Churches Looking For Cooler People

Now, Religion in the News, a report and comment on religious trends and events being covered by the media.This week’s item is from The Detroit News, April 4, 2006, with a headline:Churches Reach Out To Hipper Flock, the following are excerpts:Ah, Easter morning, a time for families to dress up, go to church and watch The Matrix.Wait, that doesn’t sound right!Ah, Easter Sunday, a time for reflection as you sidle up to the coffee bar in the middle of the sanctuary.Let’s try that again!Ah, Easter, a time to put on your Easter bonnet and walk through the stage created rain shower on the proscenium stage.It’s not your father’s Easter perhaps, but it’s not your father’s church either!Traditions are remarkably untraditional in metro Detroit’s growing post-modern churches, which are successfully marketing themselves to young adults.I grew up in a church with hymns and pews, said Jen Lundquist, 28, of Birmingham, I never felt connected.It was something you did on Sunday morning, and felt good about and went home.Lundquist now attends Genesis, the church in Royal Oak which often shows movie clips during the service.Last week the church showed clips from Monty Python’s Life of Brian.This is more real, like you’re actually experiencing something rather than going through the motions, Lundquist said.

Tom:

The article from The Detroit News went on--- I just want to go over some of the responses.We have some pastors who lead these churches.By the way, the article calls them, post-modern churches, but this is a movement within evangelical Christianity.It’s also referred to as, emerging churches.We’re trying to reach the 20 to 30 year olds, and by giving them more of an experience, giving them ritual, in some cases, giving them what’s called, authentic Christianity.And really it’s a throw back to Catholic mysticism in many cases.

Dave:

Who calls it that, and on what basis, Tom?

Tom:

Authentic Christianity?Really, evangelicals, and it started among many youth pastors trying to attract the younger people, and they call it that because they noticed that young people like ritual, they like incense, they light candles.

Dave:

But who says that’s authentic?He’s got to go by the Bible.

Tom:

Well, having grown up Roman Catholic, I can tell you it is authentic Catholic liturgy, and ritual in many cases, but I just want to go over some of the comments here.First of all, The Matrix.I know you don’t know some of these movies, or maybe some out in our audience are not familiar with the movie, The Matrix.

Dave:

I’ve never seen it, Tom.

Tom:

It’s a futuristic movie, the plot being that the world has been overtaken by machines, artificial intelligence, and then to save humanity, this young man, Neo (as I remember his name) anyway, he is a messiah type figure and he is going to save humanity.Now, I guess the idea in these churches is, Let’s bring in what the culture is looking for, what they are attracted to, and now let’s preach the gospel from it.The article goes on, it says:In effect, these start up churches have replaced the pomp and circumstance of traditional church services with bells and whistles of their own.There are movie screens and coffee shops, performance artists and Led Zeplin (that’s a rock group from probably the 60’s, 70’s.

Dave:

That doesn’t sound good.

Tom:

Well, it’s not the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, not that we recommend them, Dave.All in facilities with names that sound more like nightclubs than houses of worship. Now Dave, there is a statement by one of the pastors, and this is what I would like you to address.It says:We’re trying to help you feel it, smell it and see it, and most of all, make religion relevant to your life, said Dave Wilson, teaching pastor of the Kensington Community Church in Troy, the largest post-modern church in metro Detroit.About 8,000 people attend services weekly there.Troy has 5 huge video screens, Wilson peppers his sermons with quotes from John and Paul of the Beatles.Last week he pulled out an electric guitar and played, A Whole Lot of Love, by Led Zeplin, and he says that they are conservative Christians, and they are just trying to get people in so that they can tell them about God and teach them about God.Now, do you have any problems with that?

Dave:

Well, Tom, I noticed that this person that they are quoting, said: I grew up in a church with hymns and pews, I never felt connected, and then talks about---well, they showed a clip from Monty Python’s Life of Brian, I don’t know what that is.

Tom:

Dave, that is a mockery.Monty Python, they mocked and satirical, and so on, it’s a mockery of things that people do right, people do wrong, and so on, but in many parts of it it’s blasphemous.

Dave:

Yeah, and then this person said: this is more real, like you are actually experiencing something.You see what has happened, reality is now defined by the world.Real life is the way we do it in the secular realm today, so the Bible, that’s old fashioned.Well, the Bible is not telling you what clothes to wear, you know, and what kind of a car to drive, etc.

Tom:

Although it appeals to modesty, they instruct you that way.

Dave:

Exactly, but the Bible no longer defines---well, we want to make the Bible relevant to modern society.Well then, why don’t you live the Bible in your work place, in your home?There could be nothing more relevant than what the Bible talks about.The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, safe, meekness, temperance.There is nothing more relevant than the way Christ lived his life.Would He not be relevant today?Would He have to change in order to be understood by this world, or should the world, rather change?That’s the problem that we have here, Tom, and before you even get into the prayer stations and the candles and all of this, which is certainly not related to the world.The world doesn’t have this sort of thing out there, does it?Candles and rituals?

Tom:

Well, much of that goes on in the world, but it isn’t just that, it goes beyond that.For example, the churches have changed their names to appeal to the world.A Bluer, is in Minneapolis, a pastor sits behind a drum set.Scum of the Earth, that’s another church in Denver, it features pizza and a DJ.Another church in Denver is called K2, it has a minister sometimes riding into the sanctuary on a motorcycle.An Indianapolis church:the house held a body piercing contest, you have artists doing all kinds of things.I mean, where do you draw the line on something like that, and to what purpose?

Dave:

Tom, where do you draw the line?You draw the line where the Bible draws it.What is church about?Supposedly, we have come to worship God.Now, I don’t think you are riding motorcycles and going on with Monty Python in the presence of the Creator of this universe who is holy, where the angels are crying, Holy, Holy, Holy!You don’t worship God in the manner that these people are trying to become relevant to society.Society is not worshipping God!Nothing about society is worshipping God, or even recognizes God, or has any respect for God.And somehow, now we are going to bring that into the church where we are, supposedly, you know, Jesus said:Those who worship God must worship him in spirit and in truth--- not with all of this nonsense!You are appealing to the flesh!It’s entertaining the people, it is not worshipping God, and as I often say, Tom, and shouldn’t say it but I will, I get angry with this because it’s not rational, and it certainly isn’t biblical.Then why are we doing it?Because we are drawn to the world instead of drawing the world---well, we shouldn’t draw the world into the church, that’s what we are doing.We need to go out into the world and get these people saved where they are new creatures and their whole thinking process has been changed, their life, their desires, their passions, their interests.Then, they want to come into the church to meet with others who have that same passion about worshipping and loving God.