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The Spectacle Blog
Julia Duin, religion editor of The Washington Times, has a new book, Quitting Church: Why the Faithful are Fleeing and What to Do about It, She's interviewed at the Rutherford Institute:
The whole seeker friendly movement has ruined the church. . . .
The seeker friendly movement started in the 1980s. It was the effort to dumb down a lot of church services, make them shorter, easier to grasp, cut the number of hymns, cut the preaching time and get it to a kind of package deal. The idea was to get nonbelievers interested in going to church because it would not take up too much of their time and wouldn't challenge them too much. But what happened is that a lot of people who had been believers for some time suddenly found that the sermons were like milk instead of meat. They were so simplistic. Many were finding that what they were getting was pabulum. . . .
I found that this was a major complaint from people. . . .
Many came to the conclusion that they could not get decent spiritual food. So they were looking at their calendars, looking at their schedules, and saying, "I spend three to four hours a week going to this place on a Sunday morning, and it is a waste of time. I am not getting good community. No one knows me, and no one talks to me. I am not getting fed from the pulpit, and we are down to about three hymns." Thus, they started leaving the church.
"Down to about three hymns" -- oh, don't get me started on the way "praise" music is replacing the hymnal in many churches. It's not as bad as "Frosty the Snowman," of course, but the simplistic, repetitive, saccharine choruses of "praise" music are tedious.
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More Blog Posts by Robert Stacy McCain
http://spectator.org/blog/2008/12/15/ruining-church
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J David| 12.15.08 @ 12:37PM
Amen! But, excuses aside, one must just search however long it takes to find the worship community that fills the need...ceasing attendance(Hebrews 10:25)will still bear repercussions. I've tried that particular excuse, often, and been much disappointed with the results. I've decided to make due with the best that I can find, rather than bear the consequences of not going at all.
John| 12.15.08 @ 12:52PM
Actually, the problem is not necessarily with church, or Mass (because Catholics are staying away in growing numbers), or forms or styles, or the trivia of whether or not there is one hymn or one hundred hymns.
I find that the problem is there is a lack of discipline in attending church. When Sunday became just like any other day, it wasn't the result of Sunday being different. It was WE who were different.
Churches keep searching for some way to attract worshipers. Institutions can twist, turn, re-write the Bible to please, cajole, beg, entreat... on and on, and they are not going to attract more people.
Society has changed. The State has become a secular church. The god is the worship of the SELF. The sacrements are fornication, abortion, cheating, self-indulgence, and infidelity.
Jesus of Nazareth (the Messiah to those of us who believe) warned repeatedly of just what is happening. The parable of the sower of the seeds is coming true.
Isaiah warned us that our faith would require of us much negative consequence from those around us. All of the prophets of the old Testament paid grave prices for their faith.
The disciples and Apostles of the new Testament were repeatedly abused and tested.
We live in an age where more of the people have decided that they are no longer in need of "religion" and unless that religion absolves them of all license, they will do as they will.
The spiritual nature of mankind is undeniable. We are the only creature on this planet who can contemplate its own existence. It also makes us capable of contemplating our own demise. We look for justification and assurance so when faith in God fades, faith in "gods" rises.
The faithful will remain... like the seeds scattered on fertile soil. The rest will end as the elements provide.
Regards,
John
BD57| 12.15.08 @ 2:22PM
"seeker friendly" has become a real problem - in the process of being "friendly," churches recoil from telling their visitors why they need a savior. Too many church services amount to a group counseling session.
What people "need" is a faith that's 24-7-365 with no exceptions, trap doors or escape hatches - a faith which calls them to love & pursue God, a faith which informs their every choice and decision every day.
Dosser| 12.15.08 @ 4:29PM
There are many problems. There are a few successful 'seeker friendly' churches around and that's because they do not compromise God's word. Unsuccessful churches have the common thread of watering down the Gospel and compromising on what the Bible says - trying to explain 'ugly' realities of society away.
obarurnq| 12.16.08 @ 11:04AM
It's a real problem in many churches. And, horrible, modern, guitar music is one facet of it, IMO. "Frosty the Snowman" would be an improvement on much of the so-called music I suffer through on Sundays. :(
blacknsquid| 12.16.08 @ 4:58PM
The music has become so bad that the only mass I attend is the earliest, spoken one. Evening and afternoon mass is now the exclusive territory of the guitar and tambourine crowd, and to me is a huge distraction--I'm not a fan of hippies and their music. I'd travel far if I could once again hear a solo chant to start the 'Gloria' in latin...
Andrew| 12.18.08 @ 7:11PM
what you call "horrible modern, guitar music" has reached thousands of people, who would otherwise be lost. I'm not a big fan of the hymns, but I can still put up with it when i need to. in fact, the hymns are what's scaring away a lot of the younger generation. our church has 2 services, a traditional with the hymns, and a contemporary service with the newer music. I think the music is what brings new people into the church, and once the're there, you can share the gospel with them. I do agree though, that the short simple sermons aren't good for the church community, for the reasons above. I'm no preacher, but if the longer sermons that meant something could be broken down into shorter segments, that would solve the problem. the younger generation would get the music they like, and a solid sermon that isn't too long, in their service, and the older generation would get they hymns and a good solid sermon in their service.
Andrew
by the way, I'm only 14