STRANGE RELIGIOUS NEWS
As a preacher I have a two-fold focus: seek to know God’s word and seek to know what is going on in our world, our society. Obviously, I have limits in my knowledge, but I try to keep up with what’s going on in the world in general, and especially what’s going on in the religious world. Lately that news has been getting more and more bizarre.
Earlier this year a rave was held in Westminster Cathedral in London, U. K. (Harriet Sherwood, “Celebration or Desecration? England’s cathedrals open doors to silent discos,” The Guardian 2-19-24). Since the Anglican religion is in decline, church leaders have been hosting special events like raves and discos to pay for the costs of maintenance. And these actions have been met with criticism by believers who argue that these places were built for prayer and sacred worship and should not be used for profane and sacrilegious activities. As England and European churches wrestle with how to keep the doors open, Muslims are currently building 6000 mosques in Europe.
A couple of weeks ago, a mega-church sponsored a men’s conference in Springfield, MO. The conference opened with a young man who ripped off his shirt, climbed a pole acrobatic style like something from Cirque du Soleil and then swallowed a sword. The host of the conference said it was designed "to be a celebration of physical human achievements and is aligned with the James River Church's purpose in bringing others into the light of God," he added. "It's essential to approach such performances with an understanding of their intention rather than reducing them to mere entertainment." (“Christian event showman hits out at pastor over ‘strip’ show remarks,” Newsweek 4-16-24). Another pastor jumped on stage afterwards to courageously condemn the action of a half-naked former male stripper doing a circus routine on the stage of a church filled with men who were there to learn more about what it means to take up their crosses and follow Christ. And the critic was quickly ushered off stage. One has to ask, “What were those conference leaders thinking?”
Subverting worship to performance and entertainment is what happens when God is forgotten as the object of worship. Whatever good intentions there might be, the outcome is counter productive to worshipping God in Spirit and in truth and following Christ in holiness. Long ago, American author and humorist, Mark Twain said “Church ain’t shucks to a circus.” May we stop trying to please secular minded people and get back to pleasing God.