Hard to Believe by John MacArthur

Jay Brown, our Sunday School teacher, gave a talk recently and read us the first few paragraphs from the book Hard to Believe, by John MacArtur. I couldn't write it down fast enough, so one evening I went to Barnes & Noble and wrote down the passage verbatim. Then I came home and typed it up and forgot to finish the post. So here I am finishing my thoughts on the matter. I haven't read the book, nor did I buy it that day. At the time I had so many unfinished books that I have been reading that I didn't want to add another to the list. Basically the message from the passage is how some churches today are catering to our every needs. Which in turn dilutes the message and meaning of what living for Christ really means. He told us to stay grounded in a church that isn't afraid to step on toes in case they might hurt someone's feelings. Unfortunately that's how so many areas in churches are today. I am thankful that our pastor doesn't mind doing that very thing. When we were going through the 10 commandments recently while studying Exodus, Pastor Gregg told us that he was going to step on toes that day, but we should respect him for trying to tell us truth. Is your church full of truth or full of fluff? Read the next few paragraphs from the book...

"The first role of successful merchandising is to give consumers what they want. If they want bigger burgers, make their burgers bigger. Designer bottled water in six fruit flavors? Done. Minivans with then cup holders? Give them twenty. You've got to keep the consumer satisfied. You've got to modify your product and your message to meet their needs if you want to build a market and get ahead of the competition.

Today this same consumer mind-set has invaded Christianity. The church service is too long, you say? We'll shorten it (one pastor guarantees his sermons will never last more than seven minutes!). Too formal? Wear your sweatsuit. Too boring? Wait'll you hear our band!

And if the message is too confrontational, or too judgmental, or too exclusive, scary, unbelievable, hard to understand, or too much anything else for your taste, churches everywhere are eager to adjust that message to make you more comfortable. This new version of Christianity makes you a partner on the team, a designer consultant on church life and does away with old-fashioned authority, guilt trips, accountability, and moral absolutes.

One suburban church sent out a mailer recently, promising an "informal, relaxed, casual atmosphere", "great music from our band", and that those who come will "believe it or not, have fun." That's all great if you're in a coffeehouse. But anyone who claims to be calling people to the gospel of Jesus with those as his priorities is calling them to a lie.

It's Christianity for consumers: Christianity Lite, the redirection, watering down, and misinterpretation of the biblical gospel in an attempt to make it more palatable and popular. It tastes great going down and settles light. It seems to salve your feelings and scratch your itch; it's custom-tailored to your preferences. But that lightness will never fill you up with the true, saving gospel of Jesus Christ, because it is designed by man and not God, and it is hollow and worthless. In fact, it's worse than worthless, because people who hear the message of Christianity Lite think they're hearing the gospel - think they're being rescued from eternal judgment - when, in fact, they're being tragically misled."