Show Abandonment and the Church

Dr. Dennis Atwood

On my way to the church office this morning I listened to a report on NPR by Neda Ulaby entitled:  “Show Abandonment: When Viewers Drop Popular TV Programs.” The tag line was: “What happens when fans stop talking about a show that used to be their favorite?” Take American Idol, for example. Last week's finale was down 8 million viewers from last year. Such are the problems of the first-world.

The NPR report focused on the fickle nature of television viewers and how American’s loyalty to a favorite show is weakening more and more. For example, at its peak over 8 million people tuned in to The Office each week during its nine-year run. Over the past few seasons, however, viewers have peeled away resulting in the show’s final season and series finale just last week.

 “Show abandonment” apparently comes in stages. First, there is “denial.” The DVR episodes begin to pile up and you don’t have time to catch up on the ones you’ve missed. Next comes “delete.” You begin to delete the lost episodes because you just don’t care enough anymore to catch up. Then, there is “acceptance.” Finally you simply abandon the show altogether. You admit that your loyalty is gone and you move on to the next thing that catches your eye—until it doesn’t.

 

There is also another class of viewers besides these “abandoners.” They are known as “bitter-enders.” These folks stick with a show till the bitter end even as others are abandoning ship. I have to admit that I am one of those “bitter-enders” when it comes to The Office. Sure, the show may have weakened a bit over the past couple of years, but I’m glad to report the series finale was actually a perfect ending to a great run. I’m glad I stuck around—till the bitter end.

 

Wow. Where to begin when it comes to stretching this analogy of “show abandonment” into the realm of “church abandonment”? I don’t have enough time and space to make all the connections, and I don’t even think it’s even necessary. 

 

We all know the story. Church attendance is down everywhere. People are busy. People are fickle. People are losing interest. Churches are in panic mode. Just look around and you’ll see churches bringing in a flashy program, new worship style, or exciting preacher. “We’ve got to get things back to where they once were!”  But things are never going to “get back to where they once were.” New Wine requires new wineskins, said Jesus. We can’t capture time or new wine. The gospel keeps flowing and expanding. If containers become hard and brittle then… well, you end up with wine all over the floor.

 

In one sense, we Christians should be “bitter-enders” in that we don’t abandon ship and move on to another congregation just because we begin to lose interest in our existing one. The virtues of faithfulness and commitment to make things better are far more admirable than abandonment. On the other hand, there are churches that stubbornly refuse to consider the idea of any change whatsoever, and as a result they hasten their own bitter end—even though there doesn’t have to be a “bitter” end.

 

So draw your own conclusions about faithfulness and abandonment. The Church will be here until Jesus says it’s done, but that promise doesn’t give churches a green light to bury their heads in the sand. Healthy churches are able to distinguish between containers—which are useful, and New Wine—which is essential. Healthy churches have their collective eyes open and are always paying attention to the new winds of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said he would never leave or abandon us. Are we abandoning him?

Dennis Atwood is the pastor of FBC Mount Olive. This article originally appeared on his blog.

Preaching in the Inventive Age – A Review

by Rev. Laura Barclay

Preaching in the Inventive Age by Doug Pagitt is a book that encourages ministers to think outside the box on sermon preparation and delivery in the 21^st century church. The inventive age (explained more in the precursor to this book Church and the Inventive Age, which I review here), is what he refers to as this age, where many people are accustomed to contributing and creating their own content in online communities. Because people are comfortable with participatory involvement elsewhere, the church should be adapting its leadership structure to be less authoritarian in style and function.

Pagitt posits that traditional sermonizing is really “speaching,” where a pastor is talking at someone from their own experience, or worse, from the experience of outdated commentaries. Rather than hold all the power and knowledge for ourselves, what if ministers allowed the congregation to shape the sermon? He gives several options for how to accomplish this, including having an open meeting earlier in the week where the pastor facilitates a discussion about the text he or she is going to going to preach the following Sunday. A pastor could also have a question and response time after their sermons or gather after the textual reading and knit together all the comments into a conclusion. Pagitt says that the more invested people are in the experience, the more they will see God’s story as their own, rather than struggle to find personal applicability in Sunday worship.

Pagitt also encourages us to reorient our worship space, where all seats are facing the pulpit and the pastor is the only one with the microphone. He challenges the reader by affirming the priesthood of all believers but stating that our church structures and functions only serve to reiterate hierarchy. What if we had a roundtable format instead?

This book is very easy to read and approach. There is a lot of white space and pull quotes because Pagitt wants you to be able to write your own reflection and add to his thoughts. He is insistent that he isn’t right about everything and he wants your input to evolve his own ideas. This book was a bit repetitive, but I suspect that is because he encourages the reader to flip around, not necessarily in chronological order. Pagitt does this because he wanted the structure of his book to support his thesis.  

