Gimme that Showtime Religion

The John MacArthur Collection ^ | John MacArthur

[Gamecock]

Can the church fight apathy and materialism by feeding people's appetite for entertainment? Evidently many in the church believe the answer is yes, as church after church jumps on the show-business bandwagon. It is a troubling trend that is luring many otherwise orthodox churches away from biblical priorities.

Church buildings are being constructed like theatres. Instead of a pulpit, the focus is a stage. Some feature massive platforms that revolve or rise and fall, with colored lights and huge sound boards. Shepherds are giving way to media specialists, programming consultants, stage directors, special effects experts, and choreographers.

The idea is to give the audience what they want. Tailor the church service to whatever will draw a crowd. As a result pastors are more like politicians than shepherds, looking to appeal to the public rather than leading and building the flock God gave them.

The congregation is served a slick, professional show, where drama, pop music, and maybe a soft-sell sermon constitute the worship service. But the emphasis isn't on worship, it's on entertainment.

Underlying this trend is the notion that the church must sell the gospel to unbelievers. Churches thus compete for the consumer on the same level as Frosted Flakes or Miller Lite. More and more churches are relying on marketing strategy to sell the church.

That philosophy is the result of bad theology. It assumes that if you package the gospel right, people will get saved. The whole approach is rooted in Arminian theology. It views conversion as nothing more than an act of the human will. Its goal is an instantaneous decision rather than a radical change of the heart.

Moreover, this whole Madison-Avenue corruption of Christianity presumes that church services are primarily for recruiting unbelievers. Many have abandoned worship as such. Others have relegated conventional preaching to some small group setting on a weeknight. But that misses the point of Hebrews 10:24-25: "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together."

Acts 2:42 shows us the pattern the early church followed when they met: "They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." Note that the early church's priorities clearly were to worship God and to edify the brethren. The church came together for worship and edification; it scattered to evangelize the world.

Our Lord commissioned His disciples for evangelism in this way: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations" (Matt. 28:19). Christ makes it clear that the church is not to wait for or invite the world to come to its meetings, but to go to the world. That is a responsibility for every believer. I fear that an approach emphasizing a palatable gospel presentation within the walls of the church absolves the individual believer from his personal obligation to be a light in the world (Matt. 5:16).

We have a society filled with people who want what they want when they want it. They are into their own lifestyle, recreation, and entertainment. When churches appeal to those selfish desires, they only fuel that fire and hinder true godliness. Some of these churches are growing exponentially while others that don't entertain are struggling. Many church leaders want numerical growth in their churches, so they are buying into the entertainment-first philosophy.

Consider what this philosophy does to the gospel message itself. Some will maintain that if biblical principles are presented, the medium doesn't matter. That is nonsense. Why not have a real carnival? A tattooed knife thrower who juggles chain saws could do his thing while a barker shouts Bible verses. That would draw a crowd. It's a bizarre scenario, but one that illustrates how the medium can cheapen and corrupt the message.

And sadly, it's not terribly different from what is actually being done in some churches. Punk-rockers, ventriloquists' dummies, clowns, and show-business celebrities have taken the place of the preacher--and they are depreciating the gospel. I do believe we can be innovative and creative in how we present the gospel, but we have to be careful to harmonize our methods with the profound spiritual truth we are trying to convey. It is too easy to trivialize the sacred message.

Don't be quick to embrace the trends of the high-tech superchurches. And don't sneer at conventional worship and preaching. We don't need clever approaches to get people saved (1 Cor. 1:21). We simply need to get back to preaching the truth and planting the seed. If we're faithful in that, the soil God has prepared will bear fruit

[Gamecock]

if a thread is posted, for example, for Calvinists to discuss, largely among themselves, the nuances of total depravity, and someone from another faith tradition comes along to poke fun or worse - and is asked politely to desist by those there for serious discussion - then that person should do as requested. On the other hand, if someone comes along with the obvious intent to learn, he or she should be warmly welcomed. 617 posted on 01/24/2004 8:38:01 AM CST by Sidebar Moderator

[Gamecock]

GRPL Ping

[Gamecock]

I don't know how prevalent "Showtime" religion is, but I do see it on display on any given night on the "Christian" channels.

Joel Osteen(sp?) comes to mind. Very little Gospel is preached on his show. I do see tons of wealth and happiness preached.

[11th Earl of Mar]

If the pendulum has swung too far in the in the direction of pop culture, one could argue that it is because for too many years the church was full of people who sang 400 year old songs, read the Bible in 1600's King's English and who prohibited any display of emotion in church.

Needless to say, there are still a ton of churches that still abide by these same man-made rules today.

[BibChr]

I tend to be a fan of Mac's convictions, but not as much of the man. (Very possibly mostly a personal issue.) What he says is right; it might mean a bit more if it didn't come from someone who in fact heads up a massive, gigantic, huge church with a flooding worldwide ministry.

Dan

[sheltonmac]

Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston has definitely gone the way of other "showtime religion" churches.

