I know a family of really nice people. They are very devout people. The parents read their Bibles and pray. They once attended a nearby church. Now they do not. In fact they do not attend any church at all.
Their daughter became disillusioned by the constant appeal for money. The church recently acquired a huge loan, and though they brought in over two thousand dollars a week, it was not enough. They were told to "Dig deeper." Even a life size plywood figure of Goliath did not appeal to the daughter. She needed more, and no one was able to touch her life.
Instead of serving the congregation, the congregation was expected to serve the church. Cash cows" comes to mind.
They even had to let their youth pastor go. Imagine one of Paul's churches firing their youth pastor!
I imagine the church leadership saying, "We have a wonderful physical plant, with a sound system second to none. Our highly paid music director provides you with great contemporary music with a nifty rhythm section.
"An now you want the truth! We tell you every week that you are saved by grace--a doctrine taught by Augustine in the third century and rediscovered by Luther in the fifteen hundreds. That should be enough. Further truth only divides people, and we don't want that."
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