“You know what your problem is? You need to get into church…” This was a line from a very loud conversation going on behind me while I ate my lunch at my favorite restaurant a few weeks ago. The two ladies were good friends and you could hear the relationship in their voice. “I have tried to go many times, but things come up and I have been so busy… plus I have gone a couple times, for several months in a row, and they seem to really cast judgment on me when I miss a couple Sundays.”
50 years ago, in public, it was acceptable to call out people and tell them to get into church. It was a matter of spiritual health and in a lot of communities, it was expected. People took the concept for granted, and assumed everyone in Mayberry went to the Baptist church downtown. This is not the way it is anymore…People get uncomfortable when you tell them that they need something they may perceivably be lacking. In 2013, you simply can’t do this… Wait?!?! Is this true?
Actually, when you think about it, everyday, we see a similar campaign in every avenue of media. When, back in the day, you would see a television preacher on every major network, and churches packed to standing room only, you now see physical health/ wellness oriented programs that show how you can get rock hard abs in 5 minutes a day, and spin classes with waiting lists.
People don’t seem to feel judged when their friend calls them out for skipping their run for the last 2 weeks. They get back to it. When we hold people accountable to their spiritual growth, in today’s society, we are in danger of making people feel uncomfortable. Granted, we should not be hounding people (grace must abound) to get into church, but I just think we have it backwards.
The concern in our day (my goodness I sound like I am elderly) has transitioned from spiritual wellness to physical…that which is supposed to be eternal to that which is temporary (our body). The gym has become the church.
Let me just put a disclaimer to the above subject…Our body is a temple and should be kept in shape to honor God and what He gave us, but entire communities are now birthed from relationships found on the treadmill (and those who run marathons)…and many will not go to church because of hypocrisy they find inside (might I note those who do not follow their nutritional plan).
We have accepted, as a culture, that we are in need of change. We are told that we should eat eggs and then the next week we shouldn’t. I just think the change must go deeper than a number on a scale.
That’s my two cents.
This post was written by Rev DeCrastos. For the original post, go to: http://other-words.net/2013/07/16/healthy-is-the-new-holy/
50 years ago, in public, it was acceptable to call out people and tell them to get into church. It was a matter of spiritual health and in a lot of communities, it was expected. People took the concept for granted, and assumed everyone in Mayberry went to the Baptist church downtown. This is not the way it is anymore…People get uncomfortable when you tell them that they need something they may perceivably be lacking. In 2013, you simply can’t do this… Wait?!?! Is this true?
Actually, when you think about it, everyday, we see a similar campaign in every avenue of media. When, back in the day, you would see a television preacher on every major network, and churches packed to standing room only, you now see physical health/ wellness oriented programs that show how you can get rock hard abs in 5 minutes a day, and spin classes with waiting lists.
People don’t seem to feel judged when their friend calls them out for skipping their run for the last 2 weeks. They get back to it. When we hold people accountable to their spiritual growth, in today’s society, we are in danger of making people feel uncomfortable. Granted, we should not be hounding people (grace must abound) to get into church, but I just think we have it backwards.
The concern in our day (my goodness I sound like I am elderly) has transitioned from spiritual wellness to physical…that which is supposed to be eternal to that which is temporary (our body). The gym has become the church.
Let me just put a disclaimer to the above subject…Our body is a temple and should be kept in shape to honor God and what He gave us, but entire communities are now birthed from relationships found on the treadmill (and those who run marathons)…and many will not go to church because of hypocrisy they find inside (might I note those who do not follow their nutritional plan).
We have accepted, as a culture, that we are in need of change. We are told that we should eat eggs and then the next week we shouldn’t. I just think the change must go deeper than a number on a scale.
That’s my two cents.
This post was written by Rev DeCrastos. For the original post, go to: http://other-words.net/2013/07/16/healthy-is-the-new-holy/
RSS Feed