What We Believe

An insightful sociologist researched religion in the United States and found what many believe to be a highly watered down form of Christianity. He called it “a narcissistic, pragmatic, therapeutic moralism.”

Think it through with me.

Pragmatic: “It’s got to work for me. Answered prayers, money in my bank account, kids who behave, divine healing….”

Narcissistic: “It’s all about me. My kind of church. My kind of music. My kind of God designed to meet my needs…..”

Therapeutic: “Yes, fix me! Fix my divorce! Fix my career. Give me my best life now!”

And, moralism: “I’m as good as the next person. So I get to go to heaven, right?”

A.W. Tozer once asked, “How many people would come to our church if our only attraction was God?” Indeed! We attract people with fun, rock concert music, programs, a clean building, our kind of people, a Disney youth program—-but the Gospel calls us to give up so much of this to become disciples. And that is why we’re doing a great job drawing a crowd, and a poor job making Christ-like disciples.

We’ve simply become users. Consumers. Entitled believers. Instead of Christians.

Mother Teresa was asked how she came to be involved in social work. “I didn’t get involved in social work. I got involved in worship.”

You see, it is in regular worship that one becomes aware of God—-praise, confession, gratitude, hearing His word, shaping our lives by His truth and Spirit and sacrament. Then opening our eyes to the world. And going out to serve as teachers, doctors, and citizens.

This is the revival I pray to see. To transfer our hope from self to Jesus. To be filled with God’s goodness. And to go share that goodness in a hurting world.

The Reverend Stephen Crotts is pastor of Village Presbyterian Church in Charlotte Court House, VA. He is also the director of the Carolina Study Center, Inc., a campus ministry, located in Chapel Hill, NC. Pastor Crotts may be reached at carolinastudycenter@msn.com.