Christian Living

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Not long ago, I accompanied my youngest son’s class on a field trip. We went to an area mine that had once drawn prospectors from around the country, and been a booming contributor to the industry of precious metals.

Heading down into the dank, dark belly of the earth, something caught my eye:

GOLD!

Glittering flecks were scattered all along the rocky walls. I could see it…touch it…

“What a fine souvenir,” I said, rummaging through my purse for something to extra grate with.

“That’s FOOLS gold,” the tour guide said, adding that it had duped many people over the years. Unlike REAL gold, its shine is only a surface effect, and it shatters when tapped with a pointed tool.

After my geology lesson in Real Gold vs. Fool’s Gold, I found myself thinking about churches—those that teach the real deal, and those that don’t.

I know plenty of people, myself included, who have sought new church homes in recent years. The reasons vary, but the most disturbing one is, “My church has gotten away from the Bible.”

Scripture warns that there would be a falling away from the faith, a time when people seek what their “itching ears want to hear.” (2 Timothy 4:3)

What do itching ears want to hear? One favorite is Pollyanna Preaching—God is LOVVVVVVVVVVVVVE, it’s all good and nice people are booked on the Heaven-Bound Express. Another preference is the Doctrine of Wonderful Whatever, aka any belief that “works” for “you.” Never mind that what works might be wrong, or as I once heard a pastor say: “A lie will get you out of a jam. It works, but it’s not based on truth.”

Speaking of the results gathered from his company’s 2006 Religious Tracking Survey, George Barna, Directing Leader of the Barna Group, Ltd., 1said, “It seems as if God is in, but living for God is not. Many Americans are living a dual life – one filled with good feelings about God and faith, corroborated by some simple religious practices, and another in which they believe they are in control of their own destiny and operate apart from Him.”

That’s tarnished thinking, and some of it comes from the pulpits of churches where the rules of the people overshadow the will of God. Sure, church bells ring, but this crowd is boringly beige on the neutral fence. Heaven forbid they offend those who challenge the Bible, or cause someone to squirm over accountability for their choices! Better to give ‘em the Religion of Warm Fuzzies, and lots of social activities so they’ll keep coming back.

I attend a church that, because of its sheer size, is thought by some to be a seeker-friendly mega-church. I recently told a woman where I go, and immediately saw disapproval darken her face as she assumed I spend Sunday mornings lost in “Tell Me What I Want to Hear Theology.” The truth: we’re huge, we rock, and my pastor preaches for 50 solid minutes every Sunday, presenting God’s true Word and how to live it, with emphasis on our personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

It doesn’t get sweeter than that! I’ve gotten the same sweetness at tiny churches in the wildwood, too. I’ve also been to churches where it was all about “sit now—stand then—
sing this— recite that.” Though a Bible story was squeezed in, I heard nothing about applying scripture and knowing Jesus. Maybe, with all the routines and rituals, there wasn’t time? Or maybe they needed to focus on passing the plate and signing up for their 97 committees because, Lord knows, they can’t do His work until they’ve sucked every dime, minute and ounce of energy from my sorry soul.

Personally, I like the sentiments of Anne Graham Lotz: Just Give Me Jesus!2 Is that what we’re getting? No matter the size or worship style of our church, is it presenting the Gospel Gold—or the high shine of a “church experience” to get us through the week?

Colossians 2:8 says, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. (Colossians 2:8)

With this in mind, let’s ask ourselves: has Jesus been allowed membership at our church?

If the answer is no, it could be time to sift through the junk—and pan for the real deal.




1The Barna Update, “Americans Reveal the Top Priority in Life”, March 14, 2006, The Barna Group, Ltd.

2http://www.annegrahamlotz.com/

©Donna G. Morton, August 2006

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