Light Brings Salt
Volume 3, Issue 06 February 6, 2005
Dedicated to the Systematic Exposition of the Word of God
Consumer Christianity
T. A. McMahon
What do I mean by consumer Christianity? Generally, it is any attempt to build the
More specifically related to what's taking place today,
consumer Christianity is an endeavor to help Christian churches grow in size
and become more effective through the application of business principles,
marketing strategies, and management concepts. It characterizes the most
popular venture in Christendom today, which should seem rather odd, if not
disturbing, to anyone who has an understanding of both "consumerism"
and "Christianity." Why? Because these terms are
antagonistic to one another.
Consumerism in the business sense is a concept based upon
customer satisfaction, which is the key to any successful commercial
enterprise. The product or service must be tailored to the wants and perceived
needs of the customer, or there is no sustainable profit. The consumer rules,
because where there is no customer, there is no profit and, therefore, no
business. God rules in biblical Christianity.
It is His revelation to humanity regarding "all things that pertain unto
life and godliness" (2 Pt 1:3).
Simply put, biblical Christianity encompasses all that is necessary for
mankind to know and do in order to be reconciled to Him, to please Him daily,
and to live with Him for all eternity.
It is not a business endeavor and, in fact, has no relationship to
business or its associated marketing concepts.
Any attempt to enhance the practice of biblical
Christianity by means of business principles is, at best, adding futile
methodologies to God's Word. At worst, such an attempt rejects the sufficiency
of the Scriptures in favor of works of the flesh, quenches the Holy Spirit, and
subjects one to the deceptions of, the service of, and in the end, the bondage
of the god of this world. In any case, it leads to spiritual destruction in the
church and has eternal consequences.
Consumer Christianity is at the heart of the church-growth
movement, and its deadly effect is found among all denominations (as well as
pseudo-Christian cults). Many
evangelical churches have committed themselves wholeheartedly to a marketing
approach aimed primarily at attracting the lost, who
are viewed as potential customers. As unbelievers attend the church and mix
with new and long-standing members, the consumer concept unavoidably spreads to
the entire congregation. This inevitably effects the preaching, music, Sunday School programs, etc., which in turn produces a biblical
shallowness throughout the congregation.
More often than not, the business approach has been
successful in adding numbers to a church. Tens of thousands of pastors across
the
Is consumerism supported by the Scriptures? Did God shape
His Gospel to gratify the worldly desires of humanity? Are there some things in the Bible that
should be strategically avoided in order not to put off "potential"
believers? Does God's Word reflect a
concern that people might take their "business" elsewhere if their
felt needs aren't being met? Does the
Bible tell us to make the truth more acceptable by feeding it to the lost in
diluted or entertaining forms? And is it really the gospel that saves if it's
altered to cater to non-Christians? If
any believer even remotely thinks so, I fear that the thinking of the world has
grievously influenced his understanding of the Bible.
Certainly, pastors ought to know better, yet in most cases
where consumerism has infected a church, they have been instrumental in
implementing it. The pastors to whom I am referring here, and am most concerned
about, are those who consider themselves to be biblical, who sincerely want to
see souls saved, and who honestly want to fulfill their calling and ministry in
a way that is pleasing to God. How could such a shepherd of the sheep be drawn
into consumer Christianity? The process
often develops subtly. Let's say a pastor loves his church members and wants
them to be happy. He also wants them to grow spiritually, and he is always
looking for ways for new sheep to be added to his flock. When conflicts arise or growth expectations
are not realized, solutions to such problems are often sought from others who
have been seemingly successful regarding those issues. The recommended remedies
almost always involve some form of accommodation.
For example, a very common church conflict today is that
of different tastes in music, which is usually resolved by establishing
separate services-one with traditional hymns and one featuring contemporary
songs. As that alteration seems to satisfy most members, many pastors are
encouraged to add more souls to their church by combining the attraction of
contemporary music with seeker-sensitive (appealing and non-threatening)
messages presented in a convenient and casual Saturday evening service. Innovative programs are then formulated to
sustain the interest of would-be converts and motivate the rarely active church
members, with particular emphasis on entertaining activities to attract the
youth and keep them coming.
Pastors tell me that they reluctantly glean ideas from the
world in order to compete with the world that they might reach the lost in
order to save them from the world. They're aware of the irony of that approach
but argue that it's the only way to avoid preaching to empty pews. The
preaching, by the way, is often shortened and supplemented by visuals, skits,
and music productions. This is a path
that, though seemingly harmless at first, leads to the broad road of consumer
Christianity. Although we empathize with pastors who feel compelled (some even
coerced by church politics) to go down that thoroughfare, it is paved with
biblical compromises and headed for a spiritual dead end.
