Paradoxology: The Demise of the "Copy-Cat" Church

Blog-within-a-Blog

Seven Mistakes Every Church Should Avoid
Whether you agree with any or all of the "mistakes" mentioned in this article, it is certainly worth the read and can serve as a helpful springboard for discussion on the biblical/theological/historical nature of the Church.
Why men have stopped singing in church
A fascinating discussion is unfolding at churchformen.com regarding the disappearance of singing (especially by men) in most churches with a contemporary bent. Although I consider worship to be much more holistic and diverse than what the author is focused on, the discussion there is nonetheless a worthwhile read.
The Anglican-Episcopal Divide Widens Further
NT Wright offers a honest and somewhat heavy-hearted perspective regarding The Episcopal Church (TEC) in the U.S., and their decision to further formalize their decision to appoint to all orders of ministry, persons in active same-sex relationships. This marks a clear break with the rest of the Anglican Communion.
"I Am Second"- Incredible Personal Stories
Personal testimony stories are a dime-a-dozen on the internet. YouTube and a plethora of other sites offer them. But you will NEVER find striking personal stories about life and loss and struggle and victory and faith like you will encounter at www.iamsecond.com. This is a resource site you MUST visit for yourself and then bookmark.
Charles Wesley's secret code diary cracked by priest
An Anglican priest has unlocked the 270-year-old secrets of Charles Wesley's coded diary, throwing light on the turbulent relationship that he had with his brother John in the early years of the Methodist movement they founded... The “hidden” material offers an insight into Wesley's fierce determination to prevent the Methodist societies from breaking away from the Church of England, and disagreements with his more influential older brother.

Photo Albums

August 23, 2004

The Demise of the "Copy-Cat" Church

A new book is on it's way to me -- thanks in part to Len at NextReformation.com. In his Thursday, August 19th post, evaluating a recent exchange between Brian McLaren and Dr. Duane Litfin (President, Wheaton), he interjects a fantastic quote from The Present Future, by Reggie McNeal:

"We have a church in North American that is more secular than the culture. Just when the church adopted a business model, the culture went looking for God. Just when the church embraced strategic planning (linear and Newtonian), the universe shifted to preparedness (loopy and quantum). Just when the church began building recreation centers, the culture began a search for sacred space. Church people still think that secularism holds sway and that people outside the church have trouble connecting to God. The problem is that when people come to church, expecting to find God, they often encounter a religious club holding a meeting where God is conspicuously absent. It may feel like a self-help seminar or even a political rally. But if pre-Christians came expecting to find God -- sorry! They may experience more spiritual energy at a U2 concert or listening to a Creed CD."

It feels as if the Church has lost it's prophetic gift and voice in relation to the culture-at-large. Instead of being that community-in-the-Holy-Spirit which forsees and anticipates and boldly steps out to lead -- the Church largely continues to function in "copy-cat" mode.

Does this bother anyone?

August 23, 2004 at 02:28 PM | Permalink

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341c3d8353ef00d834650ee169e2

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference The Demise of the "Copy-Cat" Church:

Comments

You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

What a great quote! Looks like you won't be the only one ordering a copy. I haven't read what the other blog was saying, but as far as your post, I don't think that our problem is that we copy the culture around us. The problem is much deeper.

Posted by: Benjy (groovythpstr) | August 23, 2004 at 05:48 PM

My wife and I went to a U2 concert back in 2001 the night after Pascha (Easter)...we were blown away at

a) how shallow it seemed compared to the glory of the Paschal Liturgy and
b) how much more "spiritual" and fulfilling the concert was compared to our days in typical Christian churches....

Posted by: Karl Thienes | August 23, 2004 at 09:59 PM

Bothers me.

Ironically enough, just before I saw this post I blogged on the fact that we rely so little on guidance in ministry by the Holy Spirit. Programs and models reign, and no one notices the Spirit has left the building.

Seriously, doesn't anyone ask why the Spirit seems to always lead church leaders into the latest Christian ministry fad? I question such leading, even if it produces "results," simply because we never get to see if a truly Spirit-led move would trump it.

Posted by: DLE | August 24, 2004 at 11:14 PM

Chris, I just ordered McNeil's book. I cannot wait to get it. I agree with DLE! So funny, because Holy Spirit is always talking. It just depends if we want to get over ourselves and our own agendas to listen and do what he wants.

Posted by: Matt Segawa | August 25, 2004 at 06:38 AM

The comments to this entry are closed.