There’s always something to be said about something controversial; people who never usually have opinions will suddenly have something to say; and people who generally do will pull out their soap boxes and start preaching.
So where does the modern day church stand on controversial topics? Sure we like to talk about the ones that are likely to hit CNN’s headlines abortion, gay rights, affirmative action... but what about the real topics that matter? The topics that have decided church liturgy and ecclesiastic codes over the years? What about the topics that no one likes to talk about because it’s not front page news- not even front page “Christian” news? Topics that are at the root of the Church’s problems today, topics that aren’t receiving enough attention, but should be receiving the most.
I’m talking about backbiting, gossip, church split ups, breakups, mess-ups, leadership problems, and all the little things that go on the back-ground that no one likes to talk about because if we do we’ll have to deal with them. What state does this leave the church in? A chaotic mess! And who’s responsible for cleaning up this mess? The next generation naturally! We’re given the responsibility for cleaning up the environment, the ecosystem, the world economy, the political infrastructure, and now we have to clean up the foils of the church??
Well ask any kid whose already got 5 final exams to study for, a friends’ birthday to attend, is trying to find a job, trying to get into a good university, has to figure out how to save the world, and is worrying about their own salvation on a daily basis- any one of us will throw our hands in the air and drop one thing off our list (and it probably won’t be the friends’ birthday party- it’s our one vacation from reality).
So what am I suggesting? Dare I say it? Yes I do... the reason so many young people are leaving the church today is not because of violent video games and modern media, we just figure the world outside of “church” is less complicated. We don’t have to worry about who said what, and which house the pastor won’t go to, who the pastor’s wife isn’t talking to, what the church elder did/didn’t/won’t talk about, and who is and isn’t wearing gold to church. Amidst all the legislation that’s out in the world today- it’s my opinion that the Church has created the most disconnected and illogical legal system mankind has ever seen, and this has caused the steady but growing disunity between the coming generation and the current Church. So you want to see your kids go to church?
You want to see them take interest in the youth program? You want to see your little ones memorize their verses? Don’t tempt us with sweet treats, give us substance, give us truth, and give us refreshing waters that will quench our thirst. We don’t want to know about the legalities modern day elders have set up; teach us the laws God gave Abraham, Moses, and David, guide us in the way Jesus led an entire race of people to their Messiah- through the Truth of the Word. We hunger for what is good, what is right, what is just, don’t fill our minds with useless babble about who is and isn’t doing whatever.
See the thing is (and you can blame part of this on video games and modern media) our generation has a short attention span, if you can’t satisfy our need/want in the first 15 minutes we’ll move onto the next Joe that’s willing to tell us something just as good. We assume the man/woman on the pulpit knows something about the book their reading from- so tell us something that’s in the book, and don’t read it to us like any story, read it to us like the greatest story ever told- the love Creator God has for His creation.
God isn’t about the legalities you create; He’s not about twisting the truth so you can prove your point like some phoney lawyer trying to convince a 12 member panel about the law proves your guilt/innocence to sin. God’s law doesn’t work like that, we should try to prove our life in the law, and like we look at a mirror- we should see our reflection in the mirror we hold to our face. Take us back to the foundations of God, take us back to the reason we came into being, Love. Quit with the “you shouldn’t do this” and “you can’t do that”, teach us the love that God has for us... then maybe you can keep our attention for more than 15 minutes.
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