Unhealthy Trends?

People don't go to church as much as they used to. I don't mean people in general. I mean people who are commited to a church - they don't show up as much. Traveling, too busy, or maybe they just feel free not to show up when they don't feel like it. I know around our place, we believe in administering guilt in as low dosages as possible. We sometimes don't see regulars for weeks.

Unhealthy?

Some of what I read about postmodernism states that this emerging generation is all about relationships. I'm a part of the culture enough to feel that tug. I'm really not into developing programs at church nearly as much as I am into building relationships with people, and in getting people connected with each other. So the above stated trend confuses me. Don't you think people will show up to get connected?

I could bemoan the fact that people don't understand commitment anymore (and that's true) or I could celebrate that people are not focusing on things that don't really matter (like being at a church meeting all the time). Honestly, I love the idea of someone intentionally skipping a Sunday morning service so they can organize a neighborhood party - you know, getting into people's lives, getting to know someone besides another already born again bible believing Christian.

But to do the fellowship thing, the relationship with Christian thing, you have to do it somewhere. Some will connect casually. That's good. Some aren't connecting at all. That's bad. Some think that the trend toward not showing up regularly is a symptom of a larger problem of commitment I mentioned earlier, and that the reason a lot of things survive is because of the ones who commit. And another symptom of the commitment problem is a tendency to not give money. Tithe. Support financially.

Comments?

Truth

Here's a thought. I always wondered why God didn't give us the bible in a more systematic format. Even Paul, who was the big theology guy; you'd think he would have outlined his points and made them easier to figure out.

Well, it's only now that so much of culture seems to be rejecting what we call 'modernity' that I'm figuring out that I was trying to force the bible to fit into modernity's assumptions and approaches to truth. The bible is still just as true. It was modernity that was missing the point. Truth doesn't always fit into our categories. We can't always rely on 'give me the facts, ma'am - just the facts'. God's truth will sometimes feel more mysterious than that. (I wonder if any of my theology profs will hunt me down and try to kill me for saying that?)

All I know is that I am a seeker of the truth, and I also know that the bible can be pretty hard to understand. But I still believe in exegesis - probably more than ever. When those guys wrote what they wrote, they were writing the truth. Our work is cut out for us to think and pray hard to learn what they meant. That's exegesis. And if our categories are a little stifling, I'm willing to look outside the box to discover what truth those writers have for us. I'm expecting it to set me free.

Sticking to the subject

Click here to hear a sample of "You Don't Need Me"
http://www.derekmctavish.com/audio/Derek%20McTavish/I%20Will%20Not%20Be%20Satisfied/Derek%20McTavish%20-%20you%20don%27t%20need%20me.mp3

Since I gave this blog the title I did, I'll talk about it some more. The concept of God not needing me is arresting. Now I know, if you were to ask whether the Creator of the Universe needed some human, I would quickly say no. But I've eaten from the table of 'God needs you on his team' for too long. What's arresting about the thought of God not needing me is that it makes me evaluate my motivation for serving him.

I read someone's blog recently. "I hate morning television. It's either telling me . . . or it's telling me I should go to church." So I could serve him because 'I ought to' or feel guilty if I don't. Get this email I was sent the other day.

Drug Problem Conversation between two old fellows:

<><>The other day, someone at the co-op read that a methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farm house in the adjoining county and he asked me a rhetorical question, "Why didn't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up, Milo?" <>
It just so happened that I had saved something that had been E-mailed to me a few weeks ago. So, I printed off a copy and took it to him the next day. I smiled when I handed it to him and said, "I did have a drug problem when I was a kid growing up on the farm in southwest Kansas."

<> <>Here's what the sheet said: "I had a drug problem when I was young: I was drug to church on Sunday morning. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather. I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults and teachers. I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents or if I didn't put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me. I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's garden and flower beds and cockleburs out of dad's soybean fields. <>
Those drugs are still in my veins; and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, and think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack or heroin, and if today's children had this kind of drug problem, America might be a better place today."

AMEN!!!

But then something happened after the 50s. Everyone started resenting being drug to church. Maybe it's because the church forgot to tell people that God wanted something more than for them to sit through a boring service. And, no, it wasn't that he needed what they had to offer, either. Somewhere along the way, we forgot that God was inviting us to come along for the ride of our lives, that serving him meant signing up to be his apprentice. Hmmmm. Apprenticeship. Maybe that's a better picture. Because we forgot that God has something for us that we are missing out on if we don't get on board.

Getting started

Why the title? It's inspired by three people, kind of. Paul said that God was not the kind of God who could be served by human hands, as though he needed anything. Isaiah asked who had ever heard of a God like this, who works for those who wait for him. Ironic. A God who calls us to serve him, then works for us.

Then my friend Derek wrote the song. You don't need me, but you love me anyway. Thanks Derek for a great song. I repeat it a lot.