So my daughter’s Kia decided to throw a rod through the lower case on the way home from work the other day, resulting in a loud bang, a small car fire, and the need to go car shopping.   As we perused our local news paper, we found a large Ford Dealership in East Wichita offering a 2010 Ford Focus for only $8999.  The ad said you needed to be a college student for that pricing, which she is, but still I had my doubts.  So I called.  ‘Yes’, I was reassured, ‘that ad is accurate’.  I asked if they had any in stock and was told they had many.  So off we went to buy a new car.  Two hours of test driving and waiting for the salesperson to ‘confer with his manager’ later, we are presented with a piece of paper that has three numbers on it.  $16,999 for the car, a $3000 ‘discount’ since I am such a nice guy, for a final price of $13,999.  ‘What about the $8999 that you advertised in the paper,’ I ask?  ‘That was just a single car, we only sell one at that price and it has been gone for days now. We just offer those large discounts to bring customers in.’  Needless to say, we left the Ford dealer, more than a little disappointed, with a real sense that we had been had.

I understand their need to get our attention and try to get us in the door, but it just seems … well, kinda crooked, doesn’t it?  Unfortunately, I have often seen the same type of practice in the Church.  We invite others in to our events, trying as hard as we can to convince them that it will all be fun and games, that Jesus is really just a good-ole boy like anyone else.  We tell them that Christianity will change their life, and by that we imply that it will change their life for the easier and the more enjoyable.  We offer ‘church’ as a place of great friends, regular ‘clean’ entertainment, and social programs oriented specifically to their needs.  And so they come.  I mean, who wouldn’t?

It doesn’t take long however, once in those ornate doors, to realize that all is not as advertised. The church expects something out of you.  Back stabbing and hurt feelings are just as common inside the walls as outside of them, and Jesus, while truly being a best friend, has also called you to stand with him in a great battle.  It’s really not about your comfort, you find out, but rather about your giving of yourself to a greater cause.  And if you do (God forbid), end up in one of those places that really does just entertain you and offer social programs, you eventually figure out that the world offers better, and frequently with more substance and meaning than Sunday afternoon potlucks.

Now before everyone starts sending me emails let me assure you that I believe the church should be relevant and contemporary.  I for one don’t really enjoy singing 500 year old hymns.  I also believe that it should be social.  Some of my best friends and memories are in churches.  However, I fear that much of the crisis that we have in the American Christian church today stems from the fact that we have failed to explain to our next generation what following Jesus really means.  We have failed to be totally honest in our ‘ads’, fearing that if they knew the truth, they would never come in. We may be right. But wouldn’t it be better to let them decide, knowing the truth, rather than risking them walking away feeling as if they had been had, vowing never to come back again?

We found a car by the way. We went down the street to a dealer that listed a no-haggle price in the car window.  It wasn’t the super low price of the newspaper ad, but it was a fair price.  No pressure, no manipulation, just the truth.  Nice idea.

To the King,

David