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By Jim Robinson
Posted January 23, 2008
A few years ago, a certain pastor was concerned about why his church
was not growing. To get some information about his members’
personal lives, he passed out cards to everyone one Sunday, asking
them to write down the call letters of the radio station they listen
to most when at home. He reported later that ninety-six to
ninety-seven percent of the returned cards showed that his
congregation listened to adult, contemporary rock music.
Now, one might think the pastor would take to the pulpit the very next
Sunday, tear his ash-sprinkled sackcloth in front of the congregation,
and say, “Brothers and Sisters, this ought not to be!”—and then preach
a heartfelt sermon on 2 Corinthians 6: 17: Come out from among
them, and be ye separate! He might even open the altars at
the end and urge his members to make a fresh personal commitment, and
pray that God would bring revival and renewal to the church. At
least, that’s what one might hope would happen. That is
what would have happened in most evangelical churches a few
years ago.
In this case, that isn’t even close to what happened.
This pastor decided that instead of fighting the 2000-year-old battle
that has constantly been fought—between the church and its surrounding
culture—he would capitulate and change the church to fit the
culture. And, he did just that. Not only with the
style of music, but with almost everything else. The pastor’s
name is Rick Warren, his church is Saddleback Church in California,
and his philosophy has turned evangelicalism upside-down.
Warren wasn’t the first to put this revolutionary concept into
practice, and by no means is he the only major player, but with his
popular Purpose Driven books, he has made the most emphatic
impact upon the church world. Somehow, Warren and his
“postmodern” contemporaries have convinced pastors and congregations
that change (and they are talking about radical change!) is
inevitable and necessary for the church’s survival.
It seems not to matter that this same message has been proclaimed
since apostolic times, only to be rebuffed by Godly defenders of the
faith. It seems not to matter that both Jesus and Paul warned us
to stay the course in the face of last-day deception. It seems
not to matter that the New Testament warns us that the true church and
the world will never be on good terms. All that matters, it
seems, is making our churches “friendly” to the very world that has
done its best to destroy the institution for which Jesus gave His
life. Our grandfathers and grandmothers, who fought against
“worldly” influences “to the death”, would be ashamed of our
gullibility.
So, we have “megachurches” now (and churches that are determined to
become such) competing with one another over the masses of people who
are discovering that “church can be fun.” Not only are we
playing (very loudly) the music that satisfies the crowds, but we are
asking the wicked, idolatrous culture to which we are pandering, “What
other changes would make you happy?”
And, listening to them, we have thrown out exegetical preaching,
discipleship programs, and prayer meetings. We have brought in
coffee shops, cafes, and boutiques. Karate, Yoga, and dance
classes are offered in midweek “group meetings” (sanitized, and
Christianized, of course). Sunday “celebrations” are like
parties, with laser lights, ear-shattering sound, hugs, and
high-fives. “Ministry of the Word” consists of a short “how-to”
homily (spiced up with movie clips) about being successful and happy,
and everything winds up with an invitation for interested
“pre-members” to attend a coffee-and-cookie klatch following the
service.
It’s just a good thing that Rick Warren didn’t also ask for people to
write down “What kind of clothing do you like to wear at home?”
Oh, wait . . . evidently, he did.
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