Weary, I'm Weary

Please, just kill me: http://www.saddlebackfamily.com/home/todaystory.asp?id=5700

I'll editorialize later. When I've stopped weeping and gnashing my teeth. And get the ashes out of my eyes and the sackcloth fibers out of my ass...

Comments

[zalm]

Hula lessons?!?

How many focus groups did they have to go through to identify that demographic?

[ambrose]

And if you are hearing imparied, the choice is already made for you.....that's not cool.

[Winderweedle]

zalm, you took the words right out of my mouth. I wonder if visions of believers strapping on grass skirts passed through Jesus' mind at any point during the Passion week?

This is user-friendliness at it's saddest and stupidest...

[Winderweedle]

BTW, I don't know if you've taken a gander at the job listings in Saddlebackland, but Ricky's looking for someone to answer his mail... any takers?

[Kevin]

I don't know if I can do worship that's not drive-thru.

[Jim]

Ah, you guys are just pissed that there's worship options besides Country!

[Zossima]

Greg, c'mon admit it: You're just pissed 'cuz purpose-driven-boy ripped off your idea for worship at Kaleo. Of course, given that you're in OKC, it'd just be the traditional country (Hank) service and the new country (Hank Jr) service.

[Kristen]

Ummmm...yeah, it's disgusting, but have you read the latest article in the New Yorker? I wrote about it over on my blog, but I may need to direct people over here to at least get both sides of the Mega.

[jamie]

Wow. I don't even know what to say. I started laughing out loud when I first saw it, but it isn't funny. It's funny in that way when you can't believe something is really happening.

[Steve]

Cool, I love this concept! I am a big fan of satelite radio. The variety of stations is nice. The variety of worship styles fits into my persoality great. I don't have to commit to just one format. I could think of a few more selections to fill up the channel guide though. Sirius has a Jimmy buffet and an Elvis station. I could run a long way with those themes for a worship service. ;)

[Joe]

Well, I didn't find the worship service I wanted to attend. They had everything but a headbangers ball and that's the only way I worship. Screaming and moshing. Then watching a preacher on TV

[Joe]

Ohh, just thought of something funny and rude. Sorry if it offends (not really). Starting next month there will be a stripper service. Watch men and women take it off for the Lord to some awesome worship music and then watch the videocast.
Or a nudist worship service. We are all naked in the sight of the Lord!
Sorry, I'm a being an ass.

[Ben]

Why not just form 9 different churches? You'll get a different overall message at each service anyway.

[maghretta]

Hmm, Friday evening line dancing, and I can bring my "coffee." Winder, you have to have been to Room 101 before you can read the email there.

[bill]

Why the surprise? Is this not merely the logical extension of evangelicalism? After joining—oops, I mean getting saved—there's nothing left to do but attend regularly until the rapture. You might as well enjoy yourself during the wait. It could be worse. They could spend their funds and energy pointing crooked fingers at all the unsaved. It's a kinder, gentler evangaelicalism. Now let's party.

[maghretta]

Joe: Maybe that's what Saddleback Passion is? I'd bet on an exercise worship service someday soon. Gotta work off all those donuts and roast pigs... Or a comedy service.

Still, while the styles offered are hilarious, I should be disturbed by the idea they're offered as a menu (Church as entertainment, product, something we consume rather than something we do?), and the video taped sermon (Nothing new, I know, but still wrong on so many levels.), right? That's what disturbs me, but maybe I'm missing some.

[Leighton]

Joe,

Do a Google search for Christian porn and click the first link (if you're at home, anyway--it's not work-safe). I won't link it here, but people actually do take your idea seriously.

[KP]

hey now, xxxchurch doesn't claim to be a church of any sort; it's a niche ministry for guys with porn addictions. Their frankness and humor is a breath of fresh air in today's ministries. I don't see anything wrong with them.

[Leighton]

Oops, the site I was thinking of apparently doesn't exist anymore, or if it does, it isn't on the first page of Google returns. My apologies.

[KP]

ah. I wondered. Sorry if I jumped too soon.

[Brandon]

I was going to wait till this morning and make a snide comment...unfortunately my ass is still too chapped.

