Churches in America

Ok, I’m frustrated! My wife and I have been searching for a church home for the last ten months. What frustrates me is that we live an area where there are about 6 million people and there is a church on almost every corner. That being the case you would think we could find a church home fairly quick and close to home. Not so!

Most of the churches in our area are “contemporary.” What I mean by that is these churches exchange choirs for praise bands, they use buildings that look like office spaces, or build buildings that have a “contemporary look” to them; in other words, if they did not have a sign out front you would never know it was a church. Moreover, the sermons are short and shallow at best; most are geared to make the listeners “feel better about themselves.” What is more, this is a “phenomenon” that crosses denominational borders. Lutherans, Presbyterians, Baptists, Church of Christ, Methodist, all have turned to this type or style of service. Why?

I simply do not understand why churches feel the need to become “contemporary.” Call me a fuddy duddy if you like, but I prefer real sermons with weighty messages preached from the Scriptures which represent the Church Fathers and Church history in its truest sense. I prefer sermons which direct my thoughts toward God, the gospel, and which cause me to desire repentance. I also prefer traditional services, with liturgy (does anyone in this country know what that is any longer?), and a regular practice of the Lord’s Table (the Eucharist); which should be performed every week. Why don't these churches ever have a time for the members to confess their sins? Perhaps they think confession is bad for our self esteem.

Churches have reduce themselves to entertaining their members. Look, if I want to be entertained I'll skip church and go see a movie every Sunday morning. Where did we get this notion that we need to be entertained on Sunday morning at church? Are we not entertained enough during the regular week that we have to entertain ourselves at church as well?

Churches in America have lost a true sense of worship. People no longer, it seems, in this country anyway, attend church services in order to focus their attention on God. The focus of both worship and the sermons are directed to the individual; how you can feel better about yourself, or how you can improve your life because “gosh darn it” you are important. We, in the U.S.A. have what I like to call, “The Joel Osteen” effect. If you have ever heard Joel Osteen preach you will know exactly what I mean. His sermons are entirely “ego-centric, self help, let me tell you how wonderful you are” type sermons. Where is God in all of this? Where is the genuine worship of the Triune God, the crucified Christ, and the resurrected Messiah? Are people that afraid to put their thoughts toward heaven and the things of God?

It should be pointed out that this “epidemic” is not merely indicative of churches in our area. This was also the case when we lived in North Carolina and in Wisconsin. In fact, my wife and I have visited dozens upon dozens of churches in about eight different states in the U.S. and the landscape is practically the same as what I described here in our own area.

Is this typical of America only? Those of you who live in other countries, do you see these same features in the churches in your area? Can you tell that I am bit frustrated about all this? Ok, well, I’ll now get off my soap box, I just had to get that off my back!