I was going through a pile of papers the other day (one of many such piles around the house and office) and found a couple articles I'd torn out of the June 2006 issue of Health magazine.
The first is a short blurb titled "Read this . . . or the kitten dies." The article highlights a study reported in the Journal of Consumer Research which found that "an ad with a threat" or a message of guilt combined with a message of fear "inspires you to move from intending to act for your own good to actually doing something." So, the study found, an anti-drug message that says "Smoking pot may not kill you, but it will kill your mother" is more likely to deter drug use than one using "an educational or hopeful message." I thought that finding could have interesting correlations to what kind of messages we use in the life of the church. Guilt and fear are more persuasive than education and hope!! Ok, I'm not seriously advocating we use a guilt/fear tactic, but it helps me understand why people are motivated, I guess.
The other, longer article is about metrospirituality. You've no doubt heard the term metrosexual in the past few years. But what is a metrospiritual? Health quotes beliefnet.com as saying "metrospirituals blend hippie values with hipster chic. These trendy women and men combine respect for the environment and other cultures with savvy shopping skills and serious style . . . From charity walks to organic wine, metrospirituals have pure intentions - and deep pockets." James Twitchell, a Phd pop-culture expert from University of Florida, explains that "for metrospirituals, the sensation associated with buying for-a-cause goods can be similar to the feeling of rapture others seek at church." The article then includes, of course, a quick quiz to determine if you are a "maxi metro," a "midi metro," or a "mini metro."
The article may seem a little frivolous, but I think it actually says something interesting about where spirituality is today for many people. I think the article rightly indicates that people want, at least, to believe that they are spiritual, in whatever ways they can make that happen. I hate the often-used now phrase "spiritual but not religious," that many use to describe themselves, but even if I don't like it, many people really do feel that this phrase describes them. I dislike it because it just sounds wishy-washy to me. (Yes, even liberals think some things are wishy-washy sounding.) But I know that many people find the institution of the church so irrelevant to them, but yet desire a spiritual life.
The question, the challenge, is how does an institutional church respond? The answer, so far, is apparently: not very well.
6 comments:
A church I served while I was in seminary advertised on the local NPR station with the tagline, "A church for the the spiritually hungry but institutionally suspicious." It was very effective- struck a chord, I guess. Many folks are tired of trying to satisfy their spiritual hunger just by sampling, nibbling, if you will, all the spiritual fare out there.
This makes me think about Madonna and her dabbling in Kabbalah.
But on a different note, I wonder: if the church were to stop using churchy language (i.e., not "Christian" but "Jesus-followers" and not "church" but "community"), I think more people would be drawn to the actual faith. There is a real spiritual hunger in the world right now, but in my opinion, the Church is too interested in protecting the institution, not feeding the spiritually hungry.
I think that there is something to that, which is why many of us have been inspired to come up with some new language to describe our faith experiences. This is all very good and, indeed, necessary. Yet, I'm not prepared to give up the traditional faith language entirely b/c it tethers us to the generations of Christians who ahve come before us. We didn't get here by ourselves- we stand on the shoulders of many, many, many faithful people.
Just on the fear language issue:
A long time ago persuasion researchers found that a fear message that was coupled with a suggestion to help you avoid the thing you feared was among the most powerful of persuaders.
I'm not saying we should go back to this language, but that could explain the effectiveness of the "you will burn in hell for eternity unless ..." approach of the revival meeting.
So, the question is what do we fear and how does our gospel soothe those fears?
John,
You bring up a good point that I am not too ashamed to admit. I am one of those that once did fear the wrath of a holy, righteous God. That message moved me to accept the Gospel, the good news, that through the blood atonement of Jesus Christ, I can avoid the Great White Throne judgement and eternal damnation.
The Bible is clear that all those who die without being washed in the blood of Christ, without accepting by faith the Gospel of Christ, will be found wanting and eternally separated from God.
That is what I fear, and that is how the Gospel of Jesus Christ soothes and removes those fears. In fact, with the message of the Gospel, with the faith in Christ and the Grace that He extends to me, I have no fear at all. If I live to be 100 or I die tonight, I have no fear. That what the Gospel does for me.
I feel sorry for the poor infadels. The ones who wonder if they have been good enough, the ones who wonder if they are kind enough, or gone on the right pilgrimages or prayed correctly at the right times, or whatever it is that they incorrectly put their trust in. They are always in fear that they haven't done enough. Haven't pleased whatever they put their faith in that they will be just good enough. Always hoping, always fearing that they haven't done enough.
They are right, the Gospel tells me that the fear they feel and that I once felt is correct, but I have nothing to fear because I don't have to do anything, Christ has already done if for me, I just have to trust in him for my salvation and recieve the grace he extends to me.
John, that is my answer to your question. Good post, Beth.
Iris - I like that tagline.
John and Keith -
I actually talked in my sermon last night about the concepts in the Bible - to be "God-fearing" and the constant repetition of "Do not be afraid" in the Bible. Can we be so comfortable with the gifts God offers us that we forget to be in awe that the God we worship is a God that talks to us and has relationships with us in a way that was totally foreign to other cultures in OT times?
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