Mike Adams in an online column titled ‘Searching for Bonhoeffer’ tells of his trip through 22 states and several mega-churches. He found a watered down gospel message that wasn’t satisfying anyone’s thirst.
“…the one thing that has started to change in the mega-church is the message. What once was a slightly watered-down seeker-friendly version of the Gospel is now a slightly Gospel-flavored bucket of water. And it’s not enough to quench the thirst of the masses.”
He recounts such foolishness as the announcement of a Bible Study class that might not have answers but “just want(s) to start a conversation.” Then there was the church that “doesn’t focus on doctrine. We focus on hope.” And the one that said “If Christianity is to survive in the 21st century, everything about it must change.” Some of his conclusions:
By watering down their message to be even more seeker-friendly, today’s mega-churches are not going to achieve their crass objective: To avoid offending people in order to keep their numbers up (read: Keep the money flowing) and eventually pay their mortgage down. Instead, their gains with seekers and the easily offended will be offset by their losses among those who are farther along in their walks and, hence, more traditional in their beliefs. This is consequential because the traditionalist, not the liberal Christian or the seeker, is always the first one to open his wallet.