A strange experience: agreeing with J.P. Devine

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Here I am, a born-again Christian, finding myself agreeing, in part, with J.P. Devine's column, April 17, "Jesus now the latest trendy marketing tool."

This is the first time I have agreed with anything the man has written. For the most part, his disdain for Evangelical Christians, and inevitably the Biblical Jesus Christ, is quite evident in his writings. I am not startled by this. Jesus said, "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you." (John 15:19)

That being said, what Devine touched upon is symptomatic of today's trend in the Evangelical community. Certainly this is a generalization, but for the most part the contemporary Evangelical Church, strongly influenced by such men as "Purpose Driven Church" guru Rick Warren, are employing marketing techniques and methodologies that seem to contradict clear biblical truths.

These techniques are being used with the intention of enticing the lost into our churches, where perhaps they will eventually be converted. Our churches are increasingly becoming "user friendly," and the Gospel is being presented with palatability in mind. It's a watered-down version devoid of being offensive to the hearer, a message in which the high cost of following Christ is not found. Numerical growth is now our indicator of success; biblical growth, evidenced by genuine repentance and holy living, the casualty.

Interestingly, the great reformed preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon wisely saw the church beginning down this path in the mid-1800s. He wrote a sharp rebuke to warn the church, titled "Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats?" It appears as though his warning has gone unheeded.

Wes Hupper

Solon

whupper@gwi.net