Thursday, August 27, 2009

The Narcissistic Church

I have been reading from Larry Crab's book "Real Church" and have been challenged by some of his thoughts. I would like to share a quote from his book:

"Who gets Jesus right? Augustine,Perpetua,and Polycarp? Or the church leaders of today who insist that Jesus is committed to making our lives happier by providing us with all the legitimate blessings we want now? Am I content to love God for my sake? Or do I long to love myself for God's sake?

I don't want to burn at the stake, and I really don't think I ever will, but I want a faith that would make me willing to follow Jsesus at any cost. And I want to go to a church that won't give in to my natural appetite to the Chrisitanity to give me blsessings-dependent happiness.

Using God that way prevents me from knowing God in a way that makes my soul healthy and anchors me in joyful hope. A gathering that meets to make people happy in their blessings is not a church. It is a self-help club that feeds a narcissistic spirit of entitlement and dignifies as acceptable (or ignores altogether) the flesh-driven demand for self protection."

Here are my questions. Are we leading narcissistic churches? With our consumer driven, feel good culture what message are we sending in the local church? Are we somehow conveying to our flock that God is Mr Fix-It in the sky?

Maybe we need a good gut check and look at the predominant prayers that go up from are own lives and those we serve?

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