Why Simplicity?

I admit to being an extremist in one respect: I don't like waste. I don't like when I see it in the church; I don't like when I see it in my own life.

And I believe that a consistent part of being a Christian is to live simply. While it's true that God makes both rich and poor, it is a mistake to believe that money is your own. You are at best a steward, and you WILL be held accountable for how you handle God's investments.

The evangelical church is moving closer and closer to being like the pre-Reformation Catholic church in reality, if not in name. People of power and position are given preference in the church, and, rather than raise up ministers to meet the needs of the flock, we exalt ministers with a charismatic bent to a lofty position and build up their churches. And we turn away from ministry anyone who has the ability but doesn't have the salesmanship. Church has become a business, and it costs a good deal of money to support those ministries.

The truth is, this is NOT what was intended. Yes, we can look at Jewish tradition as far as buildings are concerned, but if you are comparing ANY modern church building to the temple, you are not well versed in theology. The truth is, the very simple yet profound act of the curtain being torn in two upon the death of Christ illustrates why that analogy is inaccurate: because the Temple simply is NOT part of the New Covenant. This is because the Temple was a type of Christ.

When Jesus sent out His disciples, He sent them out with nothing (Luke 9:3). There was no fancy dress, and if we're acting in accordance with Jesus' teachings, there wouldn't be an emphasis on sound, lights, and essentially trying to replicate a rock concert on a Sunday morning service. Now, I've had the debate on projectors, and I can reluctantly agree that IF the purchase of a computer and a projector does not impede the ministry, it's not an outrageous choice, because, as a pastor friend of mine has pointed out, it does urge the congregation to look up, and actually SING. It would be better if they knew all the words in the hymnal, as used to be the norm, but we can't lament the cultural relics of the past.

Today's church often consists of simulcasts and video teaching. Contrast this with Jesus' teaching methods, which encouraged questions, encouraged interaction. Any teacher will tell you that you can only accomplish so much. Simplicity allows the ministers to interact with their congregation, and through the questions that the congregants ask, it can be much easier to identify the needs.

But the main reason simplicity is important is because many churches have made the gospel secondary. Positions in the church are often given to the wealthiest, using the rationale that they are better stewards of their money (that's often not the case, but it is the perception in our culture). The truth is, if a major contributor to the church's finances was caught in a major scandal, it would be difficult for the church to confront them, because a good number of pastors would be unwilling to risk the financial stability of their church by offending the contributor.

To be fair, most pastors that I know personally would not hesitate to speak out, but I have also known a few personally who HAVE failed to speak out -- and watched as the actions of those individuals ultimately affected and destroyed their congregations. It's not pretty.

The truth is, for a Christian, the GOSPEL is what is important. Not programs, not multimedia, not a worship team. If those are an impedance to proper worship, they should be removed. And if the cost to maintain them causes the church to neglect serious needs in the community, they should be done away with. Our call is primarily to those outside the church, after all, NOT those inside of it.

I know there are those who will argue my point, and they will do so with elegance. But as Christians, we must face the fact that our slavish devotion to the things of this world is a compromise that is seriously destroying the church. The majority of Christians I know (and I've been guilty of this myself from time to time) can quote more lines from their favorite movie than they can from Scripture. That is a tragedy.

Let's try to stop serving mammon so much, and focus on what's important. That's where true religion begins!