Purchasing spirituality at the on-line store...

This is one of those posts that's been hanging around as a draft for awhile. In the tradition blogging it is a rant... so be warned, What follows is off the cuff and somewhat loose. Here it goes...

If my memory serves me well the straw that broke the camel's back for Martin Luther was when he got ticked off at Johann Tetzel roaming around the countryside selling indulgences with the catchy phrase, "When the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs." Martin was rightly concerned that Tetzel and his ilk where misleading a lot of folk, leading them to believe that the right spirituality depened on buying the right products.

Now, I realize, that the world was an extremely complex place when all this was happening. The printing press was changing the way information got distributed. Nation-States were on the rise and the Holy Roman Empire was feeling the heat. Money, politics and spirituality created a volatile mix. The root of all evil is the love of money and there was a lot of love for it for going around. The church needed it to keep the building programs on track. Political leaders needed it to establish their armies so the could extend their empires. As far as the Reformers were concerned some things needed to get untangled.

In some ways not much has changed. As always the world is extremely complex spirituality, politics and money create strange alliances. Some of the most startling things I see are the integrated programs that are offered by a host of Christan leaders. It seems to me that a system has developed that is driven by the consumer mentality that says, "Our spiritual success is based on the application of the principles and practices espoused by __________________. Fill in the blank with any one of many leaders.

This mentality cuts across all forms of church. We become defined by the conferences we attend and the books and blogs we read. I don't think the problem is a leadership thing. Most of the folks who lead big ministries with huge budgets and lots of staff and lots of products are God fearing humble people. None will say, "We set out to build an empire." No, they were just followed a well worn path. They just wanted to meet the needs of the customer. The blogosphere is not immune to this. The money factor many or may not come into play but if you want to see the traffic you need to give the world the content they're looking for.

Yes, for those who are following the logic of this rant I've just pulled the chair out from under me...

So what am I getting at?

Just like at the time of the Reformation I think we've confused true faith and true spirituality with buying into the right program.

One of the ugly by products of this mentality and one of the main reasons I'm ranting is the is the good willed attempts of ministries (most originating in the USA but not all) that seek to apply their "principles" in France. I just don't get it.

Maybe we need to stop looking for the next best book or conference or Christian leader.

Maybe we could ask that all Christian self-help books carry a warning label like those on cigarette packs. Something like, "Blind obedience to the methods in this book does not guarantee success." That's weak, I'm sure some clever people out there could come up with some good warnings with some deliciously cynical mock covers...

Maybe there are a lot of leaders feeling a ton of pressure to get it right. Things got to grow, people got to change, I got to stay in control. Maybe they need to be freed from that bondage.

Maybe a lot of folks are feeling woefully inadequate because after reading the right book or attending the right conference things haven't gotten better.

Maybe we should think twice both individually and corporately before we buy into the next big thing and just get on with what God has given us to do. Act with justice, love mercy, walk humbly with him. We have received in order to give. We are blessed to be a blessing. May God's kingdom come, God's will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Comments

[gg]

"Solutions in book are larger than they appear."

gg

[Matt]

Wow, I've never had a discussion develop in my comments. Thanks guys.

As I've read the comment I've been thinking how easily emotional strength and stability is misconstrued as a mark of spirituality. As if Jesus' word about serving out of weakness really didn't matter...

Somehow I think we are going to be overwhelmingly surprised when we see Jesus face to face. What we counted as important will seem inconsequent. Those who were marginalized and left on the side will be seen as those who walked closely with Christ.

Those who had no voice and still followed the way, those who truly wept with those who wept will find a welcome at that time they never had.

We see little of what really matters and so much that doesn't gets the headlines. Our hope is that one day, Christ will make all right.

[Paul]

Definitely, Nicole. I'm afraid I was all too easily influenced by the polished, perfected humility (if you know what I mean), well-timed, Spirit-led (yet finishing on schedule) approach. Unfortunately for me, life intervened and suddenly I found myself in need of some acceptance, forgiveness and reconciliation from the very same people that I'd shared 'centre-stage' with, as it were. Needless to say, a complete non-believer, preferably from a minority group, is more acceptable in the 'emerging church' than a fellow believer who is going through a hard time. Cynical? Maybe. Realistic? In my experience, definitely.

[Nicole]

Here's another question? To what extent are our expectations of leadership defined by our cultural perspective? (or what are they defined by?) I ask this because I myself am not at all drawn to the 'Alpha Male' leadership to which you are referring. I am not attracted to a polished, perfect style, program, sermon, approach or personality, where the empahsis seems to be on the outside appearances - getting bigger, behaving better or whatever. I find that I can't relate to this style of leadership - I'm certainly not polished or perfect, and if you take one look at my life you will see many flaws and imperfections, so I simply feel intimidated and, to be honest, skeptical, of this approach. I suppose my question is: why don't I want to follow/become like these people, yet so many around me seem so taken in by it all?

[Paul]

Yeah, it seems that a lot of church leadership consists of 'spiritual' Gilderoy Lockharts!

[Ali Campbell]

No Paul, they probably wouldn't - but our "Alpha male" leadership only listen to other alpha male leaders, and then, only to those who have larger churches than them, or have written more books. I'm going to far with this, but a well known leader recently had a book published about "grace" - the beginning of the book has the leader/author reflecting on a time he was signing copies of his books! I didn't get past the prologue . . . Christ was exalted by God, in part, because of his humility - if only this was the most saught after character trait of Jesus!

[Paul]

Just a question - how would the likes of Henri Nouwen fare if he entered one of the churches following the latest, greatest thing, and dared to confess his inadequacies, his fears, his doubts - would he be seen as a potential leader? Or would he be pigeon-holed into one of the many boxes for 'back-sliders', 'worldly Christians', 'unbelievers' or quite possibly 'insane'? I would hazard a guess that the church leadership wouldn't be rushing to base their next programme of events on what he had to say.

[Richard Sudworth]

Ca marche pas! Je n'ai pas les opportunites de pratiquer...peut-etre c'est evident. Always good to come across your stuff and recognise a practioner concerned to do real contextual mission; especially where that concerns the beautiful context of France

[Nicole]

It's interesting that Ali mentions Henri Nouwen in his comment, I was actually thinking of Nouwen myself as I read your 'rant'. I thought of Nouwen because when I first discovered his books a few years ago they were the first spiritual books that I had ever read that I really connected with and that truly impacted me, and I think it was precisely because he wasn't selling a formula, providing answers or promising he could give you the secret to a healthy spiritual life (or whatever); but just honestly sharing his heart. After I read Nouwen I started to realise that the reason that I had never really connected with many other spiritual/christian books I had read was because the formulas/answers/programs never worked for me. Maybe it's because I'm European and much of the Christian material I have access to is North American and therefore from a different perspective; or maybe it's just because I'm a bad person:)!!

[Ali Campbell]

Yeah good rant, I'm going to advocate all that you have said and direct all those that visit my blog here - YOUR principles are the ones I am going to follow in my ministry, that way lies the success that I crave! Seriously, if we had fewer Alpha Males leading "big" ministries who needed to be in control of everything . . . . . it is God's Kingdom but "many are called and few are chosen" - they deffinitely see themselves as among the chosen . . . . . . and maybe a few more leaders with the heart of people like Henri Nouwen, see "In the name of Jesus", reflections on Christian leadership.

[jonny]

nice rant...

[Lev]

Good one!
"We become defined by the conferences we attend and the books and blogs we read" - and then fail to see any good or God outside of that (or at least that's the trap many seem to fall into).