by Andrew Strom
Despite the thousands in our megachurches today, soaking up the warm entertainment offered to them every week, I want to put it to you that we have lost Christianity. Despite the Christian books now found in every Walmart, and the “crossover” of Christian artists into the mainstream, and our Christian mega-stores and CD´s and DVD´s and Study-Bibles, I want to put it to you that we have lost Christianity.
Despite our lavish Cathedrals in the suburbs (`Charismatic or not) with their pastel hues and comfortable pews, their projector screens and $30,000 sound systems, I want to put it to you that we have utterly lost Christianity.
We left it behind somewhere when we shifted our churches from the inner city into the “comfortable” suburbs. We left it behind when we stopped welcoming the bums off the street into our meetings and started welcoming only the “respectable” people. We left it behind when we stopped preaching “take up your cross” and turned the gospel into a success formula – `Seven Steps to your Best Life Now.´
Somewhere in our comfortable suburban streetscape with its manicured lawns we lost the real thing. Somehow in our concern for “property values” and a better `dental plan´ we left it behind.
But that is not the worst part of it. The worst part is that we don´t know how to get it back again. Or perhaps we don´t really WANT to get it back again. The cost simply doesn´t bear thinking about, does it? And so, as we drive around in our nice shiny cars with our groovy plastic toys, and attend “church” as we know it twice a week for 2 hours;- As we live a life that is about as unlike Jesus as you can get, a life of comfort and coddling undreamt of by billions around the world;- a lifestyle in the top 10% of the earth today (-in debt up to our eyeballs all the while) – the fact is that we don´t really CARE that we have lost original Christianity, do we? We are too busy, man. Don´t bother us with that kind of talk.
It will all be OK, the preacher tells us. We will all make it to heaven in the end. We are all “decent” people here. We have “prayed the little prayer”. We have `given our heart to the Lord´.
But wait – what is this?
“Not every one who says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out demons? and in your name done many wonderful works?
And then will I say unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.”
-Mt 7:21-23.
Ian Thomson 