The God of the Pragmatic
Every time we write another story on the Gospel for Asia debacle (or any other religious scandal) someone objects in the comments.
“What about all the good that has been done”?
At that moment they bow the knee to the God of pragmatism.
The ideology of much of American corporate Christianity is not biblical…it is a reflection of the syncretism of American folk mythology and Christianity.
It is borrowed from the foundation of capitalism and the corporate canon, not the pages of Scripture.
The goal is not to just “make disciples”, but to be “successful” according to the creeds of the culture.
Success according to that standard is measured by numbers and dollars, not souls saved or sins repented of.
Thus, if you are truly “making disciples” but you are not doing so in a manner that results in volume and cash, you have failed.
Conversely, if you are not really “making disciples” but you have volume in numbers and cash, you are successful.
The “Gospel” is a product that is both sold and paid for by the consumer.
The bottom line is not spiritual, but carnal, and must be capable of being measured.
Blessed are the successful, for they will speak at our next conference.
This is faith of the god of the pragmatic.
Because the god of the pragmatic delights only in the bottom line, that line must be protected.
Those who might be harmed in the process are collateral damage, sacrifices made to an insatiable god.
People are measured by their worth to the goal, not because they have intrinsic value.
The end always justifies the means…the product must be sold and volume must increase through any means necessary.
The “successful” are always counted as good.
Nobody should ever listen to a failure.
The god of the pragmatic is not pleased with failures.
They hurt the brand.
The brand is god.
We worship many gods in this country…
Michael,
Keep preachin’ this. While this is nothing new, it needs to be yelled from the rooftops in this country and in the world.
Far too many churches, big and small, are nothing more than a business masquerading as a church.
However, as you and many others remind us, though, there are some serious churches doing the Lord’s work.
This is part of my next book…it’s going to be my final word on these matters.
The question I keep asking, is why this church in India needs American dollars. At this point, they have enough money to evangelize the whole country. Not to mention, that the Indian church is quite capable of being self-supporting.
If they need some money for specific projects, that would be fine. But just sending millions and millions of dollars to GfA without any accountability is just asinine.
Michael,
Looking forward to that book. We are def. Kindred spirits on this issue. For years, I have argued that too much of the church has not taken the Great Commission in the way Jesus intended it, to teach and make disciples.
Instead, it has been about the celeb pastor or the all the latest toys and gadgets for the flock, or the newest and greatest big building, or worse, just a large crowd in an ex-NBA arena (Yeah, I went there and you know who is the pastor, Mr. Shiny teeth and big smile.)
Keep up the great work Michael. Don’t lose the focus. Our Lord is using you and this platform and the books.
Despite all this growth nonsense, I can’t help but think about Jesus who had a traitor (who was the treasurer, hmmmm nice coincidence, hey) with Him and a large group of hangerson that eventually left, as well. Not really a great model of capitalism there (not that that system is bad, just saying). Our Lord’s bride is not something that can be bought and sold, neither the Gospel, as well. Just ask the money changers, twice!
OCDan,
Capitalism is great as a political theory…not as a spiritual ideology.
Christianity would fail as a product if presented in truth.
It’s hard to sell people on a ideology that is founded on life springing from death…
wonderful reasoning, Michael… God keep you safe in His care now
i remember when … 🙂
what i saw (or think i did) – this all began with the best of intentions in the 1950s… Madison Avenue was making a new religion out of consumerism… and, it was, to a great extent, not the churches themselves, but para church endeavors that said, ‘lets beat them at their own game’ … we had Young Life, whose evangelizing m.o. was to go after the H.S. leaders and the rest would follow, InterVarsity did a good job of making Christianity appeal to college students, Billy Graham was promoted in Los Angeles as the Hollywood glamor crowd responded and there were others… they all did a good work to a greater or lesser degree – perhaps this was a harvest used by God, … perhaps… but what Michael is addressing now is the end result… a monster of exploitation – and a generation of Christians whose faith is real, but truly is shallow and based on feelings and materialism, not on a knowledge of God – study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed… we’ve lost the ability to be ashamed, let alone be jealous for the integrity of a Holy God
Em,
You nailed it…
Another Epic post Michael!
Perhaps the Lord Himself might even quote you from this one on judgment day???
🙂
oaccg,
I just need to make sure I’m quoting Him now… 🙂
At the last conference I attended, one of the stories we were told resonated with everyone who heard it.
If Dread is reading, he may have to correct me: David Ruis was telling us about a friend of his from India? Nepal? who came to visit here with him. David’s friend told him when he was leaving that the issues facing Christianity in his home country were nothing next to the demon we face here: materialism.
In this man’s opinion, it was more than the elephant in the room. It is a dominating characteristic and dangerous.
You nailed it Michael. I would add that not only is pragmatism borrowed from capitalistic philosophy, I would say in the church it is also manifested as a hybrid between mysticism and rationalism that can be packaged and sold. Many will object that many souls are being saved and sins are being repented of simple because of their alter calls, etc… This is their pragmatism saying that they must be doing things right but its based many times by their cult like tactics of emotional conditioning (i.e benny Hinn) and of course its all rationalized by ever thing they do.
Far too many times have I heard people dismiss CC’s gaping ethical shortcomings with “Yeah, but they teach the Word”.