Men with Chests

” For centuries the Church stood solidly against every form of worldly entertainment, recognizing it for what it was – a device for wasting time, a refuge from the disturbing voice of conscience, a scheme to  divert attention from moral accountability.  For this she got herself abused roundly by the sons of this world.  But of late she has become tired of the abuse and has given over the struggle.  She appears to have decided that if she cannot conquer the great god Entertainment she may as well join forces with him and make what use she can of his powers.  So today we have an astonishing spectacle of millions of dollars being poured into the in holy job of providing earthly entertainment for the so-called sons of heaven.  Religious entertainment is in many places rapidly crowding out the serious things of God.   Many churches these days have become little more than poor theaters where fifth-rate “producers” peddle their shoddy wares with the full approval of evangelical leaders who can even quote holy text in defense of their delinquency.  And hardly a man dares raise his voice against it.”

~ A. W. Tozer, “The Root Of The Righteous”, (Harrisburg, PA, Christian Publications, 1955), pg.32-33

While Tozer was speaking of the influences of the world in the church in 1955, it may seem difficult to see his concerns in light of today’s so-called  “seeker-sensitive” churches or “missional churches” who have so “engaged” the culture, that it is difficult to separate the world from the church.

In the end, the deadly seriousness of the Gospel has been trivialized, and minimalized, as we have become more interested in meeting the felt needs of the audience.  The audience is now sovereign, not the Lord Jesus Christ and propositional truth born from the Scriptures.  Tozer saw entertainment becoming the primary tool used for outreach.  He rightly feared that the evangelical church was replacing the frivolous and the carnal for the supremacy of the clear preaching of the Word of God and the worship of the saints of God was becoming a spectator sport.  Like Spurgeon, Tozer feared the “down grading” of the church which would leave us with only a shell, devoid of sound doctrine and lofty worship where Christ would be seen and worshiped as supremely holy and the only sovereign of our lives.

Sadly, worldly pragmatism for the sake of church growth and perceived ministry success has replaced our reliance upon the  ministry of the convincing and convicting power of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8). It is easier for us to manufacture counterfeit growth than to wait on the movement of the regenerating ministry of the Spirit of God (Titus 3:5; John 3:5-6) as the church supplicates in fervent prayer and as separated witnesses ( I Peter 3:15) in obedient reliance as planters and sowers ( 1 Corinthians 3:7-8).  The latter requires a church of faith while the former looks to that which man, can and likes to do.

- Michael Holtzinger