It was my second Sunday at a local Lutheran church. It took me a long time to realize that Lutheran was a high church option in these parts. That's a denomination that flies under my radar for some unexplicable reason. I really like the service. We're talking prayer of confession and intercession, the Lord's Prayer, the Nicene (!) Creed, weekly communion, liturgical reading, hymns, kneeling. I feel as if I've encountered the Living God not some wishy-washy, well-intentioned, inoffensive suggestions.
A woman I respect in Vancouver told me that she and her husband chose churches based on the best two out of three: the Sacraments, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. She said that she'd never experienced a church that fully incorporated all three. They'd gone to Baptist churches, pentecostal churches and were presently at an Anglican church. One day last year that conversation popped into my head and made me realize that the church I was attending had a zero out of three. They lacked a stance on Baptism and served communion once a month (that's a really low score on the two sacraments protestants observe).
The pastor used "Big Idea" preaching because expository preaching is passe; "Big Idea" preaching is a way to avoid Scripture getting in the way of the point you're trying to make. The preacher argued that expository preaching had been abused and was no longer effective. That's synonymous to saying the Bible is no longer relevant because all expository preaching does is unpack chapters and verses and apply them. The argument is fallacious because all things have been abused (justice, medicine, government, etc) that doesn't make them bad. (The church scores negatively in the Word.)
And, arguably, MTV and TMZ influence the church more than the Spirit. Their pet projects are Africa, homeless and inner city kids. Not that's anything wrong with these missions: it's just that they're sexy. There's no questions asked about the marginalization of the elderly. You serve poor people; you don't have them worship with you. There were few fat people at the church (a key socio-economic indicator)-- it was by no means welcoming. I was always most ashamed of my rickety car at church (this should not be!).
And, the pastors constantly communicate a disdain for Southerners and the South-- snarky comments about our manners, our intellects, our art. Jesus sent us some Yankees to set us straight, Halleujah! (In fact, the only time the head pastor spoke to me, was to make an asinine comment about a UNC t-shirt I was wearing. How is that of the Spirit? And, there's no call for sacrifice only for giving. They offered service projects (nothing long term-- no life style change). We all know God really digs his children's comfort.
I always sensed that they were ashamed of the gospel. And, the reference of nonbelievers as "normal people" is borderline heretical in my book. Sin and brokeness are not normal; it is the role of the church to preach The Story of our true identity as immortal children of God. God is good and powerful not an add on based on a person's desire. There was no sense of Reality vs. seen. To normalize brokeness and sin is ridiculous and self-defeating. They never said the Lord's Prayer or the Apostles' Creed. I've never been to another church that snubbed those hallmarks of orthodox faith. (Zero for the spirit.)
Yet, there were amazing believers in the congregation. People who walked with God amidst the inane idolatry of hipness. And, I discovered some of my non negotiables: Lord's Prayer, a Creed (Apostles' or Nicene), at least one prayer, old people and fat people. Augustine called the church a hospital not a plastic surgery clinic. A friend told me to treat it as a mission field, but I need to be fed-- I'm one of Jesus' sheep too. I'm looking for a two out of the three.
"Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the freedom to do what we ought." JP II
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