The new “However-you-want-it” Christianity!

I have a passion for coffee. My intense love for this deliciously brewed warm beverage is quite specific. Not just any coffee will do – it must be really good coffee. Having the realization that there was a difference, that I could have a plain old cup of low quality java – or – I could have really great coffee experience, caused me to decide that as much as it was up to me, I would never be without “good” coffee again.

My favorite morning cup is an Italian roast – sweet and caramelly, with just a hint of smokiness which comes from the way the bean is roasted, dark and darker still. I take my coffee with a bit of cream. Yet, on a warm day there is nothing more enjoyable than to indulge in an iced-latte made with espresso, 1% milk and some, but not too much, ice. My favorite coffee house does not carry one percent milk, however, the mission of that company is to prepare my drink, “However – I – want – it,” so the barista is happy to mix two percent milk with skim milk to personalize my drink for me.

Likewise, this have it your way mentality has slowly infiltrated our churches. To accommodate the variety of work and lifestyles schedules, many churches now offer several worship times for corporate assembly, including Saturdays and Sundays and even a mid-week time.

The Saturday night worship-time is often a popular choice for families with young children, while the “aging” church-going population tends to prefer an earlier Sunday morning gathering. The youth and young-adult generations typically opt for the later Sunday morning or Sunday evening service times. Mid-week often offers a variety of deeper study options.

It is comforting to know that we have alternatives, don’t you think? If we stay out late Saturday night, we can sleep in on Sunday morning and still take in a church service. If we work Sunday, we can go Saturday night and not feel like we have missed our weekly time with God.  Of course going to church does not make you a Christian, so missing church completely is fine too.

With declining membership issues churches have gone to the extreme to be culturally relevant, hoping to attract new members. Churches that lean toward the contemporary formats, with seeker-targeted messages and music might make you feel as if you were at a rock concert. Or, if you like it “old-school” – simply attend a service that sticks to older hymns and ‘suit and tied’ preachers with a more solemn message. If neither of those works for ya, there are a growing number of churches calling themselves “Emergent” or “Social” – with comfy couches placed appropriately to promote conversation. The couches help those who are not ready to commit to Jesus to feel welcomed and unjudged and the format is more Q&A, rather than straight from the bible. It is not uncommon to find one church that offers a variety of worship styles.

Our choices are not limited to service times and worship styles; somehow we have even managed to customize Jesus. If we like the Jesus who healed the sick, that’s “our” Jesus. There’s the Jesus who turned water into wine – if you like wine – that’s a good Jesus to have. Of course we all want the Jesus who loves us and forgives unconditionally, and does not require us to change. Some even claim that Jesus is a good role model, but He’s “not” the only way to heaven – there is more than one path.

Can you have your church, your worship experience and your Jesus – “However-you-want it”? My specialty drink usually retails at about $3.50. It’s a lot to pay for coffee, wouldn’t you agree? But, have you ever wondered how much the new, “However-you-want-it,” Christianity is costing us?

Paul answered this question in his letter to Timothy, explaining, “Envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions and constant friction arise between men [women] who are deprived of the truth. 1 Timothy 6:4-5. For further clarification, those whom Paul considered to be missing the truth were:

• Advocates of a different doctrine (than the doctrine of the entire Bible – cover to cover).

Paul explained, these people were only interested in a form of godliness for personal gain. He further described them as people of depraved minds. Ouch! There is a difference between following the entire doctrine of the Bible and following only the actions of Jesus.

The cost of a customized Christianity, you ask? The thought of that number frightens me. Many gone astray from the faith.  Paul exhorted, “Hold fast to what has been entrusted to you – avoid worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called ‘knowledge.’” 1 Timothy 6:20-21. Grace be with you!

Aleichem Shalom!

~dl.