[Dave Walker]

Hello.

I'm slightly unable to see the reason for all the excitement. Most churches I know run different services for different tastes, just on a smaller scale And yes, country music services are rare over here in the UK. I'm wondering whether there would be quite so much loathing if the church in question wasn't large, evangelical and with little logos for each service.

[Shawn]

Does anyone know how to get puke out of a keyboard? This takes seeker sensitive to a whole new level. Line Dancing? Gimme a break.

[greg]

Dave,

Just as much loathing. In fact, we vacillate around here these days between praising Warren and mocking him. He seems to be undergoing some sort of sincere, post-evangelical reification of his conscience. And then there are the "services" for different tastes. It simply caters to the basest ideas of consumerism. This goes beyond taste though. It implies that taste in music isn't a sufficient separator. Now, we have to admit that church just plain sucks so we'll have luaus and hoe-downs to make it more palatable. Ick.

[Kevin]

Oh, speaking of this, BBC News has a short piece up about church advertising. It's nothing too insightful, but it's a reminder that this sort of thing isn't strictly a U.S. phenomenon

[Dave Walker]

Thanks Greg. I'm still unsure though - are you saying that everyone should be together in one service, meeting, gathering, whatever? I may be reading this wrong but how does having 'the prayer service' and 'the rock and roll service' (Sept 12th entry) fit into this? (Forgive me if I've misunderstood what is going on in your context.) I'd love a church where people of all ages and tastes did the same thing, but isn't it more honst to admit that we're not going to get along all of the time? I've written a bit more on my blog but it might be down at the moment owing to excessive hits from people wanting info on line dancing services.

Aside: Kevin, 'Nothing too insightful?' That's my friend Steve you're talking about.

[Kevin]

Okay, nothing I haven't heard before.

[jvpastor]

The cover of this month's sbc leadership magazine, "marketing the church" one of the articles, "What we can learn from Wal-Mart" - I'm just going to take a guess, but I think some of it was inspired by bro. ricky.

[Joe]

Leighton, I will do that when I get home. Also, why haven't you been using your alais lately? Sorry, if it's too personal. I do like your name though it is very orginal. Where did your folks come up with it?

[Leighton]

Joe,

In a lot of areas I'm very lazy. I go by Leighton at several places like Adam's blog and Jesus Politics and any blog run by Blogger, and after months of needless effort I got tired of changing the name field in autocomplete when I'd surf from there to here or Brandon's or the McCartys' blog. It's just simpler this way.

I'm named after my uncle, and my grandmother claims she can't remember where she got it from, but conjectures it was mentioned in a newspaper article.

[bobstevens]

I few years back I spent some time with a man who is/was a pastor of a multiracial church in the middle of urban Kansas City. He talked a little about the challenges of racial reconciliation in his congregation. I think the summary was something to this effect: everything they do makes someone a little uncomfortable.

It's funny... I think that church is more on track than any church I've ever attended. It suggests to me that churches want to do the opposite of what they should be doing. If the goal of a church is to make everyone comfortable, how can a church possibly become more Christlike collectively? The goal is unity, and unity is never comfortable.

It saddens me how much of Christian practice seems to be the exact opposite of what it should be.

[Lorrie]

oh my God

I can't help but picture a reggae service - and the videocast message afterward is by ricky using a jamaican accent, "you gotta be saved, mon." Anyone seen Shark Tales - the two reggae jelly fish, "don't worry mon, about a ting, every little ting, is gonna be alright."

oh my . . . .

[Scott in Houston]

NFL Services; Pre-service commentary by Jim Brown, Howie Long, Terry Bradshaw and Jimmy Johnson; it seems like a good idea with the arrival of football season...in the effort not to divide the attention of the avid football fan.

[zalm]

Now you're talking...

Maybe they could have a ticker at the bottom of the screen that could keep the congregation updated on scores throughout the service.

Or, better yet, they could have a ticker at the bottom of the screen that could keep the congregation updated on the service throughout the game.

[Joe]

Breaking News: Jesus throws a long bomb for a ninety yard touchdown! God 1,000 Satan 0.