I think broadcasting Church on Radio/TV was possibly one of the worst things to happen to Christianity in recent history. Not to say that the people who started this venture had bad intentions. On the contrary, the idea of providing people a way to hear and see the service if they could not make it to church for one reason or another must have seemed like a very alluring way to reach out to people.
But this is what has happened: church services that are broadcasted away from the church further propagate (albeit unintentionally) the idea that church is a passive, once-a-week ritual the average Christian is supposed to attend. You listen to songs sung by the choir, a sermon by the preacher, some prayers by ministers. You watch the clock and wonder if its time for lunch yet. And suddenly the focus of church, being in community with other believers, is lost.
The church, since its beginning, was held to build community. Back in the days of the early Christians, the church would, literally, share a meal together (communion). They would listen as everyone spoke about their struggles and successes, pray for each other and learn from each other as they grew together in their faith. They shared what few possessions they had with each other, and no one was ever in need. Over 2000 years the church (especially in Western culture) has morphed into a mass gathering where a very small percentage of the people there have the opportunity to actively participate.
Secondly, the "media-ization" of church has increased the potential for preachers and other leaders to lose focus. Budgets become huge and all-important, greed for power becomes an issue, pastoring takes a back seat, and suddenly the congregation gets left in the dust. They keep coming back to "see the show", but often leave unfilled, their desire for community unmet.
I was informed recently that, in China due to the communist regime's fear of rebellion, group meetings are not allowed. These meetings are defined as having more than 15 people together in the same place at the same time. Therefore, church meetings in the country are limited to 15 people. And yet, the underground Christian church in China is thriving.
Is it possible that these small groups of believers, gathering much in the same way as the early Christians, are "better off" in their faith because of the way they conduct church?
I like to think so.
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I agree. I think that the church in the West needs to learn what it means to be in community, because I don't think that we really understand that basic idea. We've been trained to be independent, as well as to expect to be entertained. Church as some place you go to, be preached to, and have music played at you is not the living, breathing, communal, deeply relational and world changing concept that God intended.
ReplyDeleteI like what Dr. Beck says in his blog (http://experimentaltheology.blogspot.com) in the article "Christianity as the End of Religion", "Further, when one moves out of the gospels we find the early church to be very non-religious. They are mainly noteworthy for fellowship and material sharing. Again, following Jesus isn't about "going to church" or "worshipping God." It's about stepping into a new way of relating to the world."
So what does a community of people who love God and love His people deeply look like? I don't know, but I have a feeling it's the adventure that God created us for.
While not a Christian, or a subscriber to any religion for that matter, I whole heartedly agree with you. Televangelism has devolved the act of fellowship and worship into just another cesspool of televised entertainment, rich with profit opportunities and synthesized human interaction. It's designed to make people feel good about themselves without said people actually doing a damn thing. I guess you're right when you say the heart is there, but when your positive, progressive action is essentially limited to picking up the phone and donating $XX to the Church only to have your money go towards a giant, landscape-shattering cross or a new vending machine for the Rec Center instead of, you know, actually f*cking doing something useful with it like feeding the throngs of starving humans or protecting God's creations by establishing Wildlife Reserves - I think the point of the whole Christian thing is lost.
ReplyDeleteChurches need to be small and community centered, not a global corporate mass that amounts to an army of mindless drones. They need to focus on helping others out, not pouring resources into building mega-churches and electing believers into office. Lead by example, by God.
Someone needs to pull the Christian cartridge out of the console, blow on it nice and hard, put it back in, and hit the "Reset" button because the s*it ain't working.
When pastors drive to work in Porsches and Land Rovers, I think we've lost the very thing it means to be Christian.
Patrick W.
(if this offended you, please reconsider - the last thing I wanted to do was piss off anyone. This was not at all targeted at Christians, just the bloated behemoth mockery of a Church that Televangelism has created. Please don't take this as an attack on your Religion, it's just one guy's opinion on the matter of Church "media-ization". Peace to all)