The temples of ancient Greece were in competition to see who could put on the best show, and thus collect the most money. It is no different today. People attend the mega churches for the show, and the networking that might help their business or profession. The bare-bones churches who claim to be teaching the true word of God, are largely empty, and closing. I've long suspected the big time preachers of being the worst kind of cynical atheists, because there is no way they would ever want to face their maker and defend the lives they've led.
This fool reminds me of the priests of my youth, yelling at the congregation during their sermon that people aren't coming to church. I remember wondering why he was yelling at the people in the church, since they are the ones who actually came.
Ha. How clueless can you get? [Answer: pretty damned clueless!] This is like a comic, blaming his audience for not laughing at his bad material. Then, too, the whole evangelical act probably has to get old after a while. Only so much bible-thumping to do before it gets old. Ditto the threats of hell.
Here's a thought: instead of spending tons of bread on video production equipment, ENGAGE DIRECTLY WITH YOUR AUDIENCE! Greet them at the door, tell them that you're glad to see them, hope they're well, and MEAN IT! Work at creating the kind of Christian fellowship that actually brings people together, and maybe, just MAYBE, they won't come in late or walk out early.
Or is that too much work? [For THIS schmuck? Of course it is!]
"It's that you treat church like it's a religious show instead of a welcoming family that you're a part of."
____
Church was never a family to me.
Four people out of 300 ever bothered to try to get to know me as more than a weekly handshake and (often) fake smile and three of those people were on staff. (I remain friends with a former senior pastor)
I never felt safe to be myself there. Never felt safe to voice disagreements or doubts or political opinions that weren't conservative Republican.
I certainly never felt as if I could go to someone in the church when I was in trouble or needed help.
So, really, they aren't family. They aren't places of community to a lot of us. Hell, I shudder thinking about the poor LGBTQ people who have to hide themselves. Or the depressed people having to fake smile while they're dying inside. Or the women who don't want to be someone's "help meet" and nothing else.
You can't be a safe place and a family unless you're willing to love (with actions) and accept everyone without trying to "fix" them.
I have lived in NC since 1990. We opened a center for conscious living in a small town. I did presentations at Hospice and gave talks to different groups. We really triggered some of the Christian churches as they pamphleted our center, prayed in our coat room, and warned us about being possessed by demons when we meditate.
One might suspect they really aren't all that much into critical thinking. The good news is that our devote Christian next door neighbor was startled by a snake in her yard. Instead of freaking out completely and having it killed, since she knew I am a heathen, she called me to come get it and I took it out into the woods and let it go. So that is good and hopeful.
I don't know how to get people there early, maybe a better warm-up pastor. But to get folks to stay to the end, raffle off a salvation, must be present to win.
OT - I'm Back from the hand specialist, they removed the bulky splint/soft cast that the ER put on my left arm.* 🙂 He wants me to wear a wrist brace, but my MC Advantage plan didn't approve it so I wasn't able to walk out wearing it. They want it to go through my PCP whom I won't see til later this month. 😤 So I will have to make a trip to the Wally World 3 miles down the road, instead of the one that is only a mile down the road from me. 🤬
But it gets better. The ortho wanted me to show up with a CD of the x-rays St. Anthony's ER took (yes it is a catholic hospital complete with a crucifix on the wall in the exam room). So I went there yesterday to get one. The woman in medical records said they couldn't do that and gave me a number to call. She told me that they could transmit the images directly to the doctor's office. The woman on the phone said they couldn't transmit it to the doctor's office, and that I would have to pick up a CD. At first, she wanted me to pick it up at BayCare's Carillon location which is 10 to 14 miles from me depending on which route you take. The doctor's appointment was at 9:40 a.m. so no way was that going to happen. Then she told me that I could pick it up at their location on St. Anthony's campus at 8 a.m. Better since it's on the way to the ortho's office. I got up at 5:30 to make sure I could get there on time by bus. Well, I got there on time only to have the receptionist tell me that the CD wouldn't arrive til between 10 and 11. 🤬 So I went to the doctor empty-handed. As he was finishing up with me he pulled up the x-ray of the hairline fracture on my radial post on the screen (my triquetrum is also broken). 🤬🤬🤬
So, how has y'alls day been so far? And keep in mind all of this was typed one-handed.
* The nurse that cut the cast off me was BHm sized.
Having attended churches that ranged in size from a few dozen members to thousands, it's been my experience that the larger the church the easier it is to check out mentally during the service. With all the screens and tech and music, it's a performance and the congregation is the audience.
Wow, I... just the complete obliviousness is astounding. The church I grew up in had one little tv on a rolling cart and we never saw it during service. This dude needs a swift kick in the self awareness. And the nuts.
The temples of ancient Greece were in competition to see who could put on the best show, and thus collect the most money. It is no different today. People attend the mega churches for the show, and the networking that might help their business or profession. The bare-bones churches who claim to be teaching the true word of God, are largely empty, and closing. I've long suspected the big time preachers of being the worst kind of cynical atheists, because there is no way they would ever want to face their maker and defend the lives they've led.
