Step Right Up!
I don't have a problem with the idea of evangelism.
If you have a faith that you believe in, that gives your life some kind of meaning, then it only makes sense that you'd want to share that with people you care about. Duh.
And, if you're the kind of person that believes in eternal damnation, then of course you're going to want to save as many people as possible from THAT, whether you know them or not.
But sometimes it becomes a numbers game. How MANY people can you recruit? How many can you convince to pray this prayer? How many can you get to show up at your church on Sunday morning? Faith as consumer product that needs to be packaged and marketed.
When that happens, well . . . that's when I have a problem.
Over the years, Christians have employed some pretty interesting recruiting tactics. The "gay agenda" (and please hear all the sarcasm in that phrase) ain't got nothing on us. There's Hell House, where, during Halloween, you can see such horror scenes as a gay marriage, a late-term abortion, premarital sex, and occult sacrifice . . . all declared by Satan to be of his making. There's a scene set in hell, and finally, another in heaven, where all are invited to pray a prayer of salvation. There's Heaven's Gates/Hell's Flames, a dramatic production that's for you if you feel that your "church growth has stalled or your congregation is becoming complacent."
But, what really prompted this post is the poster I saw tonight at the gym for the Power Team. I went to one of these events when I was little. All I remember was that it was in a big auditorium. Huge men, with bulgy muscles, performed feats of strength and talked about Jesus. Scaring people into conversion . . . well, I have a major problem with that. But winning them by feats of strength such as "breaking baseball bats like twigs, bending horseshoes & steel bars, crushing concrete walls, [and ripping] phone books like pieces of paper" . . . well, that's just hilarious. And a little sad. Because I'm sure Jesus was all about seeing how many boards he could break with his forearm.
But hey, this is what their website promises:
Churches typically average 15 to 25% growth within two weeks following a Power Team crusade and continue to see accelerated growth for up to 18 months with the help of our unique follow-up programs. Every Year, several churches double in attendance within 30 days of hosting an Power Team crusade. Imagine, your church could actually double from having The Power Team crusade! In general, all churches have experienced some growth, and on average, increased their church income over 20% after hosting an crusade.
Yeah, Jesus was all about the 20% church income growth, too.
If you have a faith that you believe in, that gives your life some kind of meaning, then it only makes sense that you'd want to share that with people you care about. Duh.
And, if you're the kind of person that believes in eternal damnation, then of course you're going to want to save as many people as possible from THAT, whether you know them or not.
But sometimes it becomes a numbers game. How MANY people can you recruit? How many can you convince to pray this prayer? How many can you get to show up at your church on Sunday morning? Faith as consumer product that needs to be packaged and marketed.
When that happens, well . . . that's when I have a problem.
Over the years, Christians have employed some pretty interesting recruiting tactics. The "gay agenda" (and please hear all the sarcasm in that phrase) ain't got nothing on us. There's Hell House, where, during Halloween, you can see such horror scenes as a gay marriage, a late-term abortion, premarital sex, and occult sacrifice . . . all declared by Satan to be of his making. There's a scene set in hell, and finally, another in heaven, where all are invited to pray a prayer of salvation. There's Heaven's Gates/Hell's Flames, a dramatic production that's for you if you feel that your "church growth has stalled or your congregation is becoming complacent."
But, what really prompted this post is the poster I saw tonight at the gym for the Power Team. I went to one of these events when I was little. All I remember was that it was in a big auditorium. Huge men, with bulgy muscles, performed feats of strength and talked about Jesus. Scaring people into conversion . . . well, I have a major problem with that. But winning them by feats of strength such as "breaking baseball bats like twigs, bending horseshoes & steel bars, crushing concrete walls, [and ripping] phone books like pieces of paper" . . . well, that's just hilarious. And a little sad. Because I'm sure Jesus was all about seeing how many boards he could break with his forearm.
But hey, this is what their website promises:
Churches typically average 15 to 25% growth within two weeks following a Power Team crusade and continue to see accelerated growth for up to 18 months with the help of our unique follow-up programs. Every Year, several churches double in attendance within 30 days of hosting an Power Team crusade. Imagine, your church could actually double from having The Power Team crusade! In general, all churches have experienced some growth, and on average, increased their church income over 20% after hosting an crusade.
Yeah, Jesus was all about the 20% church income growth, too.
posted by Melanie at 9:30 PM