I think Pagitt’s ideas are well worth reading because he vigilant and proactive about new and more holistic ways of doing church that involve listening and valuing the voices of everyone in our congregations. I believe the key to moving our congregations forward in the 21^st century involves listening to one another’s stories and experiences and learning to value one another in community. Isn’t this what Jesus was about? 

Want to learn more? You can read more and order Preaching in the Inventive Age here: http://www.amazon.com/Preaching-Inventive-Age-Doug-Pagitt/dp/1451401485. You can find out more about Doug Pagitt, speaker, pastor, and radio host here: www.dougpagitt.com.

Love Wins – A Review

by Rev. Laura Barclay

Intrigued by all the controversy about Love Wins: A Book about Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived by Rob Bell, I delved into this book expecting some shocking revelation similar to one of the tabloids in the grocery check-out aisles (i.e. “Christ Really an Alien!”). Alas, this book is not nearly as controversial as all the media coverage made it seem, and many of the detractors didn’t even read the book before condemning it due to rumors of its content before it hit bookstores. What I can say is this: If I had read this book in college after many bad experiences with churches, I wouldn’t have spent several years outside the church.

Rob Bell is writing this book for “all those, everywhere, who have heard some version of the Jesus story that caused their pulse rate to rise, their stomach to churn, and their heart to utter those resolute words, ‘I would never be a part of that.’(viii)” In other words, he’s talking to those who have left the church because they felt or observed others feeling excluded or judged which was not in keeping with their understanding of a loving God. Bell is careful to cite Scripture and theologians to show that his views are not new, though they may not currently be the loudest narrative on judgment and the afterlife in America.

Bell goes on to address the topics of heaven, hell, end times, and the good news. From my interpretation of his writing, Bell believes that both heaven and hell are present realities that extend beyond death. Jesus talked about the kingdom of heaven being near during his ministry and also talked about being with the thief on the cross in paradise after death. Bell says there is life-giving work that Christians can do to create the community and ministry of Christ on earth and after death. Here, the reality of heaven is not fully realized, and after death we are with God, but still have no body. We must work toward the day when the kingdom of heaven will be joined with earth (forget millennialism and the dozens of failed Rapture dates), answering Jesus’ prayer to see things “on earth as it is in heaven.” Only then will we see the kingdom of God fully actualized as described in Revelation—a beautiful city with open gates.

Additionally, Bell believes that hell is also a present reality that extends beyond death. We can freely choose at any point in this life or the next to live into God’s message of love. Hell isn’t permanent, but a state of being one chooses daily. Rejecting love is its own punishment—the isolation of living for one’s self, of embracing greed, and of not loving one’s neighbor. This is a daily misery from which God desperately wants us to turn. Bell works through all the passages in the Bible related to hell and cites many that talk of God’s love, justice, and grace to point toward a more redemptive, cohesive view of God as one of endless love and hope. Bell believes this view of God is more powerful than one that would limit God’s powers’ of salvation to a specific time period while one is living on earth. Bell states, “So when the gospel is diminished to a question of whether or not a person will ‘get into heaven,’ that reduces the good news to a ticket…The good news is better than that” (179). The good news is that God loves us, and we can be in relationship with a God whose arms are always open.

Ultimately, there will always be a wide range of ideas on the afterlife. Many of these can be healthy when Jesus’ message of love is taken seriously and given the utmost importance over that which we cannot know. I do think that many in my generation (Millenials or Generation Y) who are friends with people of all faiths and no faith see more traditional views on salvation as unhelpful in a post-modern reality. Bell’s book can start a discussion among many who have left the church or are considering leaving. According to Robert Putnam, author of American Grace, the fastest growing group of those considered religiously unaffiliated are young people. Until the 90s, about 5-7% of young people were religiously unaffiliated. That number has risen to between 25-30%. Perhaps beginning a conversation with young people that starts with God’s boundless love rather than fire and brimstone is a good starting place!