Aside from that, the church's logo is eerily reminiscent of the U.N. logo. ;-)

[Diamond]

I happen to be the sound manager/"producer" for a PCA church, a job which has been a tremendous blessing in my life and for the life of my family. We do have a 42 channel sound board. We have lighting. We do on occasion have some drama. We have unbelievable musical talent (all on loan from God, I might add.) I don't have to worry about the sin of a rising stage, because we don't have one. But my job is to make sure that the stuff we do have is as transparent as possible so that the Word of God might be heard and glorified.

We also have thoroughly Biblical, Calvinistic preaching from the pulpit, so I don't think all this technology is necessarily inimical to Calvinism, and I don't view what we do as entertainment; I view my work as part of worship of the Living God.

Cordially,

[Jerry_M]

Can you think of any reason why we should abandon the singing of "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" (A 400 year old song)?

As for the Bible, I much prefer the ESV, after preaching from the NASB for almost 20 years.

As for emotion, we both weep and laugh.

[topcat54]

Off topic:

("Duty is ours; consequences are God's." -Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson)

"Stonewall" Jackson died on this day in 1863.

[Wallace T.]

There is no way that the church can outdo secular entertainment given the latter's financial resources and greater talent pool. So-called Christian rock, heavy metal, and country are generally imitations of the secular genres, and not good ones at that (or so I have been told). Movies based on the "Left Behind" series seem like low grade knockoffs of better crafted secular "end of the world" movies like "Independence Day." Why would a consumer (other than an already converted Christian) spend his money on the lesser quality "Christian" product, when he can listen to or watch the better quality secular one? If the purpose of "Christian" movies and music is to spread the Gospel message among the unsaved, it will not succeed.

About nine years ago, in the suburb of Dallas where I live, the largest evangelical church in the community sponsored a group of weight lifters and stuntmen called "The Power Team," who would break cement blocks and tear apart phone books while saying Bible verses or warning against drugs. After the presentation, there was an altar call, with dozens of children, teenagers, and adults responding, and many later being baptized. However, after a few months, almost none of the converts were on the rolls of church members.

Even if non-Calvinists are unconvinced, based on their interpretation of Scripture, of the inability of man to persuade the unbeliever when the Holy Spirit has not done so, the lessons of experience should teach them that conforming to the styles and fads of the mainstream culture has been a failure.

[Gamecock]

My PCA Brother, When you say ...my job is to make sure that the stuff we do have is as transparent as possible so that the Word of God might be heard and glorified. i think you are hitting the nail on the head.

The point of Mac's article is that we shouldn't use showbiz in place of God's word! Note where, near the end, he writes "I do believe we can be innovative and creative in how we present the gospel, but we have to be careful to harmonize our methods with the profound spiritual truth we are trying to convey."

Lights, drama, music, etc. are OK, as long as God is at the center of the worship service, not theatrics.

May God continue to richly bless you in your ministry. <><

[Gamecock]

Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was a Calvinist.


"Captain, my religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me. That is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave"


"Our God was my shield. His protecting care is an additional cause for gratitude"

I see from the number of physicians that you think my condition dangerous, but I thank God, if it is His will, that I am ready to go. (General Jackson on his Death Bed)

"Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees....." (Last Words)

[Calvinist_Dark_Lord]

if a thread is posted, for example, for Calvinists to discuss, largely among themselves, the nuances of total depravity, and someone from another faith tradition comes along to poke fun or worse - and is asked politely to desist by those there for serious discussion - then that person should do as requested. On the other hand, if someone comes along with the obvious intent to learn, he or she should be warmly welcomed. 617 posted on 01/24/2004 8:38:01 AM CST by Sidebar Moderator

With all due respect, i personally do not believe that this is exclusively a Calvinist, or Reformed issue. i don't even believe that this particular issue is exclusive to Protestants. We have seen many of the same kind of complaints on Roman Catholic threads. Perhaps this should be opened up a little bit. i do believe that there is no need for argumentation here between different faiths, although the issue itself does merit "vigorous discussion".

[sheltonmac]

He and Robert E. Lee were great examples of how Godly men should face life - and death.

[Gamecock]

Agreed, as long as the following is followed:

and someone from another faith tradition comes along to poke fun or worse - and is asked politely to desist by those there for serious discussion - then that person should do as requested.

[A.J.Armitage]

Why not have a real carnival? A tattooed knife thrower who juggles chain saws could do his thing while a barker shouts Bible verses.

Somewhere, someone who just read that is calling around to find a knifethrowing chainsaw juggler.

[11th Earl of Mar]

Nice song. But after singing it for 400 years as a child, I grew tired of it.

As for emotion, the Psalms command us to "Sing unto God a NEW song," "SHOUT unto God with a voice of triumph," "CLAP your hands all you people," "Praise him with instruments," and "Praise him with dancing."

Therefore, I have no problem with emotion.

[HarleyD]

I find ALL of your articles VERY interesting. Keep posting regardless of what others may say.

[Gamecock]

Thank you for your encouragement my brother....

[Frapster]

It is my closely held opinion that in God's economy there is no middle ground between staunch traditionalism and emergence of our entertainment based churches. To be clear - neither is right and neither is wrong. The issues is always about God's way and he uses both as they make themselves available.