Posted 12/30/2005 11:12:00 AM by Douglas

Shopping around for Jesus

Like Emily, a number of Christians are regularly attending different churches in the course of a week or a month, picking and choosing among programs and services, to satisfy social and spiritual needs. They are comfortable participating in multiple churches.

The practice is particularly pronounced among young people, sociologists of religion say. Everyone in a family may attend one church for a service on Sunday, but the children then go their own way to youth groups, for example.

Some critics, particularly conservative evangelicals and the ministers of various denominations, decry such practices as a consumerist approach to faith.

A look around any of the "suburban mega-churches" will reveal that the message in the church has become very consumer oriented. As the great Homer once said:

I'm not a bad guy! I work hard, and I love my kids. So why should I spend half my Sunday hearing about how I'm going to Hell?

I can't really argue with that, but there's something to be said for teenagers picking their own theology. How many high school students could justify this statement:

"Every time I went to church," she continued, "I felt God loved me, that I don't have to worry about sin because he forgives me. So I looked forward to going back. I don't really understand all of it. But I have the passion to learn more."

Christian's path to salvation has been somewhat personal since Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door, but there's something to be said for an established doctrines, as opposed to telling teenagers what they want to hear. I find this part distasteful, to say the least:

The youth pastor, Brent Parsley, entered on a sleigh dressed as a hip-hop Santa. "I'm going to break it down for you, Clarence," Mr. Parsley told an actor in the Christmas play. "Christmas ain't about presents, yo! The true meaning of Christmas is my main man: J.C."

The crowd shrieked.

I don't think the path towards salvation is shepherded by a "hip-hop Santa."