Church Chat

Jim Haskell went in and changed the name of Fred O’s old church from Clairmont Hills Baptist Church to Bridgepoint Church. Why? The official explanation is on their website, but here’s my two cents. Millennials are staying away from denominational churches, who are often blind to the needs of outsiders. Young people don’t want to go to a church that is exactly like the one they went to 15-20 years ago when they were five years old, where nothing has changed. They don’t want to go hear middle-aged moms and dads wearing Dockers and polo shirts singing the same five year old worship songs every week, with an overweight grey-haired guitar player and drummer playing along. You and I may get a good deal out of a particular Dan Hayes Sunday School lesson, but a young person in their twenties in the same class might feel like they’re surrounded by Martians.

I was interested to learn that Charles attends Westside Presbyterian Church. Not sure what it’s like. Annie grew up Presbyterian. Not sure if his brother David goes there or not. Joel attends a small church in Brookhaven. Matthew went there a couple of times. The Roswell Presbyterian minister professionally handled her portion of the service, then quietly walked down and took a seat out of the way. The intern finished his part then remained standing alongside the other pastor for the rest of the wedding. We all could use a choir director like John Condra to teach us to stand still and not draw attention away from the service (and God).  

Hurt has always been more into music than me. I’d rather listen to sports talk or a book on CD. Saturday night at the wedding reception the DJ was playing lots of old classic tunes. When it was time for all family members to dance the DJ played “We are Family.” Lots of songs like that. I recognized most of the songs but wasn’t giving much thought to how the words applied to the situation – the cerebration of two youngsters getting married and embarking on their union. Hurt was right - we’d all just spent time in the church honoring God and asking for His help and blessing, then played songs with words completely contradicting what we had just focused on. This may make me an old fogey, but “Sexual Healing” is not a song that should be played at a wedding reception.

I’m sure very few made the connection like Hurt did. I know I so often immerse myself in things so completely unChristian. Recently I read a popular book (fiction) in which the non-Christian character, raised in a traditionally Christian country, bounced back and forth from Christian iconography to thought of Buddhist origin – similar to the real-life Mr. and Mrs. Brady.

Nowadays this kind of thinking is the new normal. People pick a little from this religion, a little from that. Scant thought to how certain tenants of a faith are built upon their own foundations, and cannot stand as truth by themselves. In this way people drift further and further away from God without realizing it. Satan is slick, watering down the Word and ever so slightly pulling people away. Then all of a sudden we’re all slow dancing to Sexual Healing. I constantly have to be on my guard. We all do.

Non-Christians roll their eyes and tune out when they hear a Christian say “I’ll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.” That phrase means nothing to them. It makes some people mad. When people are hurting and in need they don’t need thoughts and prayers, they need someone to come alongside them to give actual help and support. Jesus didn’t pray for people. He loved people and addressed their needs. He healed some. Some followed Jesus. Others didn’t, like the rich young ruler.

They don’t need a verse to be cherrypicked and used out of context. It’s like the story of the man sitting on the roof of his flooded house waiting on God to save him. A boat comes by to pick him up but the man sends it away, saying God will save him. Later a helicopter swoops in and dangles a rope, but again the man sends it away, saying God would save him. Then when the waters rose and swept the man away, the man cried out asking why God why He hadn’t saved him. God replied “Hey I sent a boat and a helicopter. Whaddaya want?” Some people think that’s a funny story, but sadly many people are like that.

Plus there’s much more to be worried about than the decline in attendance at denominational churches, as you know. The entire Christian faith is in decline in North America. We’re living in a post-Christian world, pretty much an anti-Christian country. In Germany the number one baby name is Mohammed.  Fortunately Christian faith is showing growth in the middle and far east. The Australian prime minister called for immigrants to learn the national language (English) or leave the country.

At Whole Foods there are all these free magazines near the front. One had Louie Giglio’s picture on the front, but most of the articles were standard Christian faire. Most of the free magazines have to do with a mixture of holistic / vegan / organic food information mixed with lots of Eastern / Buddhist / New Age / non-Christian religious / mysticism / meditation information. M brought one of the mags home. Lots of talk about love but nothing about what the source of that love is, what the foundations of all these beliefs are. I keep hearing about the importance of meditation (not prayer). What is it that I am supposed to meditate on? Good thoughts?

Tom Brady’s supermodel wife Gisele talks about meditation, but what are you supposed to meditate on? I’m hearing no basis, no foundation. On the way home from his New Year’s Day football game, an exhausted Tom hears Gisele say that they’d start the new year with this, that, and an hour of meditation. Brady replied that as tired as he was, he wasn’t sure he’d last an hour. Zero talk in the Brady household about God or Jesus, though he did talk about the amazing Chinese culture.

Next up: what’s the solution?