Single and the Sanctuary

I still have a few more blog post ideas, but I’ll have to put them on hold for a bit.  As a teaser, one of the thoughts are on the Willow Creek Reveal survey (read here: http://tatumweb.com/blog/2008/06/05/reveal/ for some info).  I’ll post thoughts on that at a future time.

But, for my 10th and final post, the topic that used to be the bread and butter for comments/eProps/etc., relationships!  Then again, I’m taking flip side view of that and that is, the non-relationship: being single.  And, the post may end up being very analytical and scientific, so, perhaps not that interesting.  And, xanga and blogs are not what they used to be, so again, perhaps no views.  But in any case….

I was trying to think of a few titles for this post.  Something that would grab the eye and still convey what I was trying to write about.  Higmeista came up with: chaste and the church.  Great title, but not quite what I was trying to go for.  Also thought about, flirt and the fellowship hall, but again, might hit the wrong idea.  In any case, on to the post.

I was trying to think about why there are such a large number of singles in the church today and why that number seems to be growing.  I was thinking about it in terms of grid and group (see this post for a primer) and was thinking we are unaware of the rules for relating with one another (grid).  We are afraid of the consequences of it not working out (group).

I believe this happens because when we’re growing up in our context, we are aware of the rules.  But when we are placed in this new church context, one that we have not grown up in and with other people, all we are aware of is the ambiguous, unspoken rule of “don’t be shady.”  Most people play it safe in consideration of the group and interpret it as “never interact” but if we never interact, nothing will ever happen.

The solution to this is (as with the fellowship hall post) we can either educate the people involved in how to relate with each other (make the grid level aware) or provide the structure for interaction (supply the grid).  Simple short term structures may prove to be fruitful, for example, a speed dating event or something along those lines if we can get past the stigma (make that interaction acceptable in the grid level).  Education of the rules for interaction would best be done with indirect communication and would be difficult but better in the long term…OR, I could try to spell them out for you right here:

[to be continued]

Individualism and Consumerism

I was reading the book The Next Evangelicalism and the author, Soong-Chan Rah proposes that the 2 greatest sins of North America that have crept into the church are individualism and consumerism.  Here are some of his points.

Regarding individualism, we have turned God into something small that fits inside our own personal world.  While it is true that God is close and personal, He is also the God that transcends our own lives and is larger than the whole universe.  Rah says, “Even small group ministry, which is supposed to be the primary expression of community life…often yields a narcissistic, indivdualistic focus.  Small groups become a place of support and counsel rather than a place where Scripture challenges teh participants towards kingdom living” (p. 37).

Consumerism, closely related to individualism, also creeps into our mentality towards church.  When choosing a church, the word “shopping” is used, and individuals will entertain the idea of leaving a church if it is not meeting his or her personal and indiviudal needs.  “We’re purchasing a product rather than committing to the body of Christ” (p. 47).

I think I largely agree with his ideas, even if he writes them from a seemingly angry perspective.  But there is insight and perspective to be gained from his writing.  He also notes how in trying to cater to the individualism and consumerism, pastors may cater their message to what will meet the needs of some individuals but that is not what the purpose of delivering the Word should be.  It should be what God needs to say to the whole community, not what individuals need to hear.

However, a lot of my writing has been about how we can better meet the people in our community by meeting the people in the culture they are most familiar with.  The idea is to remove cultural barriers to worship and let the Gospel be its own tripping stone rather than culture itself.  But in trying to cater to the cultural needs of individuals, am I feeding the consumerism and individualism that is talked of here?

The tension is this: on the one hand, you want people to worship God as freely as possible, not to be hindered by cultural forms or being distracted by anything else.  On the other hand, you do not want to cater to people’s tastes and give them what their itching ears want to hear.  How is this tension resolved?

I have not had time to flesh out my thoughts regarding this but perhaps your thoughts will help me shape my own.  Would love to hear what your thoughts are.