like a fire

Right now, and for the foreseeable future, the church is the friend of affirmation but the enemy of contentment.

All evidence for the church in America points to the fact that people are looking for affirmation. Look at all the mega-churches that speak to this desire with the gospel of feeling good about yourself. I won’t name names, but you can fill in the blanks. It has become apparent that Americans want to feel good and that they would rather be accepted than known. It’s a short term fix of course, but there are always other mega churches out there to become co-dependant with.

Me? Afraid?
I have been smacked in the face with the fear of man. I see it in myself and just about every other human I know. We are driven by hiding the things that we see about ourselves that don’t measure up. There are different rulers out there, but we all have them. This fear drives us to hide. It makes us want to free ourselves through passification/affirmation. It is rampant in churches across the globe, but I think especially prevalent here in the U.S.

Don’t want to be a Christian idiot
The problem with this fear and hiding is that affirmation won’t do anything but numb our sense of fear and distract us from the ruler. The depth in which we need to face our fears is a hard, painful and very uncomfortable process. It requires learning what our fear is, owning it, and seeing how we were created for so much more. I really believe that God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear, but I don’t see much help dealing with it from the church. That would require a reality that most people are unwilling to face. Not that all churches are doing this wrong. There are some great ones out there. My concern is that most people really do want to be ignorant Christians so that they don’t have to face themselves.

OK, now what?
I’m not sure that I know what the solution to this situation in America’s churches. I know that it isn’t in dumbing down, but it can’t be elitist either. A church that insists that it is better because they have dealt with their fears would be just as bad, if not worse. Is there some way to appeal to people’s desire for affirmation and compel them into seeing their need for healing that only comes through struggle?

Is this what the Bible refers to working out your faith with fear and trembling? If so, how does the church call people into this kind of community and how does it continue?