The sermon this morning was pretty ironic. My Mom was driving me to church, and she and I were discussing the Armstrongs (see here and here
for background information). My Mom said that she does not think that
sort of movement could become popular nowadays, for people are jaded
about religion. She also noted that televangelism has declined over the
years.
And what was the sermon about? The pastor was lamenting
that a growing number of people do not attend churches, and that the
"none-of-the-above" category is becoming larger in terms of religious
affiliation.
The pastor was sensitive to reasons that people do
not attend churches: the politics, the arguments, etc. But he said that
going to church is important because then people can put themselves in a
position to experience a renewal by the Holy Spirit, the same way that
the apostles in Acts 2 gathered together and were baptized by the Holy
Spirit. The pastor envisioned this resulting in a wave of mutual love
and understanding, as (to use an example) Republican Christians and
Democratic Christians listen to one another.
I know that I
myself would like to become a loving person, to be overwhelmed with a
sense of peace and joy and a willingness to try to understand where
others are coming from----to be at a place where love is doable rather
than being a difficult chore, due to my own insecurities. In some
people's case, however, they may feel that church sets them on the
opposite path, with its politics, authoritarianism, closed-mindedness,
etc. (and I am not referring to my church here, but to others'
experiences of different churches), and so they choose not to attend.