Why so serious?
written by Julie R. Neidlinger 6 comments link this postI can appreciate circling the wagons. That's what friends are for.
But.
Why do I apparently have "anger issues"?
Because of this. And this. And maybe, instead of spending $100 (or whatever) on wrappers for water bottles to hand out at a parade* so people know the church "exists" and "cares", that money could be used to support a missionary through Gospel for Asia and get a lot more done. Or buy someone food. Or pick one needy family and change their lives even if it doesn't seem logical to put all the energy and money into one when "we" could help "more."
Because instead of buying pencils and toys and prizes from Oriental Trading company and feeding a government that still crushes our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ just so that little kids find the Bible "interesting" for an hour on Sunday -- maybe that same money could be used in a way that furthered the Gospel instead of furthering the insatiable "give me more junk that I'll be disinterested in within five minutes" that grows in children with very little effort.
Because we spend a lot of money on buildings and staff and salary and stuff and basically feeding our already fat selves. Because we think we have more control over who gets saved (via marketing and programs -- and yes, we do think this, if you look at how we do church) than the simple power of the message of the Gospel and the Spirit making it "attractive" without any decoration on our part.
Because the American culture is disgusting and consumeristic and so bloated and gluttonous and vapid that by "working in" and "working through" it to "point people to Jesus" we become enslaved by the same pragmatic, hierarchic, corporate beast, even as followers of Christ. We see numbers and get set in the idea of saving and helping the many through attractive programs and concepts, forgetting that Jesus left the 99 sheep to get the one. And, by fighting a "culture war", we unwittingly focus even more attention on that monster.
And mainly, right now? Because in a long post about problems I saw in the church based in our shallow culture focus that I very much felt led to write, the majority of responses -- both those in agreement or disagreement -- focused on the clothes we wear.
The. Clothes. We. Wear.
Shouldn't I be angry? With myself, and with the current way things are?
It is serious. That's why so serious.
*This is an actual example from a church I went to.
Labels: christianity, church, culture
Copyright (c) Julie R. Neidlinger 8/20/2008 10:47:00 AM
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6 Comments:
You have to admit though that Geoff's reponse was pretty funny. You have to like a guy who can laugh at himself.
As to the serious side of this post and the other which stirred up so much crap, I too find myself sick of the shallowness of much of passes for church and christianity today . . . whether it is insipid praise music with the theological depth of Captain and Tennille's "Love Will Keep Us Together" (a song I used to love in the 9th grade) or idiotic wastes of money on silly gifts many churches give to visitors or passers-by. And don't even get me started on such charlatans as Mr. Your-Best-Life-Is-Yet-to-Come or the Rev. The-Holy-Spirit-Told-Me-to-Dropkick-the-Man-to-Heal-Him. It makes me sick and angry and want to cry that Jesus suffered and died so that people can do this sort of thing.
In my book, there are things worth working up a little righteous indignation over. And based on John 2, I would say that Jesus felt the same way at times.
By 
Will, at
August 20, 2008 3:01 PM
As you may or may not know, Will, I have no sense of humor.
NONE.
(pause)
Still none.
By Julie R. Neidlinger, at
August 20, 2008 5:03 PM
I beg to differ. You are a very funny person. You watch cheesy sci-fi movies and I find myself laughing at something you write almost every day. Girl, you've got humor out the wazoo!
By Will, at
August 20, 2008 6:21 PM
You jest.
By Julie R. Neidlinger, at
August 20, 2008 8:11 PM
Thanks for writing what you wrote Julie.
Keith
bkingr.wordpress.com
By Keith, at
August 21, 2008 7:03 AM
So that's where Julie's humor comes from? Her wazoo? Eeeewww
By Anna, at
August 21, 2008 7:40 AM
