This post title alludes to ELO's 1976 hit song. I don't like talking on the telephone....other than at times like last night when I called Barnes & Noble to see if they had a certain book in stock. If you are interested....that book was David Platt's....Don't Hold Back....Leaving Behind the American Gospel to Follow Jesus Fully. It is in personal conversations that I do not feel comfortable talking on the phone....and the reason is that it is hard to....pause....before answering a question or giving a comment. You have to speak....'right now'....and that is not good for reasoning or using logic. So I prefer texts....or email....or letters.....preferably written with a feather quill pen! No....I went overboard on that last one.
So....I'm going to begin this post by mentioning mega-churches.....but that is not the topic....only an example to bring up the topic.
I've posted fairly often comments such as.....flee the mega-church....but I post positively all the time on John Piper....and Charles Spurgeon who was the king of mega-churches in his time. So which is it Special Dog....are mega-churches bad or good or in between?
Here is the topic of this post. We in America today....and unfortunately that means in evangelicalism also....cannot seem to analyse anything....to really think through an issue....or to think two thoughts ahead. We have been trained to live a life of sound-bites and talking points. You can see this in our side of the debate on masks and the vaccine...and more recently on the Ukraine. We have in essence abdicated as thinking individuals.....of being our own person....as we merely regurgitate what we have been fed.
So back to mega-churches. I shouldn't have to add a disclaimer every time....(I have done so at times....and I guess I'll do so here)....that there are many very good mega-churches in America. One the one side....the mega-church today grows because it is a cultural refuge....where we can gather with politically like-minded friends. No one has to be born again. In fact few even know what that means. These are churches that do not save. There may be Christians within....but they go there in effect for appearances. It will have dozens of ministries available to join....but little definition on the website of what the church even believes. The directions to the church are usually more in-depth than the statement of belief! Some of these....monstrosities is what they are....have no cross....no blood....no judgment....and this by design....but do have a great coffee bar....state-of-the-art sound system....and ample parking. This is the church one needs to flee. The other churches that would also be considered mega-churches....have grown because people flock to them to hear the glories of Christ preached.
Back to what I'm trying to keep as my main point. We need to slow down....pause before speaking....formulate thoughts in our own mind....examine everything put before us by our gurus....and give serious consideration that opposing opinions might just be right. We have been indoctrinated in that when we are in debate of any kind....with a liberal....we have to 'win'....or appear to win! Thus we talk fast....talk over....and talk loudly....or pull out an article and throw it our opponents face....the contents never really analyzed....the author never scrutinized. In reality....we do not have to 'win' every argument....for one grain of truth is harder to eject from the mind and conscience than a three hour radio broadcast of memorized sound bites.
There are no William Buckleys on our side anymore....only Tucker Carlsons. Even Rush Limbaugh....whose career was built on reasoning with his listeners....with a C. S. Lewis type of skill to make the difficult concept easy to understand....even he at the end....unable to explain away Donald Trump....lapsed into repeated exasperated comments such as....'Trump Derangement Syndrome'....or....'Russia hoax.'
The other side in this intellectual quagmire has always tended to speak in a....psychobabble....attempts to make the meaningless seem important. We on the other hand....failing to renew our mind on a daily basis....through God's Word....now find ourselves attempting to make the important....seem meaningless.