This church-growth enterprise is hardly new to Christianity. It is a chronicle of doing things man's way
rather than God's way. Fourth century Emperor Constantine has yet to be equaled
in successful strategies for "growing the church." He professed to
have become a Christian and induced half of the
One millennium later, Martin "Luther saw and felt
[religious]
Consumer Christianity has never been a one-way affair. It
takes both a deal maker and a deal taker. Tetzel, the
sixteenth-century Dominican monk and the "P.T. Barnum" of the sale of indulgences, was a
master manipulator. Even so, his job was made all the easier by
"indulging" the self-serving natures of his Catholic customers. Both
rich and poor alike were willing to pay anything to avoid the flames of Hell
and Purgatory.
Protestantism has had its own share of both spiritual
rip-off artists and consumers ripe for the picking. Whereas Tetzel's
"fund raising" was instrumental in building St. Peter's in
During the last fifty years, those most susceptible to the
schemes of religious charlatans were professing Christians who had an
affinity for spiritual experiences rather than sound doctrine. They were
usually found among the Pentecostals and Charismatics. Most thoughtful,
doctrine-conscious Christians seemed to be immune to the "seed faith"
come-ons of an Oral Roberts or the blasphemous "Holy Spirit" power
displays of a Benny Hinn, two leaders among a host of
other "signs and wonders" promoters.
However, spiritual gullibility has found fertile soil-or,
more pointedly, a widening swamp-among those who traditionally have fostered
biblical discernment. Although the seductive methodologies are slightly
different, the basis for an effective spiritual deception is the same: no
Christians, evangelical or otherwise, are impervious to "...all that is in
the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life..." (1 Jn
2:16). Furthermore, the only safeguard against such deception-the reading of
and obedience to the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit-is being
systematically diluted throughout the evangelical church.
Church history has demonstrated the necessity of adhering
to God's Word; when that takes place, holiness and fruitfulness follow. When
biblical Christianity is adulterated (by adding the methods of men) or
abandoned altogether, man's religious distortions prevail, leading the
professing church into spiritual anemia and blindness: "There is a way
which seems right unto a man, but the
end thereof are the ways of death" (Prov 14:12). There is also a
correlation between the depth of a church's reliance upon the Scriptures and
its acceptance of heretical beliefs and practices. As a church reaches a
shallow state with regard to biblical understanding, the ability of its members
to discern false teaching becomes practically impossible.
Consumer Christianity's most deadly effect is what it does
to the presentation of the gospel of salvation, the only hope a person has to
be reconciled to God. It is nearly always a subtle sales
pitch featuring all the wonderful things God has for mankind: He loves them so
much and desires to have them spend eternity with Him, and they are significant
and of infinite worth. This then becomes the reason for Christ's sacrifice on
the cross. That mixture of truths and self-indulging distortions is followed by
a brief "sinner's prayer" being repeated by those who were persuaded
by the enticing offer. This method has become so commonplace that it's difficult
for some Christians to recognize any problem, let alone realize how misleading
it is with regard to a person truly being saved.
How so? Let's start with someone who is genuinely saved
and work backwards. Everyone who is born again by the Spirit of God has a new
heart, one filled with God's love, for Him and for others, as well as for His
teachings. He or she is a new creation, and although not perfect in these
things, there resides within that person a heart that desires to please God
rather than self. One explicit example
of this is found in Luke 7:36-50, involving the woman of sinful reputation who
entered the home of Simon the Pharisee, where Jesus was invited to dine. She
washed His feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, and kissed them repeatedly.
Jesus declared of her that she loved much because she was forgiven much.
These passages teach how essential conviction of sin is in
coming to Christ. The self-righteous and self-serving Pharisee had little or no
conviction of sin and
therefore sought no forgiveness. The woman, on the other hand,
gave no thought to herself or the disdain with which she was regarded by the
dinner guests. Her thankfulness that Jesus would and did cleanse her of her
sins compelled her to die to self and live for Him.
The gospel
according to consumer Christianity, on the other hand, must make its appeal to
self, emphasizing things (both true and distorted) that meet the felt needs of
the lost. This seriously restricts all but a hint of any biblical doctrines
that would bring about conviction of sin. What's the problem? Jesus came to
save sinners, not consumers.
Note: Article excerpted from the Berean
Call newsletter.