Perceptions #200030

"SALAD BAR CHRISTIANITY"

by Monroe Hawley
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

In the August 7 issue of Christianity Today, Charles Colson has a splendid article with the above title. He examines the infiltration of non-Christian teachings into the thinking of "born-again Christians." He cites a Gallup poll that reports that 20% of them believe in reincarnation and 26% in astrology. Focusing on the so-called Baby Boomers, Colson asks, "How can we explain this? Roof (a writer previously quoted) offers one answer: boomers tend to substitute feelings for objective reality, seeking self-centered spirituality over the structured demands of organized religion. With self-fulfillment their standard, they pick and choose, as if at a salad bar, from any belief system that provides comfort or meaning."

Colson continues by showing that some churches are reluctant to confront foreign ideas because of fear that they will scare people away. He points out that the spirit of the age shuns absolutes, and that anyone who dares to challenge foreign ideas may be thought of as bigoted or intolerant. He sums the problem up by quoting a Baptist pastor, "The church has lost the capacity to judge between good and evil, truth and falsehood."

It is definitely true that many people today are searching for religious faith. They aren't sure what they are looking for or where to find it. Naturally they consider what different churches have to offer. Were I in that position, I would do the same thing. The issue is how one goes about conducting that search. The "salad-bar" approach which tries a lot of things to find something that makes one "feel good" is the wrong approach. Jesus didn't always make people feel good. Many times he made people feel down-right uncomfortable because he was ministering to their needs rather than their feelings.

It is true that the Christian should feel good about his faith. The other option is to feel miserable and God never intended that should happen. But one's comfort with his faith must be based on truth rather than on the sensual. My individual "likes" are no substitute for "the truth that makes us free." I'm afraid that some contemporary churches are simply trying to build a bigger "salad-bar" to attract more "customers." This often involves programs more designed to entertain than to edify or strengthen.

The Biblical church should be a community in which the members' minister to one another's spiritual needs rather than becoming a worshipping society catering to the wants of those who wish to feel good.

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