I’ve noticed a concerning trend in Christianity today: consumerism. Yes, that shop-till-you-drop mentality has penetrated the Church at large. Don’t think so? Think about how many churches you or your friends have attended. Think about what you do today in church. You go, you sit, you listen, you get up, you leave, you sit, you listen, repeat. That’s your Sunday service in a nutshell. It reminds me of the way I used to look at the Catholic liturgy when I was younger.
That isn’t inherently bad so long as you then go out and live the gospel. But how many “Christians†today do that? Too many people with an icthus on their cars drive like maniacs and “revenge drive†when cut off in traffic. I’m perhaps blind or cynical or both, but I just don’t see it that often, even in myself. That troubles me.
Wiersbe again here:
Suffice it to say now that a true disciple is not a reservoir but a gushing fountain, an artesian well of spiritual blessing. He does not live to get; he lives to give. What he receives from the Lord, he shares with others; and in sharing, he receives even more. He is careful to guard the precious spiritual investment God has put into his life, but he also invests that treasure in the lives of others.
Wiersbe, W. W. (1988). Prayer : Basic training. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale.
Amen? So what’s happened? Why? Why you? Why me? Where is our love for Jesus Christ?
2 Comments
Excellent point, Ryan. I, too, fail to see the Gospel in myself and oftentimes resort to my comfort zone of routine, forgetting the amazing GIFT He is to me. Wiersbe’s point of not living to get, but living to give is so simple, yet comfort-zone-shattering.
I would also offer that churchs are representative of the church-goers’ heart. I know my prayer life can oftentimes be considered ‘consumer-minded’. Coming to Him for what I want, need, or desire, versus coming to Him to just be with Him, striving to have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2: 9-16). If we focus on getting our own hearts right with Him, the church will come back to being the Church.
I agree. I think we’re consumers in at least two ways: material and spiritual. We like the material comforts that this time and place in the world has provided. I love having an a/c church with electricity, pews, piano, etc.
I think a bigger danger to the church is that we’ve become spiritual consumers versus worshipers. That is why churches have different services with different styles. This has resulted in a huge generation gap between different ages of Christians and is far away from the Bible’s standard. Because we want to consume worship in our comfortable way, we have a fragmented American church. We even have segregated Sunday School classes. Many people who attend Houston churches do not find meaningful relationships (within the church) with folks outside their ages/marital status. I’m concerned the American church will have to undergo severe persecution before we return to a Biblical model.