“If our Catholic friends were charging $50 to come to a mass at the local stadium, we’d all be shocked, but the major CCM groups make millions from tours and record sales. Even Osteen sells seats to hear his vapid talks. Tetzel was the bad guy in the reformation, but it’s among evangelicals that Paula White, Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar and Joyce Meyer proliferate and profit from the devotion of the Christian public; all because they promise genuine spiritual experience.
“I haven’t seen any Catholic teachers openly promising a dollar return on your financial giving lately. Evangelicals have enough such con-artists posing as ministries to fill several television channels. I loathe indulgences, but I’ll take them over the promise to get rich by way of Jesus.
“It is among evangelicals that one can write literally endless books promising more, more, more and more spiritual experience. We are Experiencing God, but we still want Our Best Life Now and our Purpose Driven Life courtesy of the Prayer of Jabez. We all know the next 7 easy steps to Being a Better You is in the mail.
“Christian consumerism is just one witness to the state of our spirituality. There are many others. Ministerial burnout. Pornography addiction. Divorce. Prayerlessness. Church hopping. Sexual promiscuity. Rampant materialism. Pastoral turnover. Addiction to fashion, sports, pets, opinions. Hours spent in front of video game screens, staring at web sites, reading MySpace, talking to our friends on the cell, saying nothing.
“And then we’ll go to church on Sunday and hear the minister say the LOST are living empty lives and don’t have the joy of the Lord. It’s a good thing the few lost folks in our churches are too polite not to laugh out loud.” (>>)
1) Clare »» September 6th, 2007 @ 10:34 pm
That’s tough…
I wouldn’t point to just evangelical protestants on this one. I am sure (though I admit I haven’t read)
the rest of the article explains why it is coming down on protestants from a pro-catholic view. I am
disturbed, and have been for some time, by the consumer driven quality of church these days. I wonder
how widespread this phenomena is. I have only been to church in two foreign countries- england and mexico.
Mexico painted a picture of devout piety encased in the poverty that is rampant throughout the region.
England was quite different. The secularization through the church was astonishing. They played
One by U2 at the altar call! The sermon was inspired by the movie The Full Monty! I say all of this
with a bit of humor. I thought it was hilarious but quite effective. I did get the point and there were
sure to be a number of people that were having a valid religous experience but it was interesting that
even within all of that secularization the ‘consumer driven’ quality that is present in many of our
churches was still absent. there were no flashy lights and giant projector screens to wow people into
belief in the lord as their savior. I think there is a serious problem with treating the message like it
is an old car that can be repainted, shined and sold at a better price then it is worth. The very nature
of God should be what draws and humbles people before him- not the bright lights or catchy rock music.
ok, my rant is done.