Redefining American Church
It’s a lesson that we do not easily remember: Less competition in the market is usually bad for consumers.
The food in our grocery stores is not good for us because just a few companies are deciding what Americans eat. Of course, the cheapest food is the worst for us, crammed full of unhealthy artificial ingredients. Practically everything the food industry makes has some combination of refined sugar, soy or chemical preservatives. Big Food has redefined what food is, and there isn’t much we can do about it, except die of diabetes.
In the same way, this is how the American church has been redefined. The most visible parts of the American church are these parts that have the most money and the most resources. And this is how we are taught to define “church” now. The word “pastor” itself has been redefined, as some pastors dub themselves “visionaries.” Thousands of people are taught to believe that their pastor is not someone they should expect to see in person, or should have a personal relationship with. A “pastor” is a guy on a screen or in the Sunday School coloring books who has a vision for a great, big, beautiful media empire, and the rest of us live in a church culture defined by celebrities.
The Bubble Always Bursts
This is my biggest worry. Given enough time, every economic bubble pops, right?
And likewise, it is not a matter of if, but when as we think about the next pastor crashing and burning. It seems hard to believe, but I have cleared books off my shelf written by men that I used to really respect. I just cannot read their books when their ministries are exposed for the hypocrisy they hide. Who would have guessed a couple of years ago whose ministries would be laying in the ash heap? I sure would not. But that’s what happens when you cover up gross wrongdoing to protect your empire.
Likewise, it appears that we are seeing the slow, sad and incredibly unfortunate implosion of one of America’s most visible pastors. It’s kind of an annual tradition now, but we are seeing the fallout, yet again, of concentrating so much faith in one man. Accusations are being made, revelations are coming to light. Suspicions are being confirmed. Thousands of people have been hurt. When a mega-celebrity-visionary-pastor crashes, the fact is that he creates a heck of a lot more damage than the everyday brother-joe-pastor in rural Nebraska.
We have concentrated so much power and influence in the egos of a few people that they are bound to do much more damage when they fall than the good they ever accomplished. It always attracts national media attention. Far more people will be hurt, become disillusioned, abandon their faith, because these men are their singular experience of “church,” while people on the outside of the church will just find more ammo to justify avoiding the whole “God” thing altogether.
I don’t have a great prognosis for the near future or a great solution, except diversify your spiritual investments.
But what do you think? Have we put too much faith in the hands of a few fallible men?
