism). This guy sounds just like the boomers a few years ago who saw the path to becoming an authentic church as changing the musical style and letting the consumer drive the bus. It's just an updated expression of the same mentality. Sorry for ranting -- I've become a cynic on this stuff.
You don't need to apologize for a well placed rant. And it get's lame to say I agree with your point and I hear what Andrew is saying too, but I do.
ReplyDeleteIt's the first part of this quote that caught my attention. I think the church in the past, what 20, 25, 30 years? has spent it's time going down roads travelled by "The ones out there."
In fact we did it to make the world feel welcome or at home. We wanted to be inviting and hospitable to them, so they would join us.
They were never looking for hospitality or hot music. The real searchers were looking for God.
Till today. Some want to add candles, contemplation, and coffee, because that's the latest thing to get people into church. The motivation often is as it was before, with seekers etc... the motivation to get fresh faces into the pews.
There is a place for new churches to arise which won't look anything like what we've been doing. And they will have the likes of "candles, contemplation, and coffee" because that's who they are.
And that, is exciting. Not the coffee, but the being church part.
Yeah, now I'm starting to rant. Better go to bed!!
Paul: not yet.
ReplyDeleteBrad: Hmmm, I must be reading this differently, because I see the author the author affirming what you say. The boomer seeker-sensitive idea of getting people into the church by dumbing down and making people feel like its a trip to the local mall is not all that attractive to many of our (my) generation. The marketing of church is a big turn-off. That's why many are turning toward the traditional often more liturgical churches.
I think the author is saying the Church has constantly run after culture, but missing the boat in the process, rather than simply being faithful to Christ.