Self awareness is not their strong suit.
This fool reminds me of the priests of my youth, yelling at the congregation during their sermon that people aren't coming to church. I remember wondering why he was yelling at the people in the church, since they are the ones who actually came.
Ha. How clueless can you get? [Answer: pretty damned clueless!] This is like a comic, blaming his audience for not laughing at his bad material. Then, too, the whole evangelical act probably has to get old after a while. Only so much bible-thumping to do before it gets old. Ditto the threats of hell.
Here's a thought: instead of spending tons of bread on video production equipment, ENGAGE DIRECTLY WITH YOUR AUDIENCE! Greet them at the door, tell them that you're glad to see them, hope they're well, and MEAN IT! Work at creating the kind of Christian fellowship that actually brings people together, and maybe, just MAYBE, they won't come in late or walk out early.
Or is that too much work? [For THIS schmuck? Of course it is!]
Many in my church left 5 minutes early so they could get home by 12:00 for the Dallas cowboys kickoff. Priorities, you know.
"It's that you treat church like it's a religious show instead of a welcoming family that you're a part of."
____
Church was never a family to me.
Four people out of 300 ever bothered to try to get to know me as more than a weekly handshake and (often) fake smile and three of those people were on staff. (I remain friends with a former senior pastor)
I never felt safe to be myself there. Never felt safe to voice disagreements or doubts or political opinions that weren't conservative Republican.
I certainly never felt as if I could go to someone in the church when I was in trouble or needed help.
So, really, they aren't family. They aren't places of community to a lot of us. Hell, I shudder thinking about the poor LGBTQ people who have to hide themselves. Or the depressed people having to fake smile while they're dying inside. Or the women who don't want to be someone's "help meet" and nothing else.
You can't be a safe place and a family unless you're willing to love (with actions) and accept everyone without trying to "fix" them.
I have lived in NC since 1990. We opened a center for conscious living in a small town. I did presentations at Hospice and gave talks to different groups. We really triggered some of the Christian churches as they pamphleted our center, prayed in our coat room, and warned us about being possessed by demons when we meditate.
One might suspect they really aren't all that much into critical thinking. The good news is that our devote Christian next door neighbor was startled by a snake in her yard. Instead of freaking out completely and having it killed, since she knew I am a heathen, she called me to come get it and I took it out into the woods and let it go. So that is good and hopeful.
Butts in seats = more tithing. It's much easier to guilt people into giving when you're right in front of them as opposed to on a screen.
I don't know how to get people there early, maybe a better warm-up pastor. But to get folks to stay to the end, raffle off a salvation, must be present to win.
I see that the hoary old Christian tradition of anything problematic just being 'out of context' is alive and well.
Stop treating church like a religious show, and start treating it like an adult-themed entertainment variety hour.
OT - I'm Back from the hand specialist, they removed the bulky splint/soft cast that the ER put on my left arm.* 🙂 He wants me to wear a wrist brace, but my MC Advantage plan didn't approve it so I wasn't able to walk out wearing it. They want it to go through my PCP whom I won't see til later this month. 😤 So I will have to make a trip to the Wally World 3 miles down the road, instead of the one that is only a mile down the road from me. 🤬
But it gets better. The ortho wanted me to show up with a CD of the x-rays St. Anthony's ER took (yes it is a catholic hospital complete with a crucifix on the wall in the exam room). So I went there yesterday to get one. The woman in medical records said they couldn't do that and gave me a number to call. She told me that they could transmit the images directly to the doctor's office. The woman on the phone said they couldn't transmit it to the doctor's office, and that I would have to pick up a CD. At first, she wanted me to pick it up at BayCare's Carillon location which is 10 to 14 miles from me depending on which route you take. The doctor's appointment was at 9:40 a.m. so no way was that going to happen. Then she told me that I could pick it up at their location on St. Anthony's campus at 8 a.m. Better since it's on the way to the ortho's office. I got up at 5:30 to make sure I could get there on time by bus. Well, I got there on time only to have the receptionist tell me that the CD wouldn't arrive til between 10 and 11. 🤬 So I went to the doctor empty-handed. As he was finishing up with me he pulled up the x-ray of the hairline fracture on my radial post on the screen (my triquetrum is also broken). 🤬🤬🤬
So, how has y'alls day been so far? And keep in mind all of this was typed one-handed.
* The nurse that cut the cast off me was BHm sized.
$500,000 worth of video equipment could feed an awful lot of starving people.
Oh, wait! They are Christians.
"People who don't belong in church."
The rational? People who have not willingly surrendered the intellects they were born with?
The ones who definitely don't belong in church? Children, first and foremost.
Having attended churches that ranged in size from a few dozen members to thousands, it's been my experience that the larger the church the easier it is to check out mentally during the service. With all the screens and tech and music, it's a performance and the congregation is the audience.
Wow, I... just the complete obliviousness is astounding. The church I grew up in had one little tv on a rolling cart and we never saw it during service. This dude needs a swift kick in the self awareness. And the nuts.