This morning we had the privilege of hosting the monthly CB Cluster meeting for pastors who serve Conservative Baptist churches (hence the 'CB') in southeastern Massachusetts. We had about a dozen pastors in attendance along with a special guest: Manny Mill of Koinonia House National Ministries. This organization, which is thoroughly evangelical, is committed to "equipping the church to love our Christian neighbors coming out of prison."
Manny preached a passionate message to us pastors from Luke 10 on the story of the Good Samaritan. My heart was stirred greatly as Manny drove home the message of God's love for helpless and hurting sinners. Midway through the message, Manny quoted something that Chuck Colson wrote in his book, The Body. I'm not sure if this is verbatim, but the quote was essentially this: "Our churches in America have become a place of therapy rather than deliverance" -- i.e., place that offers self-help instead of salvation.
How has the Church of Jesus Christ developed such a mentality? Well, first, it should be said that some organizations that call themselves churches may not be true churches. They are certainly not Christ's church, for they are not hearing His voice and following Him (John 10:27). They profess to know Jesus, but on Judgment Day, Jesus will say to them "I never knew you" (Matt. 7:21-23).
On the other hand, there are churches that preach the gospel and point to Jesus Christ alone as Lord and Savior. But when it comes to the practical end of Christian living, they strip the gospel of its sufficiency. Certainly that is not their intention, but that is what they do. Or maybe I should say that is what WE do, when we mix worldly wisdom with heavenly wisdom.
This happens in large measure because of the 'GIGO' principle: Garbage in, garbage out. Christians are inundating their minds with T.V. trash. For instance, I'm amazed at how many believers are hooked on Oprah. What is she on for -- an hour a day every weekday? Imagine spending an hour a day in the Word and prayer simply to counteract the ill-effects of Oprah! Here's a video link that gives you a glimpse regarding Oprah's version of "Christianity":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW4LLwkgmqA
This brings to mind the following lyrics that the Christian contemporary band Casting Crowns includes in one of its songs:
What if the family turned to Jesus,
stopped asking Oprah what to do!
What if His people prayed?. . .
If we are going to offer the hurting the help they truly need, then we need to have minds and hearts that are shaped by God's truth and not dictated by television. I reject the notion that one can be a Spirit-filled Christian who spends five minutes in the Word and prayer and up to five hours in front of the TV per day.
My point is not to preach but to get down to the brass tacks of Christian living, growth and maturity. By and large, what we feed others is nothing more than a processed version of what we feed ourselves.
Do you agree or disagree? I look forward to reading your comments.
Oprah is spoonfeeding people what they want to hear. To devote time to prayer and meditation on the word takes effort and practice. We are an undisciplined society so this does not surprise me in the least.
ReplyDeletePolitical Correctness eliminates anything in our culture that could have the possibility to offend (unless you are a Christian...okay mini-rant there). I fear that too many churches are adopting this mentality in their messages to the Seeker.
Christ didn't worry what everyone would think of him, he just said the truth. So many don't want the truth. They just want to feel validated in their own sinful lives. I pray they never find that validation at FBC Weymouth!
Britt
Great post. Thank you for this!
ReplyDeleteOne thing we do need to remember, though, is that Oprah is not doing this under the guise of Christianity. She maeks it clear that she walked away from Christianity when her pastor told her (when she was in her late twenties) that God was a jealous God. Rather than figuring out that God is jealous for us, and not of us, she walked away. She is not adding anything to Jesus. She's replacing Him entirely.
ReplyDeleteWell, I read this quickly, and wasn't interested in what Oprah had to say. I agree wholeheartedly with what you're saying here. "Jesus answered, 'It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " Matthew 4:4 We need to be reading God's word to shape our minds, and also our time of prayer, which is also essential. Practically speaking, we need to make this a priority in our lives, otherwise the other business that occurs will tend to put our time with God on the back burner.
ReplyDeleteWell said Rob, that video also shows how scripture taken out of context can be so dangerous. Her reference to Gods jealousy is twisted.
ReplyDeleteAs for being forward at the risk of causing offense in calling sin what it is and it's penalty, Christ in his meeting with Nicodemus in John 3: 1-18 gives a great example for us to follow on how to confront sin! He wasnt worried about offending the anyone, especially the Pharisee's
I am not comparing Oprah to a Pharisee but she is clearly self righteous. Her popularity is a direct reflection of the public at large who support and LOVE her.
Unfortunately many embrace her as "Christian" because she refers to "God" and "blessings" so frequently that most believe she must be a Christian. Using those phrases does'nt make you anymore Christian than a dog with a duck suite on is a real duck.
Thus her popularity because of her generic, watered down, non offensive, your not wrong just misunderstood buddah on the mountain pontifications.
Psalm 49:16-20 warn us about the admiration of the Oprahs of the world.
More time in the word and on our knees in front of our Savior the BIGGEST GIVER getting strength, forgivness, love and discernment. Not in front of the tube on our sofas looking to Oprah to give us a false sense of well being and her "Big give".