Homogenization

The new Internet Monk had a post about a month ago, None dare Call It Marketing: Lifeway, Beth Moore and the conspiracy to take over your church. You can read the post yourself to see what his arguments are, but what I got out of it was this: the promotion of evangelical Christian celebrities—such as Beth Moore, Kay Arthur, John Piper, Rick Warren, etc.—undermines the local Christian church.

For the Internet Monk, some of the problem seems to be that Christians may choose to stay at home and read or watch Beth Moore rather than become involved in a local church, where the pastor may not be as glamorous or as good of a speaker. At a local church, which the Internet Monk thinks should be small, discipleship can occur, under the auspices of a pastor: the Internet Monk considers that to be the New Testament model. At a megachurch or a Beth Moore conference, however, such is not the case.

There’s also the issue that churches are using curricula by Rick Warren, Beth Moore, and Kay Arthur, which creates a homogenization and inhibits the creative use of spiritual gifts. A few weeks ago, under my post, Should Anne Rice Go to Church?, Looney Fundamentalist said the following about the use of Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life curricula in local churches:

James, I don’t see anything controversial in the content of PDL, but leadership style is a different matter. It really begins with a remark that Warren made in one of the videos: Someone was regularly suggesting to him an alternate style and Warren eventually became frustrated and suggested that he should find a another church that matched that style. This has been picked up on by authoritarian sorts and abused to the extreme – even to justify continuing sin by elders. Most established churches have subgroups with different ministry styles, while the PDL demands everyone drop everything and commit exclusively to the PDL style. The result can be like a wrecking ball coming through the House of the Lord.

The other aspect of PDL is just the Saddleback style: It is oriented towards industrialized, bulk Christianity where all teaching and preaching are done by one or two people. Even small groups emphasize videos selected by the elites, so there is no need for people to learn theology, develop teaching skills, or go to the library to research a topic.

The inevitable result is that once PDL is introduced, a lot of gifted people are sidelined and many will seek out somewhere else that they can serve, while those whose spiritual needs aren’t according to the PDL agenda are going to go hungry, and most others will go unchallenged.

Thus, my church had fewer young people but more going into Christian ministry before PDL, whereas afterwards there was an enthusiastic and larger crowd, but less long term passion and commitment. It isn’t heresy, but it isn’t wise either.

As with everything, my reaction to the Internet Monk’s post is mixed. Where do I agree with the Internet Monk? I don’t have any experience with Beth Moore, although there are people in my family who love her. But I do have some experience with Kay Arthur, for I was involved in a Bible study group on the Book of Colossians that used her material. I thought that the group had good discussions, for—believe it or not—we really delved into the Greek. I consulted my Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, others brought in Thayer’s, still others used Strong’s, etc.

But I felt as if the curriculum was pushing us to believe in a certain way. I may be confusing Kay Arthur with the leader of the group, but we were encouraged to believe in “Once Saved Always Saved”, although there are plenty of passages in Colossians that encourage believers to stay on the right path, or that warn them of consequences from not doing so. I was not convinced by Kay Arthur’s Trinitarian explanation of Colossians 1:15, which calls Jesus the “firstborn of all creation.” I also did not buy into her interpretation of Matthew 16:18—where Jesus tells Peter that he will build a church on a rock—in light of I Peter 2:5-6, which calls Jesus the cornerstone. Matthew 16:18 focuses a lot on Peter and his authority, so I think there’s a good chance that he’s the rock in that passage. I didn’t think that I Peter 2:5-6 was all that relevant to the topic of Matthew 16.

So I guess my problem is this: When I study the Bible, I don’t try to force it into an evangelical mold. I seek to appreciate it on its own terms (in my mind), in all its diversity and unpredictability. That, to me, is what makes the Bible interesting. So I have problems with Christian curricula that tell me what to think.

Also, Kay Arthur calling her listeners and readers “precious one” gets on my nerves. I find that condescending.

Overall, I’m not big on Christian celebrities telling me what to do. Recently, a friend of mine posted a video of John Piper addressing the question of whether or not Christians should study other religions. Excuse me? I’ll study other religions if I want to do so. I don’t need John Piper’s permission! (Isn’t he supposed to be on some sabbatical right now, anyway?)

Moreover, I agree with the Internet Monk that we can learn from people who are not-so-glamorous, such as our local pastor.

Here’s where I disagree with the Internet Monk. As I said in my post, Yay Raa, Consumerism, but…, I like Christian consumerism (up to a point), for consumerism is consistent with freedom and our right to make choices. If someone is encouraged to become a better person by reading Beth Moore or Joyce Meyer, I think that’s a good thing! Not everyone is satisfactorily fed by a local pastor. Even the first century churches got to hear the big-guns every once in a while—such as Paul, or Peter!

I remember reading Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort’s site, which said the following (see here): Don’t become a “spiritual butterfly.” Send your roots down. If you are moving from church to church, how will your pastor know what type of food you are digesting? The Bible says that your shepherd will have to give an account to Him that has entrusted you to him (Hebrews 13:17), so make yourself known to your pastor. Pray for him regularly. Pray also for his wife, his family, and the elders. Being a pastor is no easy task. Most people don’t realize how many hours it takes to gather a fresh sermon each week. They don’t appreciate the time spent in prayer and in the study of the Word. If the pastor makes the same joke twice, or shares something he has shared before, remember, he’s human. So give him a great deal of grace, and double honor. Never murmur about him. If you don’t like something he has said, pray about it, then leave the issue with God. If that doesn’t satisfy you, leave the church, rather than divide it through murmuring and complaining.

I appreciate the parts about supporting our pastors even when they’re not glamorous, and of leaving a church when we’re discontent. That last part is consistent with freedom! But I have problems with the idea of a local pastor monitoring the type of spiritual (or otherwise) food that I am digesting. That sounds controlling to me, as if I’d be pushed in a local church to think, feel, or behave in a certain way. I don’t like that.

I don’t like it when people try to control me, whether they be Christian celebrities, or a local church. But I do believe in being patient with the less-than-glamorous (I fall into that category!), as I realize that even they have something to teach me. And I see nothing wrong with getting my spiritual food from a variety of sources, in addition to my local church. Both the curricula of Christian celebrities and the local church may push for homogenization, even as they teach me valuable things. I, meanwhile, will be my own unique self.