The Great Emergence – A Review

by Rev. Laura Barclay
The Great Emergence, by Phyllis Tickle, is a fascinating endeavor to explain the changes that Christianity is experiencing and attempt to guess at what will define the next epoch of human history. Tickle’s thesis is that Christianity undergoes a major shift every 500 years, and that we are in the midst of one today. From the advent of Christ, to the fall of the Roman Empire and rise of monasticism, to the Great Schism between the Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Churches, to the Great Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation, to the present “Great Emergence,” Christianity has adapted and restructured in order to produce new and more relevant forms of religion.
Tickle uses the history of the Great Reformation to relate the anxiety of that time to the current age. In the 16th century, religious battles and church corruption led to fractures in the church that sought new forms of authority outside of papal authority. Sola scriptura emerged, with Protestants affirming the Bible and the priesthood of all believes as the new foundation.
Flash forward to the past century. Wars with religious overtones, church corruption, new discoveries in science, people working and living in urban areas with people of all faiths and no faith, women and LGBT persons rising to positions of authority in the church are just a few emerging realities that all call this 500-year-old form of authority into question. New interpretations and questions arise from the global and post-modern experience. Historical analysis informs us of edits and changes made to scriptures over the ages, resulting in numerous translations and versions of the Bible. For several decades, the emergent movement has seen Christians form into new communities of faith and shift the foundation of faith from sola scriptura to both scripture and community. Scriptures, faith experiences, and theology are now discussed in these communities, as well as online social networks and blogs. Theological views can be refined, molded, and evaluated amongst vast networks of Christians like never before. This broad sharing of faith and ideals is both renewing and challenging our religious structures like never before. Tickle urges us to learn more and try to anticipate the trajectory of this new movement, both embracing and closely examining its progress.
This book is exciting to me because of the possibility—we are living in a time of great change, both in our faith and society. I know many persons in my generation are weary of listening to battles over proof texting certain verses, and yearn for a lived faith of justice and mercy that comes from a community of people actively seeking to follow Jesus. A shift to seeing the Bible as one of several powerful tools in our faith, instead of the only tool, seems like a freeing prospect. This doesn’t seem to lessen the importance of the text, which is being studied in these emergent communities through vibrant discussion. Rather, it seems to elevate God in our discussions that have been marred by so many exhausting scriptural battles.
Tickle notes that great shifts are taking place in other faiths, especially Judaism and Islam. We have seen this play out the Middle Eastern drive for democratic reforms, which unified Abrahamic faiths in Egypt as Christians and Muslims linked arms and cried out for freedom. As a Christian who is fascinated with the Reformation Era, I am both curious and hopeful for what this next century will bring to our different faith traditions. How exciting to work for the Kingdom of God in new and collaborative ways!
If you'd like to learn more, check out the website for the book: http://www.thegreatemergence.com/

Give Me Some of That New-Time Postmodern Religion

by Rev. Laura Barclay
On Ash Wednesday, I happened to tune in to both Conan and The Colbert Report and was not all that shocked to see a fairly usual sight. These Generation X and Y icons were humorously addressing Lent. A word of warning – some content may be seen as objectionable by certain viewers.
Conan's Ash Wednesday Play (skip to the 5 minute, 30 second mark):


Colbert gives up Catholicism for Lent:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Stephen Gives up Catholicism for Lent
http://www.colbertnation.com/
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

At first glance, their portrayals could be perceived as irreverent, but I, and others in my generation, see a kind of genius in their humor. Some religious establishments can be seen as self-righteous and unwilling to engage in a meaningful discussion on ideological differences. I believe that this seemingly reverent ban from the public sphere of comedy has actually done a disservice to the faith in terms of accountability. Younger generations communicate through humor and sarcasm and wisely do not trust entities that aren’t willing to be subjected to comedic scrutiny. Such jokes actually serve to shine a light on the tragic, corrupt or negative elements of religion, while lifting up the gospels. Catholic comedians Conan O’Brien and Stephen Colbert will rightfully mock the bad: sexual abuse, authoritarianism, discrimination, and hypocritical theology. Simultaneously, Colbert has done some hard-hitting segments that highlight Jesus’ gospel teachings and ethic of love, and has even addressed Congress to expose the conditions of migrant workers in the name of his faith.
Because these comedians keep religion on the table to be humorously discussed, they are more likely to be trusted by younger generations. In fact, Colbert has become a Catholic icon on college campuses and is generating excitement for the faithful. Jesuit priest Rev. Martin says, “He manages to raise the big questions very deftly. I think that is a great catechesis for many people because he might be reaching Catholics who never go to church and he is speaking to them in language they can understand.” I would add to Martin’s statement that he’s speaking to all young adults who are searching for meaning and showing them how to be faithful in a postmodern age where the rules have changed. In using their language of humor, he’s able to affirm viewers’ legitimate concerns about religion while also encouraging them to discuss their doubts and hopes with one another (doubting is another topic off-limits in many churches). These conversations are exactly what should be happening in the church, and my hope is that we can find ways to connect with younger people who expect the space to question, hope, doubt, and find humor in just about everything. We must be willing to listen and communicate in new ways with Generation X and Y. Not only are they our future, but they may have good reason to be reluctant to set foot in church.