I'll try to highlight on occasion a comment or article that speaks for itself -- and then go on to offer a couple of comments. Here's this week's, from the Chicago Tribune.
Willow Creek Community "Church" (the archetype of the seeker-friendly megachurch) has cancelled services for December 25 -- get this -- because it's Christmas. Better, say the pastors, that the people should be at home with their families. (In their defense, they do make Christmas program tickets available -- 6 to a household -- for their various programs between 20 and 24 December.) See here.
For a liturgically oriented Lutheran, which I am, this makes absolutely no sense -- except as an expression of the complete surrender of the traditions of the Christian Church to the wishes of culture. I used to chide, but have now foresworn doing so, my friends at Mount Olivet (not to be confused with my own Mount Olive) in Minneapolis, where Christmas Eve services run on the hour from about 3 p.m through 11 p.m. (Of course, they only have 2 services on Christmas Day -- another reflection of the culture within we Minneapolitan Christians live, perhaps? Mount Olive will worship at one liturgy on Christmas and "New Year's," too.)
But none of that compares to giving over entirely to a wider culture that views this major Christian festival as a "time for family"? It's a celebration of the Incarnation of God, for heaven's sake; how is that a "family-oriented" event? And if it is family-oriented, why does it draw one Christian family away from another?
What kind of theology so atomizes the life of faith that fellowship with the Body of Christ is considered a distraction?
OK: No comment.
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2 comments:
I think Camassia beat me to this. Her comments are here: http://notfrisco2.com/camassiablog/?p=496#comments.
Dwight
This _is_ quite a jaw-dropper. It would seem that the good folks at Willow Creek may have tipped their hand as to just who or rather what it is they worship.
RAR
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