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Call me crazy, but I have an obsession with mainstream Christianity. Why? Simply because I find it fascinating. As someone who has only been a Mormon and only lived in a Mormon-majority community, mainstream Christianity is sometimes like a foreign country that is similar to but not exactly like my own. (Perhaps like Canada? I wouldn't know, I've never been there.) I know the names and locations of many of the non-Mormon churches in my county and visit their websites regularly. I also follow the websites of many large churches throughout the country, and I get so excited to find a new fascinating church to virtually follow (stalk?). I've noticed some trends in many of these churches that drive me absolutely bonkers, and I just have to get a few things off my chest:
#1: "Love on". That just sounds creepy, guys. Why not say "we're going to serve these people" or "we're going to show God's love to these people" or "We're going to be charitable toward these people"? Why "we're going to love on these people"? One trend I've noticed is that 'love on' is often used when the congregation is offering service to people who neither needed or wanted any help. They 'love on' a local middle-class neighborhood by offering a cookout or party of some sort (i.e. an advertising opportunity) rather than 'love on' those at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen. I get that service is great, and serving people who don't ask for service isn't a bad thing. But please stop 'loving on' them. It's really creepy sounding.
#2: "No perfect people allowed". I see so many churches who say that 'no perfect people are allowed' at their church. I get that you're making the point that nobody is perfect and church is a 'hospital for sinners to be healed and not a museum of saints' or however the quote goes. But here's the thing - at first glance, it sounds a little unwelcoming. On second glance, it sounds like you don't want people to try to improve themselves, but that they should be content to stay where they are. And on third glance, I always think "uhhhh... Jesus?" Was Jesus not a perfect person? Would He not be welcome in your church? Is He welcome there now? I know you can argue that Jesus isn't a mortal man and such, but come on - Jesus was/is a man/half-man (depending on your interpretation of scripture) and was/is perfect. Just don't say no perfect people - it's dangerous territory.
#3: "Bible-based". This is just redundant. When does a Christian church not say that they are 'Bible-based'? I get that some churches are super watered down and might not fit your idea of what a Bible-based church is, but guess what - anyone who says they are a Christian, or any church that claims to preach Christianity, will say that they are Bible-based. Saying that you are 'Bible-based' is not only redundant, but also kinda seems to imply that other churches are not Bible-based and therefore not Christian, even though they say they are. Also - have you ever seen a movie that is 'based on' a real event? Was it completely accurate? Was it a thoroughly detailed retelling of the story? [no, it wasn't.] I just hope that "Bible-based" is different than "based on the Bible", if you get my drift.
#4: Contemporary worship time. It is so popular these days for churches to have a rock band playing contemporary worship music, often they have a full half hour of this "worship time" where the band plays and people sing along with their hands in the air. Don't get me wrong, I love contemporary Christian music and listen to it fairly often. I also think worship time is a great thing. But I've got a few issues with this.
a.) 'Worship time' seems like a cop out. The Pastor (who is making much more money than the probably-volunteering praise band) didn't want to prepare a longer message so we're going to listen to music for a half hour instead. I want to go to church to learn something new, not to sing with my hands in the air. I can worship whenever I want and don't particularly want to do it in a large group. If you want to offer a worship time, it might be best to offer it as an optional separate time before or after the regular service, so people can get in the right frame of mind to listen to the sermon, take time to think about what the sermon had to say, or take some personal time for prayer/Bible reading in a spiritual environment.
My second problem is that b.) when I envision myself worshiping God, I think of God sitting on His heavenly throne and me kneeling at his feet in speechless, tearful gratitude. It's usually pretty silent, because nothing has to be said - maybe some angels singing Hallelujahs in the background, perhaps me choking out 'thank you thank you thank you!'. You know what it isn't like when I imagine worshiping God in His presence? A dimmed room lit by colorful beams of light, electric guitars, drums, loud music, (I've actually seen churches advertise that they are loud!) people jumping up and down or waving their arms in the air screaming "How great is our God!?". And there most certainly is not a basket being passed around for donations! In short, worship can and should be joyful, but not irreverent. Yes the rock concert environment is fun, but is it appropriate for worship?
#5: Separating the family. I get it, it's hard for kids to sit still during a half hour sermon. (We Mormons make them sit through 90 minutes!) They might wiggle and whine and distract people. But if you take them away for a 'kids church' while the adults listen to the sermon, you're doing them and their families a disservice. Kids need to see their parents worship. Parents need to share that moment with their kids. They need to be able to take home that common worship experience together. Worshiping together is vitally important. It's a great idea to have a special service or Sunday School geared to kids. Its a great idea to have a time for adults to focus and learn without being distracted by their kids - do that separate. Have a family worship time and an age-segregated time. Please.
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