December 19, 2005
The “All-About-Me” Phenomenon
What if church was “all about me”? Take a look at this hilarious video clip called Me Church to see what that might look like. Look for the “Click here to view Preview” link in the left column.
The video humorously exaggerates a very real phenomenon in churches today. This subtle view that a church should cater to my specific needs is a result of society’s influence on us.
There are so many choices today. Way back when, there were only a handful of choices if you wanted to buy a new car. Look at how many there are today: Ford, Chevy, Chrylser, Buick, GMC, VW, Honda, Nissan, Suzuki, Hummer, Kia, Pontiac, Saturn, Subaru, Scion, Mercury, Land Rover, Mazda, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Volvo, SAAB, Fiat, BMW, Mercedes, Dodge, Jeep, Cadillac, Acura, Audi, Bentley, Porsche, Farrari, and Infiniti. And most of these auto-makers have about a dozen different models in their line-up.
This is true for everything, not just cars. There are millions of books for sale on Amazon.com. Think about how many artists are accessible through iTunes’ database. It’s insane really.
Not only do we have the choice of what to buy. We also have the choice of when to buy it. Stores rarely ever close. There was a sign on Walgreens yesterday anouncing that they’ll be open Christmas day. I’d hate to be their employee. I even saw a sign on Taco Bell saying that they stay open until 2 A.M. Do we really need a bean burrito at that time of the day?
When businesses will sacrifice their employees to be open on Christmas day to cater to our needs, it’s very difficult for the average person to really see that life doesn’t revolve around them.
And what about churches? There are also so many churches to choose from, so we instinctively shop for churches just like we shop for a health club or a family physician.
In general, is society making us more selfish?
How does the church strike a balance between meeting people’s needs and while at the same time teaching it’s members that life is not all about me?
