TEFLON CHURCHIANITY..?

American Teflon Churchianity & the Koinonia Deprivation Syndrome:The 30-Story Orange Juice Machine That Gives One Cup a Month

Is society being flim-flammed by an 'urban religious myth' that minimalizes being transformed by the Holy Spirit in Christ, and meaningful Chriistian fellowship--and maximizes simply showing up at a steeple box..?

Is it a religious myth that just 'church attendance' constitutes--or will provide--the meaningful fellowship, 'koinonia', and biblical assembling together needed in order to survive and thrive as a member of the community of the redeemed..?

1. Can just 'going to a church' fail to heal Koinonia Deprivation Syndrome (KDS), social alienation, loneliness, touch-deprivtion (God-to Man--or Man-to-Man)--or meet Christ's healing manifesto regarding Himself based on Isaiah 61:1-3..? (Notice that Jesus and Paul did not go to the synagogue for fellowship.)

2. Can just 'going to church' generally be viewed as a tribal custom and (essentially secular) pop-cultural practice which brings with it as many problems as the solutions it claims to offer..?

3. 'Going to church', in the experience of many, appears often to be no more than a 'bait 'n switch' operation--offering faux caring, saccharine compasion, (brochure only) promises of a 'touching experience', non-intimate rapport, wax apple empathy, platonic understanding, touted spiritual empowerment, giving-based relational friendship, and (conditional) help in times of need--in exchange for a suck-up-to-the-government-tax-deductible contribution in the plate--or, especially, large pledges during fund drives.

4. 'Going to church', apparently in the experience of many, places the naive 'seeker' in the presence and manipulative control of social charmers, religious salesmen, ecclesiastical politicians, the Apostate Church, pop-cultural religiosity, mega or emergent church group-think, the manipulation of lighting, music, 'give-more-do-more' pressure, the intrusive indignity of steeple-box pulpit-pontification and (albeit often subtle) crowd-control.

5. Simply 'going to church' may, like a God ISP, offer biblical teaching of Christian ideals (but more like a fast-food McMinistry)--while omitting authentically empathetic rapport and support-system fellowship. Could the lonely-in-a-crowd individual be kept offline without the essential 'Kingdom passWord'--to real life fellowship in Christ? Are most steeple boxes simply filled with e deer-caught-in-the-headlights pew-sitters..?

6. Is there a "life coaching" solution..? I believe part of the KDS solution lies in training each 'new creature in Christ' to begin building his/her own effective fellowship milieu (psycho-support system). Each new (or older) Christian believer must be helped to build his/her own (at least 10 to 12) koinonia group of (wise-elder-to-younger) stable, sane, Bible-studious, serioulsy-devoted-to-Christ friends--and meet regularly for fellowship, prayer, and sharing--and not be seduced into Teflon Churchianity a its used-car-salesmen subsidiaries, and (not the Father's) 'business of religion'.

(excerrpt: unpublished work-in-progress)
American Teflon Churchianity & Koinonia Deprivation Syndrome Copyright 2008 by Philip C. Brewer All Rights Reserved